Kids are showing reading gains in dual-language classrooms. There may be underlying brain advantages at work.
Talk to me in any language that I understand and I’ll just get the meaning of it, talk to me in my language and I’ll catch the soul of it. Learning languages is a gateway to understandi…
Inside: A peek into dozens of Spanish classrooms, of all kinds, shapes, and sizes! A well-designed room won’t make or break your teaching. Oh, but it can make a difference in how you and your students feel. Some of you have very limited options, and very tight budgets. There’s some serious classroom eye-candy here, but the
Bilingual parenting is an exciting journey and it can go upside down at times. Parents need to be inspired on this raising bilingual children journey...
Bilingual teachers have challenges and demands. Learn how these teaching tips can help during your first-year of teaching.
This is my first year teaching in a Dual Language program and, to be honest, I was a little nervous. With all the “requirements”, student movement and team-teaching it seemed really ov…
Today we made balloon rockets. We blew up balloons and taped them to straws. Then we ran a ribbon thought the straws and stretched the ribbon across the room. When we let the air out of the balloons, they zoomed forward along the ribbon. It was fun to make predictions and record what happened. We used Scientific Method Graphic Organizers from our tpt store to write and draw what we saw.
This APA citation poster is a great visual for students to see how to write in-text APA citations. Perfect for upper-level students who are learning to write formal research papers or engaging in other types of evidence-based writing! Related products include: • MLA Citation Poster » • APA and MLA Citation Posters (Set of 2) » • Editable Poster/Handout: How to Write a Good Conclusion » • Argumentative/Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer: Claim, Reasons, Evidence » • Claim, Reason, and Evidence Graphic Organizer » • Writing a Claim: Editable Graphic Organizer (Color and B&W Versions) » >> View more English posters (including English alphabet posters)! This product is also available in the following language(s): • Spanish » • English/Spanish Bundle (Set of 2) » -- View more posters: Monolingual • English » • English Alphabet » • Spanish » • Spanish Alphabet » • French » • Portuguese » Bilingual • Spanish/English » • French/English » • Portuguese/English » Multilingual • Trilingual English/Spanish/French »
Dual language education provides a unique and powerful opportunity to strengthen children's highest cognitive brain potentials.
Knowing how to speak a second language has many advantages, and many studies suggests that bilingual kids are smarter than others.
Host a Bilingual Parents Night at your school to make a personal connection with parents with a unique set of concerns and a valuable skill set to offer.
Words by Amy LV Students - I hold great respect for children and adults who speak two languages. Having grown up with only English, I love knowing that some families cross the borders of word and sound, have double the words and expressions for the same experiences. When I was a teenager, I lived for a year in Denmark, and during that year I learned Danish. It was very difficult, and I was afraid to speak for some time, afraid to sound stupid. But my host family encouraged me, and I finally realized that speaking was the only way that I would make friends. In time, I learned to speak Danish well and even thought and dreamed in it. And when I came home to America, I would sometimes search for a perfect word...and find that it did not exist in English. This is a free verse poem, a poem that expresses a longing for something, a poem of admiration and a touch of jealousy. Do you speak two languages? For what do you long? In such heart-echoes, we find poems. This book written by Helen Recorvits and illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska is one of my favorite books about learning a new language. Shop Indie Bookstores And a favorite bilingual children's poet? Why, Pat Mora! I have been reading Pat's wise book ZING: SEVEN CREATIVITY PRACTICES FOR EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS, and here is just one of her beautiful bilingual children's books, GRACIS/THANKS illustrated by John Parra. Shop Indie Bookstores Oh! Today is the day after Groundhog Day. If you're wondering what Phil is thinking right now, check out last year's poem, February 3. Karissa is hosting today's Poetry Friday over at The Iris Chronicles. Head on over to taste this week's poetry delights! (Please click on POST A COMMENT below to share a thought.)
Learn or review French subject pronouns (je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils, elles) with this friendly comic activity sheet. Includes: • teacher suggestions • illustrated vocabulary and 3 activities to review meanings • answer sheet • 8 1/2" x 11" reference sheet for posting En français. Prints easily in black and white. Freebees and Discounts Follow this store for product updates and sales. New products are often free or discounted during the first 24 hours. Your Feedback...merci! Your comments help to continually improve resources. Feedback is a win-win, because you’ll earn TPT credits, too! If you have questions or concerns, contact me through Product Q and A, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Product License This purchases doesn't allow for copying to other teachers and friends, but does grant unlimited copies for your students.
If we want language to come OUT of our students’ mouths, we must get language IN to their heads. They need INput so that they can produce OUTput. » Input is reading and listening » Output is speaking and writing This is common sense. A learner cannot utter an expression in a new language if…
Les études sont formelles : être bilingue rend plus intelligent. Logique améliorée, prévention contre la démence, surveillance de l'environnement accrue...
Spanish Bananagrams is my family’s favorite word game. We’ve played since my children were little, and it is always a part of our family gatherings. In addition, the physical game itself, the set of tiles with letters, is one of the most versatile Spanish learning materials I own. You
There is no doubt that French classroom routines are really important opportunities for engaging our Core French students. Here is a quick list of my students' favourite classroom routines that you should give a shot.
Salut! Hi everyone! If you teach French, you know how tough it can be to find resources for your classroom. Of course, I'm talking about QUALITY resources. That's why a group of great teacher-authors has decided to put together a FREE French eBook of tips and links to freebies for the back-to-school season or should I say "pour la rentrée"? Laudalina from Profs et Soeurs is the mastermind of this amazing initiative and Ms. Joanne has been so generous to host the eBook. What about me? I was honored to organize it! READ: Check out my new For French Immersion Blog and subscribe to the For French Immersion Newsletter. But before we get to the eBook, I would also like to share 5 FREE websites you can use for extra activities when teaching French. They are presented in no specific order and I'm not affiliated with any of them. I just really think they're very useful. Graphics by Stacey Lloyd Here we go: 1. IL ÉTAIT UNE HISTOIRE... This site has a LOT of stories for kids. It's well-organized into categories, e.g. "Contes et Légendes", "Fables et poésies", etc, and the best part is that they present the text and give you the option of listening to a narrator reading it. Oh, and the "Comptines et Chansons", of course, are sung! The site can be used in so many ways in the classroom. You can: - have students listen to the narrator while reading the text during computer time - play the audio to use it in listening comprehension activities - just use the text for reading comprehension activities - have students sing along the "comptines" Lundi Matin (source: Il était une histoire…) Click on the image above to check out one of the "Comptines et Chansons". This one is great to practice "les jours de la semaine". 2. FRANCE TV ÉDUCATION This is a section of the site that is dedicated to education. It's got videos, texts, games about many subjects, such as "Histoire" and "Sciences". They've also got quizzes to test the level of proficiency in French. Click on the image below to check out one of the quizzes. French quiz (source: France TV Éducation) 3. BONJOUR DE FRANCE They have several free online exercises you can have your students doing. They are identified with one of the six levels of the CEFR. Check out this simple quiz about "les animaux" (click on the image below). Les animaux en français (source: Bonjour de France) 4. BrainPOP Next is BrainPOP. It's an amazing site with videos, quizzes and much more. It covers many subjects and it's fully animated. Click on the image below to check it out. 5. TV5 MONDE Last but not least is the section of the TV5 website dedicated to "la langue française". There are a lot of resources from which to choose. They've also got sections for those who teach French and those who learn French. My favorite section is "Les Fables de La Fontaine" with 8 fables with text and audio. Click on the image below to check them out. Les Fables de La Fontaine (source: TV5Monde) And now, for our FREE French Back-to-School eBook! It is packed with tips and links to freebies by 15 teacher-authors. There are FSL and FI resources for k-12. I'm sure you'll find something you can use in your classroom! It's available on Teachers Pay Teachers. If you've never heard of Teachers Pay Teachers, or TpT as I prefer to call it, you have no idea what you're missing out. Click on the image for a FREE copy of the eBook. Click on the image for your FREE copy Enter my giveaway for a chance to win $25 worth of French teaching resources! Giveaway is over! Sorry! I've started a new blog. The name says it all: For French Immersion Blog. Come check it out and subscribe to the For French Immersion Newsletter. Merci! Thank you so much for stopping by! READ at For French Immersion: 7 Pinterest boards for French teachers READ: 10 words that English borrowed from French READ: FREE French Alphabet Chart READ: Free French Poster - expressions with the word POMME
There's so much to love about Montessori, but did you know it's great for raising bilingual kids? Here's more on teaching a second language with Montessori.
Check out these fun teaching materials for teaching comma rules to upper elementary including an anchor chart, videos, and graphic organizer.
How to create useful routines in your French classroom As a teacher, you probably know that classroom routines are paramount to maintaining your general sanity throughout the school year. When your students have a clear idea of what is expected of them from the time of arrival through to dismissal, classroom management becomes so much easier. When there are set routines in place, you are able to focus more on teaching and less on giving instructions. Investing in teaching your students these routines from the first day of classes will keep you from wasting valuable time throughout the school year. What is a classroom routine? A classroom routine is a well-rehearsed response from your students when given a direction from you, the teacher. It is something that must be taught and practiced. It is not simply enough to give the direction once. Rehearsal and practice are key! A classroom routine can be taught for any behaviours that you would like to control in the classroom, which can be as simple as: beginning the day, handing in assignments, sharpening a pencil or asking questions. What is the best way to teach a routine? Use these 5 steps to establishing a classroom routine for your French class to make the year go more smoothly for you and your students. Step 1: Explain the routine Identify the routine that you wish to teach and explain to your students why it is important. For example, if you would like for your students to raise their hands before asking a question, explain how this will ensure that all students will benefit from the question and hearing the answer and it ensures that all students questions get answered. Be sure to clarify any part of the routine that students may have questions about before proceeding to the next step. Step 2: Model the routine You will need to act out specifically what you would like your students to do for the routine. Narrate what you are doing throughout the routine so that your students have a very clear picture of what is expected from them. If you would like your students to enter the classroom quietly and place their books in the top righthand corner of their desks, model this for your students. Step 3: Practice the routine with your students Have a few students act out and model the routine exactly as you have shown the class in the previous step, making any corrections as required. Now that all students have seen the routine performed, allow the entire class to practice the routine until they are comfortable completing it independently. Step 4: Initiate the routine Explain to your students that you wish the routine to be completed in this manner each and every time it is required throughout the school year. As the routine is completed, be sure to narrate and remind students of the proper procedure. You can gradually release responsibility to your students as you see they are consistent with the routine. Step 5: Review the routine There may be times when you feel you need to review the routine with your class. For example, after coming back from a school break, or on a day when a special event is occurring at the school. In this case, go back to step 1 of this guide and repeat as necessary. Some important daily routines that I suggest to teach your students include: Beginning the day, how to enter and exit the classroom, information to include on assignments (name, date, class, grade), school supplies, handing/collecting, bathroom/drink breaks, asking a question, emergency response, early finishers, lunch/snack time, dismissal, cleaning the classroom, classroom jobs. Other types of routines Routines can also be established to reinforce curriculum that has already been taught. These types of routines provide opportunities to master a skill, and instil confidence. When students practice a familiar skill repeatedly, they will become more confident applying the skill elsewhere. In my French classroom, I like to have routines in place for communicating in French. In doing so, I find students are more likely to communicate with me and with each other in French. For example, I always implement a warm-up activity in my classes that involves speaking in French. I rotate through these activities throughout the year, but my students know that they can always expect them before beginning a lesson. Three of these activities are: Prof du jour This is an excellent way to incorporate daily authentic speaking in the target language, increase student participation, student engagement and help your students gain confidence. A student is chosen to be the teacher of the day. They ask questions to other students in French and their classmates must also respond in French. I keep a set of questions handy on a key ring for students to refer to (shown above). Conversation prompts I use a set of 24 French speaking prompts to give students an opportunity to practice their conversational skills and gain confidence asking and answering questions in French. They are all printed on circles and attached to popsicle sticks (shown above). I place them in a jar and each student gets to choose one. They must read and respond to the question chosen. La boîte mystère ‘La boîte mystère’ is an activity that is popular with students because it gets them involved in a meaningful way. By hiding a mystery object in the box (shown above) and having students ask questions to try to guess the identity of the object, students practice asking and answering questions, while using their critical thinking skills. It is very similar to the popular ’20 questions’ game. I hope that you are find the above information helpful! I have made the resources that accompany the above routines available in the TPT shop. You can find them at the links below, or as a part of a useful bundle of 8 different useful routines for writing and speaking in the French classroom HERE. PROF DU JOUR CONVERSATION PROMPTS LA BOÎTE MYSTÈRE
Learn tips and resources for helping English Language Learners prepare for WIDA ACCESS langauge testing throughout the school year.
This black and white printable comic explains how gender (masculine and feminine nouns) work in French. With lots of illustrations and friendly language, students will make sense of grammatical gender--an often confusing concept for English speakers. The resource includes: • 2 page comic • 2 reading activities with multiple-choice checks for comprehension • teacher suggestions for use • answer sheet for comprehension questions No prep needed. Also great for supply teachers. In English. All art is original by the author. For beginner/core French, grades 4 – 8. Freebees and Discounts Follow this store for product updates and sales. Often new products are free or discounted during the first 24 hours. Comments Your feedback helps to continually improve products. It’s a win-win, since you’ll earn TPT credits. If you have questions or concerns, contact me through Product Q and A, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can! Product License Don’t share this resource with other teachers. Do print unlimited copies for your students. Merci!
A couple weeks back, I wrote about different ways to practice vocabulary other than using flashcards. This got me thinking that it could a...
Corkboard Connections is a blog written by Laura Candler who enjoys connecting terrific teachers with amazing resources!
If you work with ELLs you know it can be difficult to keep track of their language proficiency in the different domains - listening, speaking, reading and writing. Some kids are great speakers, but struggle with listening. Others can read well, but struggle to write. ELLs progress at different rates within the language domains. I'm sharing a template that allows you to keep track of you entire class of ELLs on one page. You will be able to see where student X lies in each domain and compare him to student Y, while also refering to what they are able to do, and push them to the next level. This can help you with grouping, differentiating, questioning, deciding accommodations, etc. Previously I always had to use an Excel sheet or separate Can-Do descriptor pages. Here you can see all of you students on one page. Here is an example: The freebie is Word Document so you can make it look fancy and adjust it to fit your needs. Click the image below to go straight to my TpT store for the freebie. You can find more resources at my blog: Cheers, Mrs. Castro
HABLO - SPANISH LANGUAGE ZONE Why Learn Spanish ? Learning Spanish opens up a world of opportunities. From travel to...
SGI has group lessons and individual tuition English courses for all language levels from Elementary to Advanced learners. There are continuous General English, Business English and IELTS courses.
Are you looking for some great games to play with your students in your FSL classroom? Look no further. Today, I am sharing the ‘best of the best’ student-approved games for FSL. Many require little to no prep (yay!). Take a look below and try one with your students today! 1. Comptez! Are you looking for a fun way to review numbers? This activity works very well with learners of all ages. Seriously. Even my middle-years aged students begged to play this! Materials required: none How to play: -Have your students stand together in a circle. -The teacher says ‘un’ (1) to get the game started. -any student may call out the next number in sequence – ‘deux’ (2) -only one student may say a number at a time. If 2 or more students say the same number, the game must begin again. -You may set a goal for your students to aim for (ie- count to 10). However, play continues as high as your students wish to count! 2. Le ballon This game can be used with ANY vocabulary theme! Materials required: a soft foam ball or a balloon How to play: -Have your students stand in a circle. Give your students a theme to follow or have a student choose a theme. (ie- la maison, la météo) -Give the ball or balloon to the first player. That player says a vocabulary word that suits the theme and then throws the ball to another player. -The player that catches the ball must say another relevant vocabulary word before tossing the ball to the next player. -Words may not be repeated. 3. Le tableau This is another game for reviewing vocabulary while working in small groups. Materials: whiteboard and markers How to play: -Divide your students into 4 small groups. Draw 4 columns on the white board with the team number at the top. -Have students in each team stand in a line at the board in front of their team number column. -Write a vocabulary category on the board and challenge student teams to write 10 words each. -Team members must take turns to write (and spell correctly!) 10 different vocabulary words in the given category. The first team to complete the challenge wins! 4. La tapette à mouches La tapette à mouches is a fly swatter game for the French classroom. This game gets your students up out of their seats and moving in an active learning activity. Materials required: a whiteboard, 2 fly swatters How to play: -Write desired vocabulary words all over the whiteboard. -Divide students into 2 teams. -1 representative from each team holds a fly swatter and stands close to the board where the game is being played. -The teacher calls out a vocabulary word and students must ‘swat’ the corresponding word. -The first student to correctly identify the word wins a point for their team. Play continues with a new student each round until all students have had an opportunity to play. 5. Trashketball A fun game that reviews French vocabulary or grammar skills. This review game involves group work, decision making and recall and is easily differentiated for many levels. This activity is great for all learning styles and centers around reviewing learned material. The game will involve all students and keep them engaged with the lesson. There are 5 rounds of play in the games, each with 5 questions. With easy set-up, it is great for a last-minute lesson. This one takes a bit of prep and you may wish to use the PowerPoint presentations that I have created HERE, or create your own! Materials required: digital whiteboard/projector capable of displaying THESE PowerPoint presentations, small whiteboard and marker or scrap paper and pencil for each team, a trashcan or recycling bin, masking tape or painter’s tape, a ball/bean bag or other soft object for throwing. Setup:Place a trashcan/recycle bin in a clear lane. Use a visible line on the floor (or place a piece of painter’s tape/masking tape) a few feet away from the bin (closer for younger students and further for older students). This will be the ’shooting’ line. How to play: -Divide your class into several small teams (about 3-4 students per team). Assign one student to be the team reporter. The reporter will bring the answers to be reviewed to the teacher. Equip each team with a whiteboard and marker or a piece of scrap paper and pencil. Have each team write the numbers 1-5 down the side of the whiteboard/paper in a list. -Display the slide for round 1 on the board/projector. Give students a set amount of time to work through the problems in each round. 1-2 minutes will work for each round depending on the abilities of your class. Have each team work quickly to answer the questions on the slide during each round. -Signal to students when the time is up. Have the reporter from each team bring the answers to the teacher. The teacher will check the answers (an answer key is provided). If a team has an incorrect answer, the teacher must send the reporter back to the team to correct it. -The first team with all 5 answers correct, will get 3 throws of the ball/bean bag into the can. The 2ndteam gets 2 throws, the 3rdteam gets 1 throw. For each throw that lands in the can, the team earns 1 point. -Play resumes for all 5 rounds. At the end, tally all of the points earned for each team. The team with the highest score wins. These are my favourite 5 games. Do you have any favourites that your students LOVE? CHECK OUT MORE GAMES AVAILABLE IN MY FRECH TEACHING RESOURCE STORE ON TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS HERE!
One of the first things that we do when school starts is to evaluate how much letter knowledge the students have. We made an evaluation form that can be used all year. We test at the beginning of school. We also test again in January to see how the students are progressing. We do a final evaluation the last few weeks of the school year. One form keeps all of our information about each students letter knowledge. Click on the link below to get your copy FREE. Spanish Letter Evaluation Form
Perfect visual for teaching probability. This packet includes 9 posters of the following: - 2 posters describing probability - 1 poster for - certain - impossible - likely - unlikely - 3 posters for different ways to say it – moins probable, peu probable, improbable - equal chance As well as a set of same posters in flash card size.
There’s nothing more intimidating than trying to learn a new language from scratch. Yeah, some English-speakers go on to study language and do brilliantly, but my own mediocre French GCSE is pretty much limited to finding
