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The Department of Education requires that all students, including English Language Learners (ELLs), must be exposed to a wide array of texts. These texts include narrative text and informational text. This requirement is part of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and ensures that students strengthen their ability to perceive more from text so that they can make stronger connections … Read More

English Learners (ELs) make up a large portion of the student population in our nation’s public school system. However, not all school districts and educators are prepared to meet the cultural needs of their students. Cultural relevancy is said to play a significant role in the academic success, literacy achievement, and parental involvement of ELs and their parents. Read on to … Read More

Bilingual programs and books have been popular since the Bilingual Education Act (BEA); Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1968 was first passed by federal legislation. The BEA recognized the needs of English Learner (EL) students and was the first bill to grant funds to ELs. Bilingual education has remained popular over the years due to … Read More

It’s never too early to begin reading to and with toddlers.  Young children are curious and eager to learn. There definitely is truth in the saying that children’s brains are like sponges, as they are always learning and retaining information that they encounter.  Let’s take a look at some benefits and tips for parents and toddlers reading together. Benefits of Reading … Read More

Summer is almost upon us.  But this year, can we really address summer slide?  We don’t want to overwhelm our students and families with unreasonable expectations.  “Summer slide” is a phenomenon that typically occurs in the summer months when school is not in session. Research demonstrates that kids who are not actively learning and reading during summer vacation tend to slip behind … Read More

Celebrating diverse cultures in bilingual books should be a major goal for teachers in this day and age.  And there’s no better way to appreciate and celebrate diversity than by using bilingual books in your classroom. Bilingual books help foster a welcoming environment, especially if you have English Language Learners (ELLs) in your classroom.  The great thing about bilingual books … Read More

Multicultural bilingual books are quite useful in the classroom and home setting. Students and parents can read them in their home language and English simultaneously increasing their ability to understanding and comprehending what they are reading, thus improving their literacy skills in both languages. Further, multicultural bilingual books with an emphasis on multiculturalism also help ELL children relate to the stories being … Read More

Non-fiction leveled readers are a great classroom asset as they help students become independent readers.  Leveled readers are books that come in various levels of difficulty, which increases as the children’s literacy skills increase.  As students build their literacy skills they gain confidence in themselves, as well as language fluency and comprehension.  Lectura Books offers a comprehensive collection of non-fiction … Read More

Each school year, teachers encounter new groups of students learning how to read.  Whether students are learning how to read in English, Spanish, or both languages simultaneously, there are several stages of literacy development, which are essentially the same, as both languages are alphabetic in nature.  The stages include the Emergent stage, the Beginning stage, and the Instructional Reading stage.  … Read More

In our global economy being bilingual or multilingual is advantageous. Teaching kids Spanish, as a second language, while they’re young will provide them with many benefits and skills for the future, such as literacy and cognitive skills. With the proper instruction and guidance, kids can learn a second language with ease and a more natural, native pronunciation. Here are 5 tips … Read More