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Ten Languages You'll Need Most in the Classroom

A Guide to Communicating With English Language Learners and Their Families

By: Garth Sundem, Jan Krieger, Kristi Pikiewicz, Corwin Press, Inc.

Break through language barriers and put ELL students at ease in your classroom!

This guide to the ten most common languages of students who do not speak English—Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Tagalog, Haitian Creole, Navajo, Hmong, Cantonese, and Korean—offers guidance for making meaningful connections with ELL students and their families. Useful resources include:

Information about the traditions, religions, and celebrations of the family's country of origin
Guides to common words and phrases in the student's native language
Reproducible picture dictionaries for students
Sample parent letters that include both English and native language translations
Basic reading tests in ten languages

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781412937825
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2008
Page Count: 288
Publication date: January 15, 2007

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Description

"The authors have created a must-have resource for any teacher who works with ELL students. This book may be the difference between success and failure, for both the teacher and the student."
—Patrick F. Sheedy III, Executive Director
Rochester Montessori School, MN

"Finally, a book that gets at the heart of communicating with ESL/ELL students. This book hits home by focusing interactions with students on a cultural level within each language group, and then takes it a step further with ideas for parental communication. A must-have for teachers trying to break down communication barriers."
—Andrew Pontius, Middle School Teacher
Overseas Family School, Singapore

Break through language barriers and put ELL students at ease in your classroom!

More than ever before, K–12 educators in today's classrooms teach students from diverse language backgrounds. This handy reference guide to the ten most common languages of students who do not speak English—Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Tagalog, Haitian Creole, Navajo, Hmong, Cantonese, and Korean—offers practical guidance for communicating with ELL students and their families. With a chapter dedicated to each language, this book provides a wealth of resources to help you make meaningful connections with ELL students, including:

Information about the traditions, religions, and celebrations of the family's country of origin
Guides to common words and phrases in the student's native language
Picture dictionaries that can be reproduced for use with students
Sample parent letters that include both English and native language translations
Basic reading tests in ten languages

Help ensure that English Language Learners successfully transition into the school community and participate fully in the classroom learning environment!

Key features

Covers the 10 most common non-English languages spoken in the U.S.
Includes translated parent letters
Features content area vocabulary and everyday vocabulary in 10 languages
Provides cultural facts and insights

Author(s)

Garth Sundem

Garth Sundem is an educational consultant and curriculum writer. A former language arts and music teacher, Mr. Sundem has published more than 15 books, primarily on the subjects of literacy and social studies. A graduate of Cornell University, he earned a Masters Degree in Music Theory and Composition. He presents at local and national education conferences and facilitates in-service trainings across the U.S.

Jan Krieger

A multicultural educator for many years, Jan Krieger has taught at bilingual schools throughout Central and South America, as well as in the United States. He is currently a Spanish teacher at both the middle and high school levels in Bozeman, Montana. His Masters Degree is in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Multicultural Education.

Kristi Pikiewicz

Kristi Pikiewicz is a middle school Social Studies and Language Arts teacher, author, and frequent presenter at local, state, and national conferences. Her first teaching position was at Hill Middle School in Novato, California where she was hired by the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative to work as a Title I Literacy Specialist in a highly ELL environment. She continues to value multiculturalism and hands-on learning in her classroom.

Corwin Press, Inc.

Table of Contents

Preface

Publisher's Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

1. Spanish

Cultural Facts

Useful Phrases

Picture Dictionaries

Translated Parent Letters

2. Vietnamese

Cultural Facts

Useful Phrases

Picture Dictionaries

Translated Parent Letters

3. Hmong

Cultural Facts

Useful Phrases

Picture Dictionaries

Translated Parent Letters

4. Chinese (Cantonese)

Cultural Facts

Useful Phrases

Picture Dictionaries

Translated Parent Letters

5. Korean

Cultural Facts

Useful Phrases

Picture Dictionaries

Translated Parent Letters

6. Haitian Creole

Cultural Facts

Useful Phrases

Picture Dictionaries

Translated Parent Letters

7. Arabic

Cultural Facts

Useful Phrases

Picture Dictionaries

Translated Parent Letters

8. Russian

Cultural Facts

Useful Phrases

Picture Dictionaries

Translated Parent Letters

9. Tagalog

Cultural Facts

Useful Phrases

Picture Dictionaries

Translated Parent Letters

10. Navajo

Cultural Facts

Useful Phrases

Picture Dictionaries

Translated Parent Letters

11. Reading Tests

Reading Tests: First Grade

Reading Tests: Third Grade

Reading Tests: Fifth Grade

References

Additional Resources

Reviews

"An outstanding contribution to the teaching of children whose first language is not English. With a unique approach and respect for a variety of different ethnicities, this book should be an essential tool for many teachers."

Marilyn Sachs, Children's Book Author

"Finally, a book that gets at the heart of communicating with ESL/ELL students. This book hits home by focusing interaction with students on a cultural level within each language group, and then takes it a step further with ideas for parental communication. A must-have for teachers trying to break down communication barriers."

Andrew Pontius, Middle School Teacher
Overseas Family School, Singapore

"The authors have created a must-have resource for any teacher who works with ELL students. This book may be the difference between success and failure, for both the teacher and the student."

Patrick F. Sheedy III, Executive Director
Rochester Montessori School, MN

"A crucial tool for teachers who have second language learners in their classes. Its simple, user-friendly format provides teachers with critical communication resources to maximize students' English language acquisition."

Diane Whitehouse, Educational Consultant
Judkins Middle School, Pismo Beach, CA

"Designed by classroom teachers for classroom teachers, this book is a supremely useful tool for effective and immediate communication with ESL students."

Shane M. Doyle, Program Coordinator
Early Childhood Education Distance Partnership, Montana State University-Bozeman

Other Titles in: Diversity | Bilingual/ELL Learners | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles

Available As:

Review Copies

This book is not available as a review copy.