Supporting Young English Learners at Home
Family and Caregiver Activities
Learning together can be fun! These family and caregiver activities (FCAs) are designed to provide simple, fun activities families and caregivers can use with young English learner children at home to leverage cultural and linguistic assets and knowledge to strengthen language development in either the home language or English. The resources are based on the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide "Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School." They are available in multiple languages.
Educator Resources
These resources support educators in helping families and caregivers make the most of the activities:
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TOOL: Educators' Guide
Read the Educators' Guide to learn more about the activities as well as tips to help families and caregivers make the most out of the them. -
VIDEO: Introductory Webinar
Watch a webinar that introduces the research behind the activities and provides suggestions to maximize learning and fun while families, caregivers, and children engage with the FCAs. -
VIDEO COLLECTION: Activities in Action
See educators and families in action! View three videos that connect classroom instruction with use of the family and caregiver activities at home.
"I just want to enjoy being with my granddaughter at home. How can i make learning fun for her?" —Grandfather of a young English learner in California
Activities
Questions about Stories
Strengthen language by asking and answering questions about a story.
Questions about Experiences
Use everyday experiences inside and or outside of the home to ask and answer questions.
Interviewing a Special Person
Interview a special person to build oral and written language.
Video Collection
Video 1: Building Oral and Written Language Skills
This video shows how to extend elementary classroom learning to the home with two Family and Caregiver Activity sheets: Asking and Answering Questions About an Informational Text and Writing Notebooks. The simple and fun activities, using content from classroom lessons, encourage young English learners to strengthen oral and written language skills while interacting with family members or caregivers.
Video 2: Supporting Young English Learners to Develop Academic Vocabulary Across Content Areas
This video demonstrates how educators, families, and caregivers partnered to prepare transitional kindergarten children for classroom lessons on sequential language across content areas and then extend this learning using two fun and engaging activity sheets: Asking and Answering Questions About a Story and Making a Meal Together.
Video 3: Applying Academic Vocabulary and Language to Multiple Contexts
This video focuses on how the Family and Caregiver Activity sheets Word Detective and Interviewing a Special Person can extend classroom lessons on academic vocabulary and language to help elementary-age English learner students use new words across multiple contexts by listening, speaking, writing, and drawing with their family members and caregivers.