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Supporting Young English Learners at Home

REL West
Author(s):
The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program
Publication date:
December 2021

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:

  • 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

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Activities

Strengthen language through simple, fun activities families and caregivers can use with young English learner children at home.

Questions about Stories
Strengthen language by asking and answering questions about a story.
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Questions about Informational Text
Ask and answer questions about an informational text.
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Questions about Experiences
Use everyday experiences inside and or outside of the home to ask and answer questions.
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Wordplay
Play with vocabulary to build language.
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Guess My Object
Play a guessing game to build descriptive vocabulary.
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Word Detective
Build and practice using vocabulary by playing word detective.
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Making a Meal Together
Develop language while making a meal.
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Interviewing a Special Person
Interview a special person to build oral and written language.
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Writing Notebooks
Write daily to build oral and written language.
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Download all activities in English.
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FEATURED VIDEO
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.

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FEATURED VIDEO
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.

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FEATURED VIDEO
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.

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English Learners (EL)

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