What skills do our young English language learners need in order to communicate effectively and make sense of the world? Traditionally literacy has been thought of as having the ability to read and write, but is that really sufficient in the media and information-rich world we live in? Our young
The primary focus for newcomers to the United States who have little to no English is oral language and comprehension. They want to start communicating their basic needs —”I don’t feel well,” “I need to use the bathroom,” “Where is the gym?”— as soon as possible. But as high school
Reading is one of the most essential, yet challenging, skills for English language learners to develop. Becoming a proficient reader requires consistent practice, patience … and support from the instructor! Below are some strategies for teaching academic reading that you can use to help your students acquire the skills and
As a follow-up to her recent National Geographic Learning webinar, Lift co-author Tracey Gibbins answers a few questions about scaffolding from participants in the session. What is the difference between scaffolding and differentiation? Scaffolding for reading is the process of supporting students as they work towards becoming independent readers. I
In this series of blog posts for primary teachers, Katherine Bilsborough, coauthor of Imagine, offers simple tips for easy ways to make teaching grammar, phonics, and reading as easy as A, B, C! Primary children are often developing reading skills in their first language (L1) at the same time as
As a teacher, do you ever have that feeling of mild panic that you’ve gone in too high with a text? I certainly have. Oh, no, you think, the students are out of their depth here. Should I abandon this or persevere and hope we get through it somehow? You
Tackling challenging texts is an overwhelming task for most students, even for strong readers. Close reading is an effective instructional strategy to help students interact with complex texts and gain deeper understanding of them. Close reading could also empower students to become strong, independent readers of highly complex texts (Sisson
Stories have played a major role in early childhood education for a long time and are a key element in any good English program for young children. There are so many benefits for the language learner. As more Young Learner teachers adopt classroom practices which focus on teaching the whole
Welcome to this webinar playlist by National Geographic Learning, featuring content from some of our expert authors and content developers. In this course, you will watch several webinars on a particular topic and fill in several worksheets with your thoughts and ideas. As a result, you should learn a number
Every teacher uses their voice to teach. The tone and delivery of what you say to your students will become a familiar and comforting sound especially if you teach young learners. When you tell stories, you are using a powerful tool not only for teaching language, but also as a