Find great ELL resources from Colorín Colorado! | | | | In the News
There are many ways that schools can support immigrant students and families facing uncertainty. These strategies are based on input from educators and researchers across the country. You can see more in our related guide about immigration and schools. |
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New on Colorín Colorado Learn more about AI, how it's being used in schools, and what educators need to know about its potential benefits and risks. This article is based on the AI training materials that author Christina Patterson has developed for a variety of professional learning settings. A follow-up article on AI and ELLs will be coming soon!
Missy Testerman is a K-8 English as a second language (ESL) teacher in Rogersville, TN. Ms. Testerman served as a first and second grade teacher for three decades before adding an ESL endorsement through her state's Grow Your Own initiative. Ms. Testerman is the 2024 National Teacher of the Year and the 2024 Tennessee Teacher of the Year. In this interview with Colorín Colorado, she talks about her work with newcomer students and how she supports immigrant families. She also shares some of her favorite instructional practices and the reasons she loves Colorín Colorado!
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| | | Award-winning ESL teacher Missy Testerman explains how and why she uses scaffolds with her ELLs. |
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In the Classroom Learn how to support ELLs' math instruction through this tip sheet, which includes ideas about getting to know students' math background and supporting academic language.
Feel free to print and share with colleagues!
Related resources include: Math Instruction for ELLs: Resource Collection
Math Instruction for ELLs: Classroom Strategies
Reading and Understanding Written Math Problems
ELL Strategy: Reading Graphs, Charts, Timelines, and Infographics (includes a free PD slide deck)
Teaching Elementary Kids About Mathematicians (Edutopia) |
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Family Resources and Outreach |
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| These animated videos, available in 8 languages, offer ideas on how families can support their child's literacy through activities that celebrate language and culture. This project features the artwork of award-winning illustrator Rafael López.
Languages include: English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali, Haitian Creole, and French. For more ideas on how to use these videos in family engagement, see our related outreach guide, as well as tip sheets and social graphics in 16 languages. |
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| | | Video: Being Bilingual Is a Superpower! |
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Recommended Resources Meg Medina, the 2023-24 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is proud to share her video series Let’s Talk Books, which shares brief interviews with authors for children and young adults. You can see the complete playlist on YouTube. You can also find related classroom resources online. |
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Books of the Month
Both of the following titles are featured in our new Colorín Colorado Book Finder, where you can search books by age, topic, genre, format, awards, and more!
Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos
By Nathalie Alonso
Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
Roberto Clemente always loved baseball. Growing up in Carolina, Puerto Rico, he swung tree branches (since he didn’t have a bat) and hit tin cans. He was always batting, pitching, running, sliding. His dedication paid off when, at the age of 19, he was tapped for a major league team. First stop: chilly Montreal...Months later, he finally got his chance with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clemente had an instant impact on the field — hitting the ball and making it to first base and finally home. Many Pittsburgh fans loved his bold style on the field, but not everyone was quick to embrace a Black man from Puerto Rico who spoke español.
The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music
By Roberta Flack with Tonya Bolden
Illustrated by Hayden Goodman
Growing up in a Blue Ridge mountain town, little Roberta didn't have fancy clothes or expensive toys...but she did have music. And she dreamed of having her own piano. When her daddy spies an old, beat-up upright piano in a junkyard, he knows he can make his daughter's dream come true. He brings it home, cleans and tunes it, and paints it a grassy green. And soon the little girl has an instrument to practice on, and a new dream to reach for — one that will lead to her becoming a legend in the music industry.
Ms. Flack talked about the book in this 2023 feature from NPR, Roberta Flack's first piano came from a junkyard – five Grammys would follow.
Ms. Flack recently passed away at the age of 88. |
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NEA’s 2024-25 Read Across America digital calendar highlights a monthly theme and a related picture book, middle grade book, and YA book. All titles include activity suggestions, questions for discussion or reflective writing, related resources, and more titles to try. February's theme is Pursue Passions.
If you are planning a Read Across America event in early March, here are some ideas from the NEA!
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