| | | | | One way to track the evolution of how the U.S. public education system has treated students acquiring English is by looking at the terms used to classify them and how those terms have changed over time. Learn more about that history and current trends from this Education Week feature. You can learn more from the related map featured in How States Describe Their English Learners.
For additional insights, see Terminology to Describe Multilingual Learners: Labels and Their Implications from SupportEd. |
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This Month's Highlights
El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), also known as "Día", is a celebration of “bookjoy!” Learn more about Día, as well as our ideas for celebrating Día in the classroom.
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New on Colorín Colorado In preparation for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May, learn more about how to find culturally responsive, diverse books about AAPI cultures and history for children and teens from the blogger behind Pragmatic Mom, Mia Wenjen. |
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|  This in-depth guide offers tips on how to navigate conversations about tough topics in the classroom with sensitivity and ensure that ELLs can meaningfully participate in those conversations. This guide is available online and as a downloadable PDF, and it includes reflection questions and related resources for further discussion and use in professional development.
For additional resources related to trauma-informed practice, see the following: |
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| Project-based learning (PBL) offers many benefits to ELLs, including hands-on activities, peer interaction, rich language use, and a chance to explore personal interests. It can also offer an opportunity to address important issues impacting students’ schools or communities. ELLs may need some additional support or guidance in order to make the most of PBL, and these resources share ideas on how to make it a successful experience for all students. Poetry and ELLs This two-part series offers some ideas on how to integrate poetry into instruction, use poetry to foster oral language development, and provide opportunities for ELLs to write their own poetry. This article by Janet Wong offers ideas on how to use poetry to teach current events and honor students’ experiences and lives. |
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Recommended Resources Authors Janet Wong and Dr. Sylvia Vardell have published numerous collections of poems that can be read in all kinds of school settings, including for celebrations, morning announcements, science class, and more! Take a look at their rich offering of resources on the Pomelo website. |
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 This DIY program guide from our partners at Reading Rockets and Start with a Book gives kids a chance to learn more about music and music genres, to hear about great performers and composers, and to write lyrics and compose songs. It features music from around the world — from classical to salsa to hip hop. Tune In combines hands-on activities with great fiction, poetry, and picture book biographies — books such as Charlie Parker Played Be Bop and Celia Cruz: Queen of Salsa — inspiring kids to read about musicians and composers from diverse backgrounds and cultures. |
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Family Resources and Outreach  Colorín on the Go is a free web app from Colorín Colorado and the American Federation of Teachers offering more than 100 strategies for teachers of ELLs, as well as multilingual resources to share with families.
In order to support partnerships with multilingual families, you can: - Share family engagement strategies with colleagues directly from the app
- Share multilingual resources and videos with families via text or messaging apps
Our new multilingual video series are now also available to share on the app! To access Colorín on the go, visit: https://go.colorincolorado.org or use the QR code below: 
You can also share this flyer with your colleagues! |
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Book of the Month By Joy Harjo, 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate
Illustrated by Michaela Goade
This picture book adaptation of Joy Harjo’s renowned poem encourages young readers to reflect on family, nature, and their heritage. In simple and direct language, Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Nation, urges readers to pay close attention to who they are, the world they were born into, and how all inhabitants on earth are connected. Michaela Goade, drawing from her Tlingit culture, has created vivid illustrations that make the words come alive in an engaging and accessible way. |
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Booklists: Talking About Tough Topics with Kids
These books cover difficult topics in a way that is accessible and age-appropriate. These new booklists from our sister site AdLit.org also delve into tough topics: |
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NEA’s latest Read Across America digital calendar of book recommendations and related resources for 2022-23 highlights a monthly theme and a related picture book, middle book, and YA book. All of the titles in the calendar include activity suggestions, questions for discussion or reflective writing, related resources, and more titles to try. April's theme is Make Music!
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