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4 family-friendly songs for English Language Learners

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Music is the universal language of mankind.” At Kindermusik, we like to say it this way: “Every child speaks music.” As a child’s first and best teacher, parents of young ELL students can use the universal language of music to help teach English to their children.

Why use music with ELL students?

Research shows that music can be an effective vehicle for teaching English to children. Finger plays, traditional nursery rhymes, and songs reinforce phonemic awareness, support vocabulary acquisition, and give English Language Learners practice in speaking or singing in a continuous flow.  So, turn up the music (and the English language learning!) with these four family-friendly favorites.
You can download a version (or two!) of these at play.kindermusik.com.

4 family-friendly songs for English Language Learners

  1. Old MacDonald Had a Farm

  2. Eensy Weensy Spider

  3. The Wheels on the Bus

  4. The Mulberry Bush

ABC English & Me - Teaching English to Children through MusicLooking for more ESL activities for kids or an English Language Learners curriculum? ABC English & Me uses music, movement, activities, and puppets to teach early learners English. Plus, Kindermusik@Home provides families with music, stories, and activities to do together at home to strengthen the learning.

Get more information on teaching English to children around the world with Kindermusik and ABC English & Me.

 
 

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ESL Activities for Kids Inspired by Kindermusik@Home

Can farm animals and a bear aid oral language skills development, fluency, and vocabulary development in English Language Learners? Yes—especially when featured in Kindermusik@Home!

ESL activities for kids that support:

Oral language skills and fluency

The “Wake Up!” Game featured in the Good Morning, Good Night! unit of ABC English & Me is a fun ESL activity for kids and parents to do together. In the game, children help wake up all of the farm animals by saying, “Wake Up!”

to each animal. Teaching and practicing a short, simple, and useful phrase supports oral language fluency. Children can try this at home by helping to “wake up” favorite stuffed animals, dolls, or even pets.

Vocabulary development and fluency

The “Bear Gets Dressed” Word Game featured in the Sunny Day, Rainy Day unit of ABC English & Me focuses on the "clothes" vocabulary theme. Theme-based games provide structure and repetition to help English Language Learners deepen their understanding of new words. Parents can encourage children to use the English word for each piece of clothing they put on in the morning.

Looking for more ESL activities for kids or an English Language Learners curriculum? ABC English & Me uses music, movement, activities, and puppets to teach early learners English. Plus, Kindermusik@Home connects the classroom learning to the everyday routines and rituals of the whole family.

Get more information on teaching English to children around the world with Kindermusik and ABC English & Me.

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Music, creativity, and English Language Learners

Einstein playing a guitar

Children naturally engage in creative activities: from storytelling to singing to dancing to turning a shoebox into a submarine, doll bed, or even another planet. An often-quoted IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the number one “leadership competency” of the future. Albert Einstein also understood the importance of creativity when he said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” So, how do we foster creativity in young children that sustains through adulthood?

Music and teaching English to children supports creativity

Einstein playing a guitar
Source: Flickr.com

Einstein often used music as a creative way to solve complex problems. He believed, “The greatest scientists are artists as well.” Playing an instrument, singing with others, and dancing to music all support a child’s creative process and encourages individual expression and exploratory behavior. Learning a second (or third!) language can also foster creativity. In fact, research indicates that bilinguals tend to be more creative thinkers and perform better in problem-solving skills than those who speak only one language.
An article published in the Early Childhood Education Journal, “Using Music to Support the Literacy Development of Young English Language Learners,” reviews current research to highlight some of the reasons why music can effectively be used when teaching English to children.

8 reasons to use music with ELL students

  1. A child’s initial introduction to patterned text often occurs first in songs, chants, and rhymes, which can lead to greater understanding of print concepts.
  2. Songs present opportunities for developing automaticity in the language process. The repetitive nature of many children’s songs helps ELL students learn the language as they hear words and phrases repeated.
  3. Music can be integrated throughout the day in the classroom and at home to develop and to extend vocabulary and comprehension skills.
  4. Music can improve listening and oral language skill development, improve attention and memory, and enhance abstract thinking.
  5. Music enriches ELL students’ creativity and cultural awareness.
  6. Songs can be used to practice and reinforce consonant sounds.
  7. Songs can teach a variety of language skills, such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythm, and parts of speech.
  8. Music is a way for children to experience rich language in a fun way.

English Language Learners curriculum uses music

Created by Kindermusik International, ABC English & Me uses music and movement to teach English to speakers of other languages that meets the TESOL curriculum standards for Pre-K. This beginners program for English Language Learners combines our extensive experience in early childhood education with the latest research on learning a foreign language.

Get more info on teaching English to children around the world with Kindermusik and ABC English & Me.

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Using eBooks with ELL students to aid reading comprehension

Using eBooks with children

Today’s children live in an increasingly digital and global society. These digital natives can intuitively navigate around a smart phone, tablet computer, or iPad. As early childhood educators and curricula creators, we closely evaluate how established and emerging technologies can be used in an age-appropriate manner that supports how a child learns best. More and more research continues to emerge about digital learning, including a new study about reading comprehension and eBooks.

How eBooks measure up on reading comprehension

Using eBooks with childrenAs published in the Applied Cognitive Psychology journal, researchers assessed the impact of technology on reading comprehension. Under the leadership of Dr. Sara Margolin, the research team split the 90 participants with an average age of 19 into three groups to read 10 passages. One third read the passages on paper, one third read on a Kindle eReader, and one third viewed the passages on a PDF-reader via computer. The passages contained an equal number of non-fiction and fiction excerpts. After reading each passage, participants answered comprehension questions. The research team found no difference in comprehension scores across all three platforms.

English Language Learners and eBooks

While the students in this study were not ELL students, reading comprehension remains a key focus for teaching English to children. As mentioned in a previous blog, “5 Ways to Support English Language Learners,” the number of young ELL students in the United States continues to rise. However, teaching English to children extends beyond the United States as more and more parents understand how teaching a young child a second (or third!) language can help prepare a child for future success.
With ABC English & Me, we use music and movement to teach English to speakers of other languages that meets the TESOL curriculum standards for Pre-K. This beginners program for English Language Learners combines Kindermusik’s decades of experience in early childhood education with the latest research on learning a foreign language. Plus, with Kindermusik@Home, children and parents get the added benefit of using technology, including eBooks and music downloads, in age-appropriate and fun ways that engage the whole family.

Get more info on teaching English to children around the world with Kindermusik and ABC English & Me.

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5 ways to support young English Language Learners

Each year the number of English Language Learners enrolled in preschool continues to climb. In the United States, nearly one third of preschoolers under the age of 5 enrolled in Head Start or Early Head Start programs live in homes where a language other than English is spoken. A new report, Dual Language Learners: Research Informing Policy, published by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute analyzes more than 200 studies to understand how ELL students learn best. The report includes insights, such as the five ways below, that can help early childhood educators, principals, policy makers, and other decision makers effectively reach and teach the growing ELL population.

5 ways to support the early literacy and language development of young ELL students

  1. Using the home language of young children, as well as English, can be pivotal for English Language Learners. The research shows that a young ELL’s home-language skills can decline if early childhood programs focus exclusively on English language and literacy development.
  2. Researchers found no negative social, linguistic, or cognitive consequences for young children who learn two languages simultaneously, but in fact, found the opposite to be true. So, when possible, incorporate both languages into the learning.
  3. Dual language learning happens within a social context at home and in the classroom. Early childhood teachers are uniquely suited to support linguistic, social, cognitive, and cultural growth, especially when the dual language learning happens within the daily routines and rituals of the school day.
  4. Parent involvement in early childhood education is key to connecting the classroom learning to the home environment.
  5. Recognize that young ELL students will take longer to reach proficiency in both languages than their monolingual peers.

“Young children really benefit when they are exposed to two languages, there is a good research base for that conclusion,” said Linda M. Espinosa in an interview about the report. “But children need to also be exposed to English in those early years.”

Use music to involve ELLs in early literacy and language development

ABC Music & Me uses music to teach early literacy and language development to English Language Learners and increase parent involvement in early childhood education. In addition to our “English Language Learners Strategies Guide” that provides unit-by-unit, lesson-by-lesson tips, ABC Music & Me includes materials in English and Spanish to support the common language spoken in the home and the way dual language learners best acquire early literacy and language development. Each child receives a monthly Student Kit with music from class and a Family Magazine (available in English and Spanish) filled with literacy activities.

For more information about ABC Music & Me, email us at info@abcmusicandme.com.

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Georgia’s PreK program finds ways to improve its preschool curriculum

One of the key attributes of a learner is that the quest for knowledge continues throughout the year—whether you are a 4-year-old learning how to write letters, a teacher attending a training on how to implement a new preschool curriculum, or even an childcare administrator uncovering ways to make your program more effective. As creators of daycare curriculum and other early childhood programs, we continue to monitor and implement the latest findings on how children learn. So, we loved hearing how one of the leaders in universal PreK programs in the United States, commissioned a study to find out how they can better reach children and families.

Georgia’s PreK program looks for ways to improve preschool curriculum

With one of the few state-funded universal PreK programs, Georgia’s PreK program reached 94,000 children throughout the 2011-2012 school year in local school systems, private preschools, and blended Head Start/Georgia’s PreK classrooms. However, Bright from the Start, who administers Georgia’s PreK program, wanted to evaluate the program and uncover ways to increase its effectiveness. In partnership with the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, they conducted an evaluation study during the 2011-2012 school year. The study included a random sample of 100 PreK classrooms in the program and assessments

of the language, literacy, math, general knowledge, and behavioral skills of a sample of 509 children.

As published in the Children’s Growth and Classroom Experiences in Georgia’s PreK Program report, the researchers uncovered interesting findings:

Children’s outcomes

  1. Children exhibited significant growth during their PreK year across all domains of learning, including language and literacy skills, math skills, general knowledge, and behavioral skills.
  2. Children who were Spanish‐speaking dual language learners showed growth in skills in both English and Spanish, although their growth tended to be greater in English.

“For many areas, this indicated that they progressed at an even faster rate than would be expected for normal developmental growth,” explained senior scientist Ellen Peisner-Feinberg in a press release.

Two ways to improve Georgia’s PreK program

The report showed that English proficiency, number of English Language Learners in the classroom, and attendance of a PreK program in a local school system predicted greater growth in skills. In addition, researchers identified two ways to improve the overall effectiveness of the preschool curriculum.

  1. Reduce class size
  2. Add bilingual supports during classroom experiences

Preschool curriculum offers bilingual support

ABC Music & Me uses music to promote school-readiness and skills development, including early literacy and language development and social skills in young children. The research-based childcare curriculum aligns with state standards, including the Common Core, and can be especially beneficial for English Language Learners. In addition to our “English Language Learners Strategies Guide” that provides unit-by-unit, lesson-by-lesson tips and tools to use in the classroom, ABC Music & Me includes materials in English and Spanish to increase parent involvement and support the common language spoken in the home.

For more information about using ABC Music & Me as a daycare or preschool curriculum, email us at info@abcmusicandme.com.

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Recommendations for reaching Hispanic ELL preschoolers

As children, many of today’s preschool teachers probably picked up a Spanish word or two while watching Sesame Street. (Anyone else remember Luis looking for agua?)

Now, with people of Hispanic descent making up the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States, those same educators teaching a daycare or preschool curriculum probably can put those words to good use in the classroom. However, effectively teaching English Language Learners in preschool takes more than speaking one or two words in Spanish.

Hispanic ELL students in preschool

(Source: Hispanicallyspeakingnews.com)

Longitudinal studies show the lasting effects of a quality preschool curriculum on at-risk students, including increasing the likelihood of graduating high school and attending college. While these studies primarily focus on at-risk children in general, many of today’s at-risk students are English Language Leaners. In fact, 21 percent of all children under the age of 5 are Hispanic (although not all are English Language Learners). A recent policy brief published by NIERR (National Institute for Early Education Research) asks whether or not today’s preschool curriculum is preparing Hispanic children in particular to succeed in school. The report outlines recommendations for decision makers to consider when evaluating or establishing a preschool curriculum or program.

4 recommendations for states to consider for Hispanic English Language Learners in public preschool, according to NIEER

  1. Evaluate preschool education policies with Hispanic children in mind. If ELL status is not a factor considered for targeted program eligibility, a consideration should be given to making it so.
  2. As future programs expand, conducting comparative analyses of targeted programs and PreK for all children may prove useful. Universal programs can cost less per child and resolve problems of eligibility.
  3. States should ensure programs have some support for ELL children in their home language. Research shows that preschool curriculum that also supports the language used at home improves cognitive, linguistic, and social outcomes.
  4. It should be a high priority at the state and federal levels to develop better reporting systems to ensure quality data for stronger research on Hispanic children and early education policies.

You can read the full policy brief here: “Is Public Pre-K Preparing Hispanic Children to Succeed in School?”

Use music to teach ELLs early literacy and language development

Every child speaks music! ABC Music & Me uses music to teach early literacy and language development and school readiness skills to young children and engage families in their children’s education. The research-based curriculum can be especially beneficial for English Language Learners. In every unit of ABC Music & Me, children hear stories read aloud and sing songs that include new vocabulary words. Words essential to the unit’s theme are included on picture cards along with recommended instruction for ELL students, expanding the possibilities for vocabulary acquisition. Plus, ABC Music & Me aligns with Title III requirements and our “English Language Learners Strategies Guide” provides unit-by-unit, lesson-by-lesson tips.

According to the NIEER report, Hispanic families continue to encounter barriers to sending their children to preschool, including lack of parental education and language barriers. However, we build parental involvement right into our preschool curriculum, because we know that a parent is a child’s first and best teacher. ABC Music & Me includes materials in English and Spanish, including robust literacy activities, to increase parent involvement and support the common language spoken in the home.

For more information about using ABC Music & Me with English Language Learners or other young children as a preschool or toddler curriculum, email us at info@abcmusicandme.com.

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Cultural factors that may impact the self-regulation skills of ELL preschoolers

Source: She Knows Activity Center

Watch a classroom of preschoolers writing letters from that day’s preschool lesson plan and you will see children wiggling in their seats, looking longingly over at the art table, poking classmates with fingers, or talking to each other. Preschoolers are still learning how to self-regulate or how to control and direct their own actions, thoughts, and feelings. More and more research shows the importance of teaching self-regulation as part of a preschool or toddler curriculum. Studies indicate that self-regulation may even be a predictor of both early academic success and later adult health and wealth.

Latino English Language Learners and Self-Control

While the body of research on the importance of self-regulation continues to grow, little research exists that targets specific cultural factors that may affect self-control skills in ELL preschoolers. A professor from Loyola University Chicago recently published an article in the Child Development Perspectives journal that took initial steps towards identifying two aspects found specifically in the immigrant Latino culture—familism and acculturation—that may affect the self-regulation of preschooler English Language Learners. Familisim refers to a cultural aspect that puts the needs of the family as a whole above the needs of the individuals in the family. Acculturation is the process of change a person or family encounters when one culture begins to merge with another culture, such as changes in food, clothing, and language. The author stresses the need for additional research that will take into consideration these unique aspects of immigrant Latino English Language Learners.

Preschool curriculum develops self-control using music

Studies show that music can help develop self-control in young children, including English Language Learners. In fact, researchers recommend using music to engage the entire family in learning, including in cultures that place a high regard on the family.

Based on over 30 years of research detailing the ways music instruction boosts self-regulation, listening, early literacy and language, and more, Kindermusik created ABC Music & Me, a preschool and toddler curriculum. ABC Music & Me uses music to teach early literacy and language development to young children and engage families in their children’s education. The research-based curriculum aligns with state standards, including the Common Core, and can be especially beneficial for English Language Learners. In addition to our “English Language Learners Strategies Guide” that provides unit-by-unit, lesson-by-lesson tips, ABC Music & Me includes materials in English and Spanish to increase parent involvement and support the common language spoken in the home.

For more information about using ABC Music & Me as a preschool or toddler curriculum with English Language Learners, email us at info@abcmusicandme.com.

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Professional development for teachers linked to ELL reading achievement

Source- Latino Briefs Digest
Source- Latino Briefs Digest
Source: Latino Briefs Digest

English Language Learners comprise an increasingly larger number of students enrolled in public schools in the United States. One study shows a 50 percent increase in the number of ELL students over the past 10 years. This changing face (and language) of the average student in the United States brings new challenges and opportunities for teachers as they balance the implementation of Common Core State Standards with the needs of English Language Learners.

While even veteran teachers receive on-the-job training each day in the classroom, an investment in professional development for teachers can better equip educators and students for measurable success. A study published in the Literacy Research and Instruction journal examined how professional development for teachers affected the reading abilities of ELLs in elementary school classrooms.

Link between professional development for teachers and the reading abilities of English Language Learners

In this study, the research team wanted to examine the correlation among professional development for teachers, classroom implementation of the training, and ELL students’ achievement in reading. Over the course of 18 months, 23 elementary classroom teachers participated in the study. The teachers ranged in experience from early career to veteran teachers. One group received on-going training on using the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol, an approach to teaching English Language Learners. The control group did not receive training in this model. The researchers found evidence that English Language Learners showed greater reading abilities when taught by teachers who received the professional development. The researchers suggest that additional studies be conducted to further unpack their initial findings.

Other research shows that teacher training can be key to classroom success for all students, not just English Language Learners, and can increase teacher job satisfaction.

Early childhood professional development for teachers of English Language Learners

ABC Music & Me uses music to teach early literacy and language development to young children and engage families in their children’s education. The research-based curriculum aligns with state standards, including the Common Core, and can be especially beneficial for English Language Learners.

At ABC Music & Me, our commitment to early childhood education extends beyond the creation of easy-to-teach literacy and language curriculum. Our ELL curriculum includes a combination of on-site training, DVD teaching models, and an online teacher resource website. In addition to our “English Language Learners Strategies Guide” that provides unit-by-unit, lesson-by-lesson tips, ABC Music & Me includes materials (available in English and Spanish) for families to use together at home.

To learn more about how ABC Music & Me can be used in your classroom, school, or district with English Language Learners, contact us at info@abcmusicandme.com.