English Learner Parent Support

• Read a book aloud.
• Re-read a favorite story.
• Talk about a book and ask questions.
• Play word games such as, "Tell me a word for the letter'A."

• Read books in your native language with your child daily.
• Talk about the stories you have read together.
• Play rhyming games and sing songs in your native language together (Example: I'm thinking of an animal that rhymes with globo: lobo).
• Encourage your child to write in your native language.
• Keep native language print material in your home such as books, greeting cards, magazines, and newspapers.
• Play games, puzzles, and music in your native language.
• Encourage your child to use your native language to tell stories.
• Increase your child’s native language vocabulary by teaching him or her new words, pointing out and naming objects, and helping him or her improve pronunciation.

Kids love books about real things because they are about the world they see all around them. Books about animals, sports, other countries, science, and famous people get kids excited about reading. Use the tips below when reading with your child.

• Look at the front and back cover of the book to talk about the pictures, author, and illustrator.
• Look at the table of contents to see what the book will be about. (Not all books will have a table of contents.)
• Look at the pictures in the story to get a preview of the story.
  
• Look at the glossary in case you need to look up a word's meaning. (Not all books will have a glossary.)

• Model by thinking out loud and asking questions as they turn the pages of the book.
  

Listening to a second language is the first step in understanding it. Audiobooks are a wonderful way to expose your older child to complex language, expressive reading, and fantastic stories. Here's what to look for:

• Listen to an audiobook is a very different experience from hearing a book aloud. The narrator's voice and sound effects make the book exciting and interesting.
  

• Audiobooks are available as CDs and can be found at your local public library.
• Some libraries also carry Playaways, which are books pre-loaded onto MP3 player available for checkout.
• Your library may also provide audiobooks as digital files through a service like OverDrive and there are also many online digital services such as Audible and Tales2Go.
  

• When choosing audiobook titles, seek suggestions from your librarian and lookup recommendations from experts, such as Notable Children's Recordings from the American Library Association or Reading Rockets’ Favorite Audio Books.
  

• When possible, listen to a sample of the audiobook before you make the selection.
• If the narrator’s voice is annoying or you find background music and sound effects distracting, this may not be the book for you or your family.
  

• Be a positive role model for reading. Read everything such as books, letters, recipes, instructions, newspapers, magazines, and email.

• Make sure you have lots of reading materials at home for your teen.
• Ask family and friends to give your teen books and magazine subscriptions as gifts for birthdays or other special occasions.
• Give your teen a lot of opportunities to read.
• Take your teen to the local library and help him get his own library card. Learn more in Library Services for Teenagers.
• Allow your teen to choose his or her books.
• Teens are more likely to read books or magazines that interest them. Help your teen find books on a topic or hobby that interests her, or give her some time on her own to explore the library and bookstore.
• Look for reading materials related to your family history or culture.
• If your teen is bilingual, encourage reading in both languages.
• Talk to your teen's teachers about reading. Don't be shy — the teacher will welcome your interest! Ask for lists of books for your teen to read independently at home and ways that you can support reading at home.
• If your teen has difficulty reading, talk to his teachers immediately.

• Talk about music, politics, sports, history, or whatever interests you both. Conversations with adults help children build understanding.
  
• Ask questions that make your child think about what he or she just read. Say something like, "Why do you think he did that?" or "What's happening now?"
  

• Talk about different word meanings in your native language. When kids know what a word means, they have less difficulty when reading.

• Buy or borrow a children's dictionary. Show your child how to use it to look up the meaning of words. If you have access to the Internet, your child can also go to a talking dictionary to hear how a word is pronounced (in English).

• Ask your child to retell a story in just a few sentences (summarize).

• Ask him or her to guess what might happen next (predict).

• Explain how to pause while reading in order to ask himself or herself whether he or she knows what is happening, and if not, to re-read the sentence again (monitor).