As the season ends and holidays are almost upon us (or in full swing in some cases!) we have provided you with some new Learning Village […]

The lack of a common language between children can be frustrating so we often assign buddies who have a common language to help our learners. Someone […]

Check out Caroline Scott’s recent article on EAL new arrivals: //www.bismagazine.co.uk/strategic/curriculum_articles/non-native.html

On the last day of term I asked a student, who was leaving her school in London to return back to Italy, the best and worst […]

Many of us have learnt to spell as a child without being specifically taught the sounds. In the past, the teaching of phonics was discouraged in […]

In previous articles we discussed the need for learners to obtain Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS). These skills need to be the initial focus of learning […]

This morning my 4 year old woke up and said, “Mummy there are two languages, child’s language and adult language”. I asked her what she meant […]

The transition from EAL beginner to intermediate learner can take from one term to a year depending on the learner. A beginner EAL learner is learning […]

Recently we have been looking closely at the power of using online learning through the Learning Village by studying the assessment results of learners who were […]

Feedback is the buzz-word and, as with most things, it is not being reinvented, but constantly readapted. In recent years, we see more formal national approach. […]

Including a useful EAL Progress Review and links to different EAL assessment continua When teaching EAL, assessment procedures need to be in place in order to […]

Including some ideas for EAL beginners Whilst reading a book on reclaiming childhood (‘Their name is today’ by Johann Christoph Arnold) the chapter on ‘learning differences […]

Including 5 top tips to celebrating differences Last week I saw a film called ‘Shadow in Baghdad’, it was a film that pulled my heart strings. […]

The language show this year in Olympia made me even more aware of the gift of having more than one language. One of the stand’s motto […]

The start of a new school year can be a daunting experience for new EAL arrivals. Some may be devastated to leave their friends, schools and […]

This language learning strategy provides a very powerful platform for rapid progress using a multi-sensory approach: 1. Teach the new language. Ideally, a popular phrase where […]

New to English can be supported in many different ways. Here’s one school’s approach: Assessment All learning is based on assessment. Children arrive and sit a […]

Everyone is talking about differentiation for EAL in whole class teaching, but how do we actually approach it consistently and effectively? At Across Cultures we have […]

Are your new arrivals now intermediate language learners? The last two Across Cultures books focused on the beginners language learning needs in vocabulary and grammar (presented […]

A School Language Profile is an invaluable tool! In the previous article we looked at the thorny issue of EAL learners with specific learning differences (SpLD).  […]

What tools are there if you have a sixth sense that something is not quite right? At what point does a teacher start to question whether […]

In schools where English is the language of instruction we welcome new arrivals with limited English and, step by step, they become skilled in speaking English. […]

Is it important for young English language learners to read dual language text? It can be helpful for learners to read texts in both languages. It […]

The use of the children’s home language is another extremely important element of learning a language. Cummins highlighted that: “bilingualism has positive effects on children’s linguistic […]

Have a look at these tips on culture change: http://www.globalkidsoz.com.au/_things_to_discuss_about_another_country.php Also see an array of multicultural resources on this site as well as a few other […]

Teresa has worked at St John’s C of E for over 2 years. She differentiates for all ability levels but, up to now, she has never […]

Helping our students to be better language learners How can the new to English language learners and their teachers work together to provide a successful language […]

Key Stage 2 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements 2014 states: “4.9.4 How children’s test and teacher assessment results are used in the performance tables All children who have […]

Here’s a summary (the bare bones) of a procedure that gives you first steps to accomodating for new EAL arrivals. This is for those of you […]

It’s hard to even start to highlight the challenges of teaching EAL students in such a short article but there are a few key areas to […]

A few useful tips on supporting  new arrivals, note the induction and the need for both withdrawal and in class learning. Video:

Cross Cultural Understanding for New to English Students – The First Steps (Part 2) EAL students are often placed in the situation that the tools they […]

Instantly translate printed words using an app! Check this: Word Lens

I watched this clip recently and certain elements stood out: Collaborative planning which supported pre teaching EAL learners The use of mentors and a special room […]

It is Friday morning; the Head teacher comes to tell you that on Monday morning you will have a new student arriving who does not speak […]

Scenario: You are moving to a new country (pick a country which has a different script such as China, Saudi Arabia or Bangladesh).  You can only […]

Progression in Language Structures is a great document for identfying how content learning can be built on language structures.  Language structures are presented in sentence starters […]

This EAL Assessment booklet is produced by NASSEA (National Association of Support Services and Equality & Achievement) and provides a detailed scale which aligns to the National Curriculum: http://nassea.org.uk/assessments/ An alternative […]

We’d love to hear from you! Where are they from? What langauge do they speak? Do you feel prepared!? Have a look at these videos of new arrivals and how […]

Supporting the learning of the new language is by no means the only aspect of helping a new arrival to feel ‘at home’ in their new […]

As a Head of Early Years in an international school following the EYFS and IPC curriculums it has always been important to ensure that the teaching […]

Coreen Sears gives us an insight into her thoughts… ‘The story of my life is who I am’ When Caroline asked me to write something about […]

Coming in the New Year… a series of articles with free downloadable teaching tools and resources! They will be written and produced by Jessica Tweedie. Jessica […]

If you have EAL new arrivals in your school with limited English you need a scheme of work in English that supports learners with language learning […]

http://boingboing.net/2013/11/21/the-noun-project-interview-wi.html

http://boingboing.net/2013/11/14/animated-history-of-the-englis.html Video:

http://lifehacker.com/five-best-language-learning-tools-1448103513?utm_s…