The Home-School Connection for Bilingual Students

Supporting E.L. Students’ Home Languages

English is EVERYWHERE! School, television, stores, music, sports, after-school activities…Your native language is in your home, and possibly within a small community.

Your home language is a treasure worth protecting.

• Research indicates that a multilingual brain is nimbler, quicker, better able to deal with ambiguities, resolve conflicts and even resist Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia longer.

• You are the only adults your children can depend on to give them their home language.

• 80% of ELL students are born in the USA.• Your children need to communicate with

friends and relatives that may not speak English well.

These are images that are familiar to most people in many

cultures:

If your child has a surface

understanding of their home language,

they will grasp the following words in

English:

horse

running

drinkingriding

eating

If your child possesses a deep, rich, experiential understanding of their home language, their

vocabulary is more quickly and easily expanded in the

academic English of education:

horseequinethoroughbred

runninggallopingspeeding

drinkinggulpingguzzling

ridingracingflying

eatinggrazingmunching

How can you help your child to build and maintain your home and heart

language?

Tell traditional stories and read to your child in

your home language. Fully developed first language skills build stronger learners.

Provide books for your child written in your

language to build literacy skills.

Growth in the technology industry is

supportive of multilingualism, and

provides many opportunities for home

language use. Computers are available at the public library, and

your E.L. teacher has access to iPads that may

be used by students.

SKYPE is a free

application allowing your child to have face-to-face

language interaction with friends and family

across town, or across the

world.

and instant messaging provide practice in

reading and writing your home language, building

stronger connections for

learning.

Texting features on cell phones also

encourage reading and writing exercise in

your home language, and allow students to

build relationships within their cultural

community.

Protect and Nurture your family’s home and heart language

for the benefit of your child’s

education and future.