General
Find information about strategies and resources to support use of first language across the curriculum and for wider learning within the home and community.
Topic outline
Aide-mémoire of best practice principles
Free training card (part of the 101 EAL conversations card set)
At a training event we were told that beginner
learners of EAL should be allowed to write in their
first language (L1) if they can’t write properly in
English. Our teachers don’t see the point as they
can’t check the work to see if it is correct. They
also feel that it will hold the children back in the
longer term. What could be the benefits of such an approach?Download this pdf for the answer. It can also be used in training sessions to promote discussion amongst staff.
This card is part of 101 EAL conversation cards set: More information can be found here
First language as a tool for learning Videoscribe
Complements the EMTAS L1 Videoscribe. Use to explore how to use L1 as a tool for learning in your school and wider community.
Useful links and external resources
Blogs
EMTAS Blogs tagged by 'first language'
Why teachers shouldn’t be afraid of other languages being spoken in the classroom. The Conversation, Claire Cunningham, 2018.
Activating bilingual learners' metabilingual awareness, Dual Language Schools, Feb 2021
The amazing benefits of being bilingual, BBC Futures, 2016
Podcasts
Related Blog (for above) - Bilingual Education Roadmap
Videos
Use of first language at home (Webinar)
Taking advantage of EAL learners' first language - from Bell FoundationAssessment and Induction
- Language Identification chart (from Refugee Council)
- Assessing first language - read this blog and complete this E-learning module (requires login)
- Dual-Language resources from Twinkl
Parental involvement/home learning
- Language phonelines
- Bringing up your child bilingually - download the leaflet (available in several languages)
- Complementary language schools
Speaking and listening
- Capture talk using Talking Products
- Apps such as Book Creator have an audio recording facility
Reading
- Grant and Cutler - for foreign language books
- Source dual language resources from Mantra Lingua
- International Children’s Digital Library
- Global Storybooks
- Unite for literacy (non-fiction titles in English with audio in many languages) - worth checking content for suitability
- World Stories - 31+ languages
Writing
- Translation apps like Microsoft Translator, SayHI, iTranslate & Google Translate
Health warnings
Mantra Lingua's Kitabu Multilingual Library
The Kitabu dual-language eBook library from Mantra Lingua comprises a range of interactive stories for children. Each story has audio in first language and in English. There are many titles which have been translated into various languages. It is an ideal resource to use with children in KS1 and KS2 to support listening, speaking, reading and even writing in first language and in English.Translanguaging
Translanguaging is the process whereby multilingual speakers use their languages as an integrated communication system. Translanguaging is an extension of the concept of languaging, the discursive practices of language speakers, but with the additional feature of using multiple languages, often simultaneously. It is a dynamic process in which multilingual speakers navigate complex social and cognitive demands through strategic employment of multiple languages. It is believed that the term was first coined in Welsh by Cen Williams as trawsieithu in his 1994 unpublished thesis "An evaluation of teaching and learning methods in the context of bilingual secondary education (Wikipedia, 2020)In this post, Eowyn Crisfield answers many of the questions raised in a recent webinar on Translanguaging.
This online resource (USA context) consists of a printable guide and 6 videos, 'offering dozens of strategies and approaches for teachers working with emergent bilingual students at all grade levels and in all program models.'