Little English Learners' Storytime: Building Language Skills with Natasha Forrester

1. Storytimes for Non-native English Speakers Natasha Forrester, Youth Librarian Multnomah County Library

2. English as a Second Language English Language Learner Dual Language Learner

3. Who is it for? Children ages 3-5 English is not the language spoken at home

4. What is it like? Concrete Systematic Deliberate Supportive

5. When? Where? • Once a week • 8-9 week cycles • Offered 2-3 times per year Currently offered as an outreach program

6. Why is it needed? • Low-income families • Not enrolled in quality prekindergarten programs • Lower levels of parental education • Less likely to read aloud • Language skills transfer Dual Language Learners in the Early Years: Getting Ready for Kindergarten, prepared by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, a division of the Department of Education

7. Goals of the Storytime: • Increase library use • Increase interactions with books • Increase vocabulary • Increase familiarity with popular culture

8. How does an LEL Storytimework? About an hour long 20-25 minutes of storytime 20-25 minutes of directed play

9. Weekly Themes Week 1:  My Body Week 2:  Clothing Week 3:  My Family Week 4:  We Eat Food Week 5:  Our House Week 6:  Our Town Week 7:  Animals on the Farm Week 8:  Animals of the World Week 9:  Favorites

10. Repetition is Key!!! • Helps with phonological awareness • Same opening and closing routine each week • Same “bridge” book each week – All About You • Repeat songs, books, vocabulary words several times throughout the 8-9 week cycle

11. VOCABULARY BUILDING: • Concrete books • Identify potential vocabulary words ahead of time • Visual cues • Use words in context • Purposeful movement • Translate words

12. LEL Week 1 Lesson Plan - My Body Name stickers and map Rhyme:  The More We Get Together Opening book discussion:  All About You Poster – parts of the body Book:  We’ve All Got Bellybuttons Song:  If You’re Happy and You Know It Book:  From Head to Toe Song:  I’m a Little Teapot –explain tea pot Flannelboard:  Flip Flap Jack Book:  Go Away Big Green Monster Song:  Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes Playtime Closing Action:  Wave goodbye! Give out stickers (repetition) (repetition – vocabulary) (vocabulary – concrete context) (vocabulary) (movement – pop culture) (vocabulary – movement – context) (movement – pop culture) (vocabulary – movement – scaffolding) (context – vocabulary) (vocabulary – movement – context) (vocabulary – context – repetition)

13. Little English Learners Week 2 – My Clothes The More We Get Together The more we get together, together, together, The more we get together, The happier we’ll be! Your friends are my friends, And my friends are your friends, And the more we get together, The happier we’ll be! This is the Way That We Get Dressed This is the way that we get dressed, We get dressed, we get dressed, This is the way we get dressed, So early in the morning. Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes Head, shoulders, knees and toes. Head, shoulders, knees and toes. Eyes and ears and mouth and nose, Head, shoulders, knees and toes. • Other books about clothing: • What Do You Like to Wear? • Clothes in Many Cultures • Black Dog Gets Dressed • Red is Best • This is the Way We Dress You’ll Soon Grow Into Them, Titch Ella Sarah Whose Shoes? Gets Dressed

14. Directed Play 20-25 minutes of playing with: • Toys • Puzzles • Games • Flannelboards • Story aids • Books Changing weekly to support vocabulary!

15. Success story?

16. Questions to ask: • Do I have a relationship with the ELL community? • Will families come to the library? • Does the storytime have to be held at the library? • How can we fund this?

17. If You Remember Nothing Else • Similar to regular storytimes • Uses books, songs, fingerplays, etc. • Use repetition and routine • Same weekly structure • Build on concepts from previous weeks • Emphasize vocabulary • Give short, simple definitions • Use words in context • Encourage parents/caregivers • Speaking in the home language is good!