Learning together can be fun! The Regional Educational Laboratories – or RELs – West, Northeast & Islands, and Northwest developed nine, simple and fun family and caregiver activities (FCAs) to leverage cultural and linguistic assets and knowledge to strengthen language development at home. Available in multiple languages, the FCAs are designed to be used in either the home language or English. The resources are based on the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School.
Educator Resources
These resources support educators in helping families and caregivers make the most of the activities:
- TOOL: Educator’s Guide: Read the Educator’s Guide to learn more about the activities as well as tips to help families and caregivers make the most out of them.
- VIDEO: Introductory Webinar: Watch a webinar that introduces the research behind the activities and provides suggestions to maximize learning and fun while families, caregivers, and children engage with the FCAs.
- VIDEO COLLECTION: Activities in Action: See educators and families in action! View three videos that connect classroom instruction with use of the family and caregiver activities at home.
Activities
Browse the following activities, or download all of them by language:
English, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dari, Haitian Creole, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese.
Questions about Stories
Strengthen language by asking and answering questions about a story.
Questions about Experiences
Use everyday experiences inside and or outside of the home to ask and answer questions.
Interviewing a Special Person
Interview a special person to build oral and written language.
Video Collection: Connecting Classroom Instruction to Learning at Home
Video 1: Building Oral and Written Language Skills
This video shows how to extend elementary classroom learning to the home with two Family and Caregiver Activity sheets: Asking and Answering Questions About an Informational Text and Writing Notebooks. The simple and fun activities, using content from classroom lessons, encourage young English learners to strengthen oral and written language skills while interacting with family members or caregivers.
Video 2: Supporting Young English Learners to Develop Academic Vocabulary Across Content Areas
This video demonstrates how educators, families, and caregivers partnered to prepare transitional kindergarten children for classroom lessons on sequential language across content areas and then extend this learning using two fun and engaging activity sheets: Asking and Answering Questions About a Story and Making a Meal Together.
Video 3: Applying Academic Vocabulary and Language to Multiple Contexts
This video focuses on how the Family and Caregiver Activity sheets Word Detective and Interviewing a Special Person can extend classroom lessons on academic vocabulary and language to help elementary-age English learner students use new words across multiple contexts by listening, speaking, writing, and drawing with their family members and caregivers.
This product was prepared under Contract ED-IES-17-C-0012/8/9 by Regional Educational Laboratories West, Northeast & Islands, and Northwest. The content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of IES or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.