Home Hot Topics Articles Directors' Choice Awards About Us / Contact Us Activities & Curriculum Activities for Outcome-Based Learning Arts & Crafts Music for Learning Recommended Reading Sharing Boards: What Do YOU Think? NEWSlink Current National News Conference Calendar Topics In Early Childhood Education Art and Creativity in Early Childhood Education Job Sharing Board State Licensing Requirements Stay Connected! Each month we'll send you an email filled with articles and ideas for your classroom. Subscribe Now Date: 2/4/2007 9:29:00 PM Author: Traci J (traciinagarden) Subject: english as a second language for 3 yr old child Becoming an American citizen doesn't mean you have to lose your culture! Research shows that children learn rapidly in multiple languages. I am a Headstart teacher with two daily sessions of 3-5 year old children. My ratio for spanish as the home language is 100%. I speak very little spanish and I have a assistant who is fluent in spanish. I have found that my children enjoy music and fingerplays. All of the pictures and displys in my room are multicultural. We read two or three stories each day. At the first of the year most of my afternoon classs was unable to use any english and today they are using phrases and complete sentences. You will be surprised at how rapidly your child will pick it up. Don't be afraid to teach your english speakers some spanish too. They will love it. My room is labeled in both spanish and english and all of my communication to parents is sent in english and spanish. I have both the english and the spanish alphabet posted in my room. All of my parents wish for their children to retain their home language and the best way to do this is to speak it at home with them. Don't let this intimidate you. You both will do super. Traci Name: Email: Subject

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