Partner with families to learn about their language practices, stories, and literacy-related interactions at home, recognizing that children bring rich knowledge and skills from their first languages and cultural experiences. Dual language learners should have opportunities to demonstrate proficiency in the standard in both their first language and English, with supports such as first-language use, cross-language connections, gestures, visuals, and props. These opportunities allow young dual language learners to build on what they know and can do in their first language as they continue to develop communication, language, and literacy skills in all their languages.
Read A Tree Is Nice by Janice Udry. Provide white construction paper and crayons or chalk. Take a nature walk and point out the differences in trees. Have the children form pairs and make bark rubbings. Demonstrate how one child can hold the paper against the tree bark while another child rubs the crayon lengthwise against the paper.
