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.
Choose a group of four to five children to come to the center of the large group area. Call out a letter and ask them to make the letter with their bodies. Another alternative is to ask each child to make a letter with his/her body – arms outstretched for a “T” for example, or arms overhead with fingertips touching for an “O.”
