The more Spanish that you know as a teacher, the more you will be able to reach out to your Hispanic students and their families. Although there are regional and social variations of Spanish, Spanish is one commonly understood language. View a list of the many languages (with percentages) spoken by ELLs in the United States, 2000-2001.Īt home, your ELL students and their families communicate in the language they know best. Your efforts will also make ELL students feel more welcome.
There are many ways to make this linguistic and cultural diversity a huge asset. This knowledge will help you to better support your students in the classroom and to receive more support from home. This includes learning more about their language, culture, values, family, and home environment. The more you learn about where your students come from, the easier your job will become. However, there are also many rich cultural differences within and between countries like Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, and El Salvador. These Hispanic families may have many things in common, such as customs, foods, dances, values, and the Spanish language. The majority of ELL families in the United States come from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. The English language learners (ELLs) in your classroom may represent diverse languages and cultures from around the world.
Watch children's author and literacy advocate Pat Mora discuss how to reach out to parents of ELLs.