Language Lizard

Some people believe that learning their home language can impede an English Language Learner’s (ELL) ability to learn English, but that is not true. Using their native language at home and school, in addition to English, canprovide children with various cognitive, social, and emotional benefits. It fosters a greater connection to their community and culture, promotes critical thinking, and improves their focus and decision-making skills. It also improves their English language proficiency because children can use the language skills in their home language and apply them to learning English. Studies have shown that students who have strong reading skills in their home language, also exhibit strong reading skills in English or any other second language. It also helps them feel more in control of the learning process. If you want to encourage your child to learn and use their home language, say Spanish, there are a few simple things you can do, including buying bilingual Spanish-English b...

English has emerged as the most preferred language around the globe, which acts as a tool to eliminate language barriers. But at the same time, it keeps kids away from the essence of their native languages. And Arab children are no exception! As parents struggle to make their kids familiar with their mother tongue, Arabic children's books can be an excellent way to bridge the gap. Here’s what Arabic books do for your kids: Increase their Arabic vocabulary The most significant benefit of investing in Arabic books for your kids is to increase their vocabulary. As they hear and read new words through engaging stories, they keep learning new things without even realizing it. And that’s the best part. Increasing vocabulary becomes effortless for them. Improve their Arabic reading and writing skills Learning to read and write Arabic should not come as a challenge to children. As a parent, it is your responsibility to help them out by providing them with useful resources and easing the le...

Looking for ways to make note-taking less stressful for your child? How about gifting them a talking pen that records their things and prepares digital books they can access anytime, anywhere?  Well, that’s possible with a smartpen such as PENpal by Mantra Lingua. With a recorder pen, possibilities are endless. These pens are designed to support learning by playing back audio by simply touching them to pages. So, get ready to expect the unexpected and expedite language skill development in your child. You can: Turn books into ‘taking books’ Children find it hard to keep themselves engaged with books. While they enjoy other activities, they hate reading multiple pages. Recorder pens can eliminate this issue by turning books into talking books. These pens come with built-in tools that can playback audio in various languages. Record and create new books Another great feature is the ability to record your own narrative and create new books for your kids. While sound enabling a book fro...

“Reading good books is like engaging in conversation with the cultivated minds of past centuries who had composed them, or rather, taking part in a well-conducted dialogue in which such minds reveal to us only the best of their thoughts.” -René Descartes, Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy Being able to read is one of the greatest gifts for mankind. It helps us cherish the laurels of our past while preparing our minds for the future. It’s no wonder that every parent is obsessed with insisting on reading to their children. But does that make audiobooks bad? Whether your kid is going for Russian children’s books to learn a new language or interested in fictional or educational texts, audiobooks have often been put under the bad light. As per critics and book “enthusiasts,” learning through an audiobook is nothing but cheating and some fancy gimmick. However, the sticklers who insist on reading the old-fashioned way: ➢Can’t remember what they read ➢Don’t have access...

English Language Learners (ELLs) are students who do not have English as their first or native language. In a classroom setting, they can often pose a unique set of challenges to teachers. One of the reasons behind this is that they do not belong to a single proficiency level; they have a diverse range of very unique language acquisition and educational needs. There are, however, several apps and tools available today, including a talking pen, that are designed to make it easier for them to get a better grasp of the English language and thus improve their confidence in the process. As a teacher, here are some ways in which you can use these resources for the ELLs in your classroom: 1. Introduce them to Mantra Lingua’s PENpal Mantra Lingua’s PENpal is a device that is designed to play back audio when it touches audio-enabled bilingual books, charts, and other learning resources. This portable, durable, and easy-to-use device allows for a multisensory experience that can be helpful for ...

If somebody were to be asked, “Why do children go to school?” chances are, they would say it is to learn how to read and write. But a school does more than that, especially when it encourages diversity in the classroom. A diverse classroom prepares children to face the real world where they will have to live and work with people from different communities and walks of life. It also builds critical thinking skills and encourages empathy. If you are a teacher with a multicultural classroom, it is your responsibility to make sure that the students appreciate and understand each other’s differences. From using multicultural books to organizing classroom activities, here are a few ways to do that: 1.Interactive storytelling sessions Knowledge dispels assumptions. When you help your students appreciate the beauty of multicultural diversity, you can help increase acceptance, tolerance, and respect. And one of the ways to do that is to organize storytelling sessions. You should ask the student...

Research suggests that children develop an understanding of gender, ethnicity, and disability in their early stage of childhood. So, it makes sense for parents and educators to include multicultural education in their early childhood education programs rather than elementary education. This also helps children develop their identities and expand their cultural knowledge and understanding of diversity. When it comes to exposing children to multicultural education at an early age, multicultural books play an important role. Let’s find out how these books help: A deeper understanding of different cultures Through multicultural children's books , children learn that a variety of people of different races and ethnicities exist around the globe. They also understand that people with different cultural backgrounds can still get along well and live in harmony, giving rise to a pluralistic culture. In other words, young children at their early stage of childhood do not separate themselves f...