EL Newsletter
6 Benefits of Raising Bilingual Children
INCREASED COGNITIVE ABILITY – In a Time article, Jeffery Kluger says that babies are born with the inherent ability to speak and understand the world’s 6,800 languages. They continue to easily…
25 Activities to Keep Kids’ Brains Active in Summer
Here are some awesome summer activities and ideas that will keep your kids engaged this summer. Best of all, they are all really fun! Pick one that looks like a…
Six Awesome Jobs That Require a Second Language
There’s an increasing demand for bilingual workers. New American Economy reports that the demand for bilingual workers more than doubled between 2010 and 2015. That’s a lot of new jobs…
Summative ELPAC
Our testing window for the Summative ELPAC is open and our assessments are underway for all our English Language Learners this year through online and remote platforms. Thank you to…
Some Awesome EL Resources
BrainPOP EL BrainPOP is a free subscription Exploration offers its English language learners. It is a comprehensive English language learning program for all grade levels. Please reach out to your…
Preparing Learners for the Future
The article “Using Motivation Sources to Guide Students to Their Ideal Careers” reminds educators (independent studying families!) that we are preparing learners for their future, a future we can’t really…
Learner Spotlight: Juan Munoz “Jr.”
What is your favorite saying in your native language? My favorite saying is “Que si” because it’s very funny when I say it to my dad when I play around….
Learner Spotlight – Mya Felix
Mya is a first grade learner who started independent studying in March of last year. She likes independent studying because she is able to do her school work in her…
ELPAC Summative Test
Beginning in February, English language learners will take the summative ELPAC. The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) is California’s assessment system that is used to determine the English…
Family Activities to Support Listening
Telephone: This is a classic game for working on listening. Start with one sentence, and whisper it to the person next to you. That person will whisper what they heard to…
Family Activities to Support Reading
Tall Tales: The Game of Infinite Storytelling: There are several ways to play this storytelling game. One is the tell-a-group-story method, where players randomly select a few of the playing pieces…
Family Activities to Support Writing
Storytelling: In this game, you need only paper and pencils so that everyone can write a story together. On a board, write the first sentence of the tale. Then, over the…
Family Activities to Support Speaking
1. Guess the Object: This is a fun game for kids to practice the power of description. Cut a hole in a box that is large enough for their hands. Make…
Meet Your EL Team
Name/Role: Stephanie Casolara, EF and EL Coordinator Location: Yucca Valley (near Joshua Tree National Park) Family: Two energetic, awesome boys, ages eight and five. Interests or Hobbies: I love to…
Hispanic Heritage Month
Every year from September 15 to October 15, we honor our ancestors from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America during Hispanic Heritage Month. September 15 was chosen…
ELAC Meetings 2020-2021
The English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC) is a school-level committee of parents, staff, and community members designated to advise school officials on English learner programs and services. Each school with…
Tips for Building an English Vocabulary
Learning the vocabulary of any new language is considered to be the key to understanding what learners hear or read during the school day. It is very helpful for English…
EL Supports on iLEAD Exploration’s Website
The EL team has developed resources for EL learners on its website. To view, go to iLEAD Exploration’s home page and log into the Hub. On the Hub Quick menu…
BrainPOP EL
Every English Language Learner will have access to BrainPOP EL. You can watch this video to learn more about the program. More information coming soon.
Speaking Activities
Speaking is usually thought of as the most important of the four skills. Below is a list of activities to enhance a learner’s ability to speak English. Describe a Picture…
Listening Activities
Listening is an essential skill that we use daily. Listening takes different forms in different situations. You listen in a classroom, an airport, in a conversation, while watching television, and…
Reading Activities
Comprehension is the goal of reading. This skill can be extremely difficult for EL learners due to limited vocabulary and limited background knowledge. Learners should read or be read to…
Writing Activities
There is an important correlation between writing and language development. Learners often develop listening skills first, then speaking, then reading, and lastly writing. Writing requires a large amount of language…
Learner Spotlight: Ami Kharitonov
Ami Kharitonov is graduating from middle school this year and will be a freshman with iLEAD Exploration. He has been with iLEAD since 2016 and speaks English and some Russian….