I think he would learn better with “hands-on” teaching. Is there a parent or other person who would volunteer to spend some time with him in the classroom? Get all the kids involved in helping him learn English! It will also help the kids learn to read. She should use note cards to tape on objects around the room, like “chair”, “book”, “toys”, etc. Someone should help him with these words daily. If he has someone helping him one-on-one, they can spend time repeating directions and showing him what is happening, having him name objects in the room, etc.

Does anyone in his home speak English? If not, they won’t be able to help him much at home, either.

Young children will pick up the language very quickly. I’ve had 4-5 yr old Chinese children who speak no English in my program and within a couple of months their English really takes off. Again, I just spent more one-on-one time with him, kept him near me, and also the children helped them learn. There were also Chinese children who spoke English well and they would translate for me.

Are there children in the program who speak both Spanish and English? There’s an opportunity for cooperation and helping each other, if there are.

Good ideas here:

http://preschoolesl.com/Activities.html

http://preschoolesl.com/Preschool_ESL_Resources.html

http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/3-5.htm

Does she have internet access for him? http://www.1-language.com/materials/memori/elementary/index.htm

Workbooks:

http://www.schoolspecialtypublishing.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=1943 (I’ve seen these at WalMart)

Printables

http://www.english-4kids.com/

There’s lots more on the internet: just google “esl preschool” You could also add “workbook”, “printables”, or “DVD”

Regardless of the dual language issue, it would be very helpful to the class as a whole if your mother would put clearly labeled words on items all over the classroom. She should include both the Spanish word and the English word. Parents will enjoy showing these to their children and much more learning-even sight reading- will be achieved in this. If she is advantageous, she will use the little boy’s knowledge of Spanish to help teach the class some words in Spanish as well as using the class to teach him English. Allowing him to feel that he is teaching some Spanish to his class and contributing in an exciting way will help him feel less uncomfortable in his new setting. Have her point to a chair and say, “chair” but then have her ask him in front of the class, “Que es este? (What is this?) She could do this with one word a day in circle time so that he can feel special about sharing what he knows and not feel as if he is the only one who needs to learn something. It will teach the whole class that chair and silla are the same word instead of only one child getting the benefit. It will also tech the children how to ask him what the Spanish word is while he learns how to ask what the English word is. Encourage your mother to let the boy feel that his language is a boon to the whole class and not a hinderance and he will become more comfortable also speaking the language that his teacher and classmates speak. Most importantly, I would highly recommend that you have her get Jump Start Spanish. It is a CD program that can teach either English to Spanish or Spanish to English. If she can set this up in the classroom, the kids can learn a new language together. Have the Spanish student be the tutor to teach his class Spanish. Also, if possible, he should try this program at home. If there is little English spoken in the home, this simple and fun game should also help the other memebers of his family learn English so that they can encourage him. One last thing to remember is that not only are these young children all capable of learning a second language in preschool but they will be expanding their brain function in so doing. Many Blessings, S.

These kids respond incredibly well to an adult who is willing to learn their language. She won’t need to become fluent in Spanish, but if she invites him to teach her some Spanish, he will feel a bond with her that will help him to learn English from her. If she begins teaching the whole class a little Spanish, this child can become a “teacher” and it will help him to build relationships with the other children too. I had a child who spoke limited English. Her first language was German. She brought a book to school one day and asked me to read it to her in German, which I did, and after that she flourished and picked up English so fast I was amazed!