Ellen Peak, Gracemor Elementary, Kansas City, Missouri Introduction Although existing programs support our English Learner (EL) students and their families in my school and community, I have received additional questions from families about how to support students at home. These questions have primarily come from families who speak a home language (L1) other than English. When students are immersed in their L1 at home, an important connection to their culture and history is m

Kari Boettler, Robinson School, Aurora, MO Intro The goal of this project was to start an after-school book club for 4th-grade English Learner (EL) students. Through the book club, students had opportunities to read multicultural picture books, learn new vocabulary, and participate in discussions about the stories. Students were encouraged to share their ideas and make connections using both English and their home language. The overall goal was to increase reading engagemen

Carolyn Harman Elsberry R-II School District Elsberry, Missouri Introduction The purpose of this project is to promote multiliteracy and affirm home language use among Multilingual Learners (MLLs) in a rural K–12 school in Missouri by building teacher capacity and expanding multilingual classroom resources. Our primary goals were: To strengthen instructional practices that integrate students’ home languages. To provide multilingual classroom materials that support biliteracy