Euskara: The Mysterious Origin of Europe’s Oldest Language

A great story for linguistics geeks:  http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170719-the-mysterious-origins-of-europes-oldest-language

Poetry Created by Immigrant Children

Did you ever ask your students to write poetry?  I highly encourage it.  Read more about it in Language Unleashed: The Powerful Poetry of Multilingual Students at http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/07/26/language-unleashed-the-powerful-poetry-of-multilingual-students/

Teaching Sight Words? What’s New?

Interesting reading in Sight Words Are So 2016: New Study Finds the Real Key to Early Literacy at https://www.parent.co/sight-words-are-so-2016-new-study-finds-the-real-key-to-early-literacy/.

Excerpt:

Dr. J. Richard Gentry, who writes the column Raising Readers, Writers, and Spellersfor “Psychology Today”, suggests that children should be allowed the time and space to piece together invented spellings using their own knowledge of letters and sounds. Gentry then suggests that “having the child read back his or her own writing in conventional English written by the teacher [or parent] integrates the child’s invented spelling into a reading and fluency lesson.”

In other words, rewriting what the child has written, and allowing them to read it again will help deepen their understanding of the letters and sounds used.

So, the next time you’re tempted to correct your young child’s spelling, instead encourage him or her to read back what has been written and praise the attempt. From time to time, rewrite the sentence in conventional spelling for your child to read back to you, but don’t make a big deal out of pointing out the differences or correcting the misspellings. The key is for your child to internalize the letter-sound associations as he or she learns to write.

With a solid understanding of how letters and sounds combine to make words, your child will be on the path to reading success.

 

 

New TESOL Activity and Connection With China

Great new initiative building bridges:  TESOL International Association Signs Knowledge Partnership Agreement with China Daily 21st Century English Education Media at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/07/prweb14540314.htm

The Key to Good Learning is Getting to Know Our Students: Surveys for Your Classroom

Find Student Interest Surveys: Getting to Know You at https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/john-depasquale/2017/Student-Interest-Surveys-Getting-to-Know-You/

Interesting Report for Linguists: Artificial Intelligence and Language

Read Researchers shut down AI that invented its own language at: http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/technology/a-step-closer-to-skynet-ai-invents-a-language-humans-can-t-read/article/498142#ixzz4o93yDTHA

Scary or exciting?

 

 

Excellent Visual Explanation for Cultural Differences Between Eastern and Westen Cultures

Great for educators.  A great way to visualize differences through art that makes difference apparent immediately:  https://qz.com/567479/the-cultural-differences-between-east-and-west-according-to-one-artist/