ELL News Headlines

The Delaware Campaign for Achievement Now has released a new tool to help Spanish-speaking families navigate distance learning. Aprende Más, meaning “learn more,” is an initiative started with the support of Barclay Bank and help from the Delaware Department of Education.

The American Library Association announced two of the country's most prestigious prizes for children’s books on Monday: the Newbery Medal, which went to Tae Keller for "When You Trap a Tiger," and the Caldecott Medal, an award for picture books, for "We Are Water Protectors," illustrated by Michaela Goade. "When You Trap a Tiger," published by Random House Children's Books, follows a biracial girl named Lily whose family moves in with her ailing grandmother. A magical tiger appears, a figure from her grandmother's Korean folk tales, and offers Lily a deal in exchange for restoring her grandmother to health.

How old should kids be when they start learning about the Holocaust? While many educators believe the appropriate age is 10, a new book by Caldecott Honoree and MacArthur Fellow Peter Sís is recommended for children ages 6 to 9. Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued tells the true story of the Englishman, Nicholas Winton, who rescued 669 children from the Nazis including Vera Gissing. Told with simple, direct language, readers get to know what Vera's life was like in her small town near Prague before the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia. They learn about Nicky's hobbies before he grew up to be a banker ("mathematics, stamp collecting, photography, and fencing"). Sís' illustrations blend the details of everyday life with imaginative, whimsical flourishes. On the cover, little Vera stands alone on the platform of an enormous train station holding a small suitcase and a kitty cat stuffed animal.

Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros, winner of the Pura Belpré Author Award, brings us the story of twelve-year-old Efrén, whose world flips when his mother is deported to Mexico, but whose determination to reunite his family never wavers. Ernesto Cisneros’s debut novel adeptly balances hope and heart break in this timely story of undocumented individuals working to build a better life. ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat winner of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, follows Little Lobo and his pet sidekick Bernabé on a savory adventure, fetching lunch for Toro y sus amigos ahead of the Lucha Libre 5000. Each food truck stop highlights diverse and delectable cuisine, and is flavored with cultural references and a vibrant community of food vendors.

Interns are generally stereotyped as students seeking to explore a new field and build their resumes. But what if they were trained professionals already armed with bona fide experience in the relevant industry who just need a break? Thanks to a new internship program created by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), employers in the metro Atlanta area can fill gaps in their workforce by tapping into adult refugees’ professional talents.

Eight years ago, when Oriel María Siu found out she was pregnant with her first child, she immediately began hunting for children’s books. None of the books addressed the real experiences of children like hers, or the child she had been decades ago when her family was forced to flee Honduras. Or those who’d been separated from their parents.

The biggest day in children's literature has arrived, and while there will be no in-person audience cheering the Youth Media Awards winners today, it doesn't take away from the excitement and achievement during this difficult year. Following is the list of winners announced at this morning's virtual ceremony.  Please check back at SLJ.com throughout the day for more coverage, including and interviews with winning authors and selection committee members.

English language learners’ development of second language literacy skills is often quite unique, says NC State College of Education Assistant Professor Jackie Relyea, Ph.D., because it often takes longer to develop than their day-to-day oral communication skills. Relyea, who researches literacy development of linguistically diverse children as well as reading interventions to improve English learners’ academic vocabulary, reading comprehension and knowledge building, says that non-native speakers tend to develop basic, interpersonal communication skills very quickly, usually in about one to two years. However, when it comes to academic language and literacy skills, including cognitive academic language proficiency, it tends to take English language learners between five and seven years to develop advanced levels of reading and writing skills.