Linguistics? I’m not a linguistics expert. What do I need to know for my learners?
For those of us who aren’t Ph.Ds. in linguistics, there are many resources. Here are a few short explanations and activities for some of the components of Linguistics. These brief intros are in no way meant to be considered the definitive guides to linguistics for ELs and other learners. We’ve also included a list of books that have been helpful to us as well.
Each page has a brief description, why it’s important for learners, a few possible examples of how to use the info in a lesson, references, and maybe a few extra thoughts.
We humbly suggest that you start with Language Distance and then take a few minutes to research the many ways English (or the target language you teach) is the same and or different from the home language of the learners in your class. It will be enlightening and helpful for yours and their success.
If you have specific wonders or questions, use the form below to email us.
If you have additional suggestions for activities or resources in this section, we’d be happy to review them and if we add them to the website, we’ll give you full credit.
We look forward to hearing from you if you have questions, requests, or would like to share activities. Reach out to us by using the form below.
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References & Resources
Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2016). Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction (6th ed.). Pearson.
Curzan, A., & Adams, M. (2012). How English works: A linguistic introduction (3rd ed.). Pearson.
Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2014). Essential linguistics: What teachers need to know to teach ESL, reading, spelling, and grammar. (2nd ed.). Heinemann.
Helman, L., Bear, D. R., Templeton, S., Invernizzi, M., & Johnston, F. (2012). Words their way with English learners: Word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction (2nd ed.). Pearson.
Johnston, F., Invernizzi, M., Bear, D. R., & Templeton, S. (2018). Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Letter Name – Alphabetic Spellers (3rd ed.). Pearson.
Lems, K., Miller, L. D., & Soro, T. M. (2017). Building literacy with English language learners (2 ed.). Guilford.