The amount of time children spend there depends on their needs and proficiency level. Recruit native-speaking volunteers. He or she can askthe LEP student questions for you so you can show interest in who the child is,and the volunteer can also speak to the class about the student's culture. Rosa gets her English-speaking students involved in learning some words in theLEP child's native language. This heightens the sense of community and validatesthe importance of each child's language.
Children learn to speak to each other because they want and needto.
Marta recommends displaying books, pictures, and other objects that are familiar to theLEP children and all students. She has students trace their origins and involves families in helping each child mark where he or she is from on a large map postedin the regular classrooms. We break down barriers. Make personal-history books. Students in Marta's class make personal scrapbooks of their lives that include pictures of families, photographs of where they live and used to live, sketches of their pets, and varying numbersof words in English.