Ana Miranda
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Write a short story book with your children

4/9/2018

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Do your kids love reading, being read to or watching movies? Do they like role-playing games? Do they enjoy good storytelling?

I bet they’ll get a kick out of creating their own!

Writing and sharing our own stories is incredibly motivating. It opens up a channel of connection and communication, where we dare to explore ideas and emotions beyond our everyday.

Creativity and imagination aren’t only important for artists. In today’s world, everyone should learn to see possibilities, think out of the box and find solutions. Not to mention be a little more empathetic and respectful.    

Last year I organized a creative writing workshop with a group of 10-12 year olds. We had one weekly lesson where we learned about the writing process, wrote and shared our stories and in the end we printed a book! We had so much fun! I printed a very simple booklet but the children were very proud to see their work put together like that!

So, my idea for you today is: start creating a book of short stories with your kids. And why not make it multilingual?
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Write a short story book with your children

​Here are my tips:

★ Read good stuff. Talk about it. What makes it good?

★ Talk about writing as a process. Help them understand that no good story is ready the first (second or third) time you write it down. Some kids will have many ideas popping in their minds and they’ll rush through revision and editing. Other kids are reluctant to re-write. This is a good time to teach them to type and use spell check, thesaurus and a dictionary.

★ Give constructive and specific feedback. First tell them what exactly you like about their story. Then, ask them questions in order to fill in any gaps (think of the WH questions: what, where, when, why, how). Lastly, suggest how they could make improvements on their sentences, on their plot or overall language use.

The story of Austin’s Butterfly is a perfect illustration of constructive feedback.

★Talk about elements of a story. Every story needs characters, a setting (where it happens), a plot (what happens) and a time. It also needs a beginning, a middle and an end that flow.

Check out this video on how to write a story and this one on how to build a fictional world.  

★Practice word choice. This is a fantastic opportunity to increase and polish your child’s vocabulary! Start by challenging them to use alternative words for said, good, bad, pretty, sad and happy (this is when a thesaurus comes in handy).

Check out this video on choosing better action verbs.

★Learn about how books are made. The kids will have a different appreciation for them.  
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★Find more about your child’s favorite author. Look for interviews on Youtube, their autobiography or an event nearby.

★Find opportunities to share. That’s the whole point! Next time you Skype with your family, have them listen to your child’s stories. Write down and illustrate a special copy of one of the stories and give it to someone they like.

Storybird is a great platform for sharing your children’s writing as well as reading others’ stories and getting inspired!

★Use a variety of prompts and activities. These are just a few suggestions:
Imagine Forest’s Free Resources
Once Upon a Picture - Images to Inspire 
Imagination Soup - Writing Ideas and Strategies
Interactive Story Starters by Scholastic

★Set a deadline. Next Christmas? Their next birthday? That way you can have a special moment to launch and share!

★Type everything and format the text as you like. Add illustrations, a cover, a simple author’s bio.

★Print and have a little launch party!

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​Do let us know if you try it! 
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Why should you raise bi-literate children?

2/4/2018

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Why you should raise bi-literate children

When you look at your little one today it might be difficult to imagine them growing up. Heck, you might even refuse to do it. Time flies and they grow up so fast, you just want to enjoy every moment of every phase.

But bear with me for a moment. Look into your future. How do you see your family? What do your children do as they grow up? How do you want to feel as you look back?

Multilingual families have important choices to make regarding their language goals and priorities. There are so many different settings and factors that play a role in those choices (feel free to share yours!) but today we’ll talk about raising your children literate in the minority language. Have you thought about it? 
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Many parents are either afraid of confusing their child or believe they’ll just pick it up later. And so, many bilingual children are not literate in one of their mother tongues, which is a pity.

In your ideal future, do your children master all their languages' skills? Or are they able to speak, but not write? Where are they going to college? Are they glad they'd learned it early or are they struggling?  


Young children are incredible learners. All they need is time, consistency and someone who’s there for them. You can teach your child to read!

By learning to read and write well in English (or any other minority language) they will, in the short run:

★ Have a deeper connection to your culture;  
★ Enjoy your favorite childhood stories with you;
★ Develop their sense of identity as a multilingual person;
★ Grow their vocabulary, comprehension and expression skills;
★ Be able to access and appreciate a wider variety of content;
★ Develop a higher awareness of how languages work;

On top of that, they are more likely to experience academic and professional success in the long run. It’s an open world of opportunities, connection and identity that starts with your choice and commitment.

What’s holding you back?

★★★ ​

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How to sneak in literacy in your multilingual home

5/2/2018

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How many times have you thought lately: “We need to work on their (language) skills. How can we make sure they read and write in (language)?”, but then gave in to “We simply have no time for that!”

You’re busy, the kids are busy, the days go by much too fast. They go to school, they do homework, after-school clubs, play-dates… how can you teach them to read in another language on top of all that?

And how can you do it in a way that doesn’t feel like extra work? That won’t create tension and resistance?
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Well, first things first: make time. What are the time-wasters in your house? Is it too much screen time? Are they enrolled in too many extra-curricular lessons? Get organized and make your routine work in your favor.
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The number one thing parents do to support their children’s literacy skills in English is reading to them and listening to them read. It’s a natural and fantastic way to learn and bond.

But you want more than bedtime stories and here are some ideas:
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★Pay attention to their curiosities: are they into comics, Lego, cooking? Are they obsessed with movie characters, a specific toy, an animal? Do they like puppets, role playing, drawing, scrap-booking? Use that.

★Use technology in your favor: find apps, games and videos that promote language development and that are age appropriate. Have a screen time agreement in place.

★Have books (fiction and non-fiction), magazines, paper, chalk or whiteboard, different markers, pens and pencils easily ready - for older kids, who don’t scribble on walls anymore ;)

★In your day-to-day life, have them read and write text messages, birthday cards or even letters/emails to friends and family.

★When you call your family, ask them to read to your children and to listen to them read.

★ Siblings can read to each other at any time and anywhere.

★ Play Scrabble, crossword puzzles, hangman, word ladder, word snake, categories.

★Ask them to help you write the weekly shopping list, calendar reminders, the menu for the week or for a special occasion.

★Read anything together at different opportunities: a recipe, game instructions, a note from school, tickets, etc.

★Write a simple book review on Goodreads. See that reading list grow! Set a goal, think of a nice way to celebrate a certain number of books read.

★Start a happiness jar, where they write something that made them smile that day. When they’re feeling down they can open it and find all those happy memories!

★Older kids can start a journal.

★You can have fun conversation/writing prompts in a jar, box or bowl.

Reading and writing are better practiced with purpose. Why are they reading? For pleasure, to learn something new, to connect with someone? Why are they writing? To communicate with loved ones, to express their creativity, for practical reasons, for fun?

Reading and writing for the sake of it is not engaging or motivating. Can you recall ever learning something when you were feeling detached or resistant?


Finally, don’t stop reading to them! Older children still enjoy being read to. Pick a book that’s beyond their own reading skill, keep stimulating their comprehension, vocabulary and imagination.

★★★

Now I’m curious: how do you sneak in literacy in your multilingual home? 

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    Hi!

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     I'm Ana - a teacher who loves reading, writing, traveling and nature. 

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