Your Words Are Fire

Language - how we use it and even what we think about it - can be a barrier to our students learning at their highest levels. It's especially tough for kids from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Despite your best efforts so all your students and their families are connected and thriving in your classroom, sometimes you miss the mark, and they feel isolated by their own languages and cultures. Your Words Are Fire presents 10 teaching strategies that help you build the bridge between the language your students are using and the language they need for academic success, while still supporting their cultural and linguistic identity. Learn how language and culture are connected Discover the role language plays in your classroom successes and potential barriers Change how you listen to your students (hint: it's with more than your ears) Plan explicitly around the linguistic and cultural needs of your students Expand vocabulary work in your classroom so you all grow and learn Break beyond the status quo that leaves you searching for better ways to connect with your students and the languages and cultures they bring into your classroom. Empower them as they work hard to learn and succeed and teach everyone in your class the value of new cultures, dialects and ways to communicate. Your Words Are Fire is a reminder that language, throughout the annals of history, has made an impact on every generation and leaves an indelible mark. Your classroom is no different. The words exchanged between you and your students and families are paramount to the success of our future generations. Engage in Lissette Jacobson and Maurice McDavid's work, and you'll find your words - and those of every student - blazing a new trail to learning.