Importance of Home Languages



The Importance of  Developing Home Languages                                                                                   

All  multilingual learners are encouraged to continue to use and develop their home language whenever possible.

Effective oral, reading and writing skills in one language will influence the ability of a student to develop effective oral, reading and writing skills in another language.  We know that home language(s) are part of student identities and are strong connections to faith communities and extended family relationships.

importance of first languages factsheet The Importance of Developing First Languages Fact Sheet  
For Parents and Staff
 French    English    Italian    Korean    Spanish   Polish   Russian   Tagalog    Portuguese 


 

Translated brochures for parents.   
 

When Children Speak More Than 1 Language Brochure
  		 Best Start translated resources for parents. 


How can my child use their home language to help develop English skills?

 Importance of First Languages
 Listen and read English books for young learners with narration in a second language.

              
scribjab logo
                                                          
                                           		ScribJab is a web site and iPad app for kids to read and create digital stories in multiple languages.  ScribJab creates a space for children to communicate about their stories, and come to an enhanced appreciation of their multilingual gifts.          
storybooks canada logo   

Storybooks Canada is a free open educational resource available with text and audio in English, French, and the most widely spoken immigrant and refugee languages of Canada.  They are also developing Indigenous Storybooks and the Global Storybooks literacy portal.
 digital library  A free digital library with books in a wide variety of languages.  A great resource to continue to develop literacy skills in first languages. 
 arbordale image  Sylvan-Dell e-books offers a long list of fiction and non-fiction picture books in English and Spanish.  Audio files are included in both English and Spanish.  Great resource for primary aged Spanish speaking students at school and home.



Dual Language Books in Local Libraries
 bradford library The Bradford West-Gwillimbury Public Library offers dual language books in: Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Punjabi, Vietnamese, Tamil, and Urdu.  

barrie library

 The Barrie Public Library offers dual language picture books in: Arabic, Simplified Chinese, French, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu.