Learning Resources® Showcases Hands-on Products for English Language Learners at Phoenix Bilingual Conference

Highlights interactive literacy products specifically designed for native Spanish-speakers

Phoenix, National Association for Bilingual Education Conference, January 19, 2006 – Learning Resources®, a leading producer of innovative, hands-on educational tools, will highlight its line of hands-on literacy products for English Language Learners (ELLs) and native Spanish speakers at the National Association for Bilingual Education Conference (NABE) conference being held at the Phoenix Civic Center, January 18-21. Learning Resources’ interactive products for ELLs and native Spanish-speakers are designed to motivate students and accelerate their language acquisition, and help schools meet No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements. 

There are more than five million ELLs speaking more than 400 languages other than English in U.S. public schools (grades pre-K through 12), and one in five children under 18 is Hispanic. Arizona has one of the highest enrollments of ELLs in the United States, and since 1991 experienced a 78% increase in the number of students, ages 5 to 17, who are Limited English Proficient students (LEPs). According to No Child Left Behind legislation, ELLs must meet rigorous literacy requirements within three years and are required to be tested along with mainstream English-speaking students, which can present unique challenges in schools with a large population of ELLs.

“ELL students enter a classroom with a language barrier, especially in a non-bilingual setting, and many teachers have not received the necessary training nor do they have the resources to help these students quickly learn the language and get up-to-speed in the coursework,” said Kary Johnson, M.ED, who will be presenting at NABE and is an ELL reading specialist with the Keller Independent School District in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “Supplemental classroom materials, like the Learning Resources kits for ELLs, will enable teachers and students to make the kinds of educational gains necessary for success.”

Learning Resources’ kits for ELLs and Spanish-speakers were developed as part of the company’s award-winning Reading Rods® line, a scientifically proven supplemental reading program that combines color-coded, interlocking rods imprinted with letters, consonants and other elements of reading with related components such as activity books and cards. One recent independent Texas study showed the mean scores of first graders taking the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) increased by more than 284 percent in a nine-month period when these children used Learning Resources English Reading Rods as a supplemental program to their standard reading curricula.

Literacy for All

Depending on the state in which they live, ELLs and Spanish-speakers at the elementary school level are taught with either an English-only or bilingual approach. But regardless of the method used, all ELLs in U.S. public schools are tasked with learning English as a second language. The Reading Rods kits for English Language Learners and kits for Spanish-speakers are first-of-their-kind, manipulative-based literacy kits based on the proven Reading Rods method of literacy instruction to help ELLs gain fluency and confidence in English and develop skills in phonemic awareness, listening, pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling and parts of speech.

Reading Rods provide ELLs with a multisensory experience that engages children of all learning styles (tactile, kinesthetic, auditory and visual). Reading Rods are color-coded to define the functions of the letter, word parts or words, which gives visual learners extra cues, while the hands-on manipulation of the Rods provides environmental stimulation for active, kinesthetic and tactile learners. Also, the Rods connect from left to right, which corresponds with reading direction.

The Reading Rods kits and supplemental materials can be used in mainstream classrooms, English language instruction within bilingual programs or any ELL program.

The Importance of Research-Based Learning in Schools

The No Child Left Behind Act, which regulates and funds U.S. public schools with federal monies, requires that educational products, including materials for reading instruction, are scientifically research-based in order to be purchased with NCLB funds. The Partnership for Reading (a collaborative effort between the National Institute for Literacy, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the U.S. Department of Education) and the National Reading Panel have both made evidence-based reports available to teachers, educational administrators, parents and policy-makers who have an interest in selecting effective methods and materials that will help children become better readers.

The activities in the Reading Rods kits for English Language Learners and kits for Spanish-speaking students are aligned with the report from the National Reading Panel (Teaching Children to Read) and support all five key areas of reading instruction (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and text comprehension) outlined in Put Reading First, the Partnership for Reading’s report on successful reading achievement.

Learning Resources products are available at specialty and teacher stores, such as Teaching Stuff stores in the Phoenix area, and online. For more information about the entire range of Learning Resources products for non-native English speakers, please visit www.learningresources.com or phone 1-800-222-3909.

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About Learning Resources®
Learning Resources is a leading manufacturer of innovative, hands-on educational materials for classrooms and of learning toys for the home.  For more than 20 years, the company has been a trusted source for educators and parents for quality, award-winning educational products in language, math, science and early childhood. Headquartered in the Chicago area, Learning Resources markets and distributes its products in over 80 countries around the globe. For more information about Learning Resources, visit http://www.learningresources.com