Do you have multilingual learners in your classroom this year? Read on for tips on how to use built-in features of two of NGPF's core resources to improve the learning experience for ELLs/MLLs.

The NGPF Personal Finance Dictionary as a Reference

NGPF has a customizable bilingual English and Spanish personal finance dictionary. Since the dictionary offers terms with definitions as well as a glossary, it makes for a great reference.  

For multilingual learners, it is often beneficial to reference definitions while completing NGPF activities. The terms and definitions are organized by unit with a table of contents. There is also a glossary available with just the terms in English and Spanish. The glossary works well as a testing resource for multilingual learners. In addition, students can use the find feature (control + F; command + F) to locate a term within the dictionary.

For multilingual learners who would benefit from translations into other languages, there are add-ons and extensions for Google Docs. One such add-on is Docs Paragraph Translate. To use Docs Paragraph Translate, a student will need to:

1. In the NGPF Personal Finance Dictionary, click on "Extensions" in the upper left menu. Then, click on Add-ons, get Add-ons. Find Docs Paragraph Translate and click install. 
2. Once installed, Docs Paragraph Translate will be listed in the drop down menu under "Extensions." Click to open. A panel will appear on the right hand side of the dictionary.  Select the target language. 
3. Highlight the text you wish to have translated, and click the blue translate button under the translate icon. See an example below of a translation of ATM into French. Please note that as a machine translation, Google Translate will likely have some errors, but it is a powerful classroom tool to help multilingual learner students access resources.

The personal finance dictionary can also be used to play games and familiarize students with new vocabulary. You can access the personal finance dictionary from the Spanish & ELL Directory. 

Check out 5 Ways to Use the NGPF Personal Finance Dictionary as an Activity.

Using FinCap Fridays with ELL Students

When using an NGPF FinCap Friday video in the classroom, here are a couple of tips that might make it easier for multilingual learners. 

1. When multilingual learner students listen to a FinCap Friday video on YouTube, they’re able to change the playback speed. We recommend a .5 playback speed to slow down the audio but still keep it to a speed that is comprehensible. Click on the settings wheel in the lower right hand corner of the video to adjust the playback speed.
2. It is also possible to enable subtitles using the Google Translate feature under settings. Again, note that as a machine translation, Google Translate will likely have some errors, but it is a powerful classroom tool to help multilingual learner students access resources. Click on the settings wheel in the lower right hand corner of the video. Then, click on subtitles, English (auto-generated). Once subtitles have been turned on, an auto-translate option will appear and additional languages can be selected.

Check out this six-part series of brief videos in both English and Spanish you can use to bridge the information gap about U.S.-specific finance topics, such as taxes and insurance, that may be unfamiliar to English Language Learners and their families.

About the Author

Chris Salm

Chris (ella/she/her) joined NGPF full-time as a project manager and Spanish translator after 13 years as an educator in NY. She is a graduate of St. Louis University in Madrid, Spain with a degree in International Business. She has a Masters in Teaching from Pace University in New York and a certification in translation from NYU. She brings organizational skills to the team at NGPF, helping to ensure every high school student graduates financially literate. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and going back home to Spain with her husband and two children. She also enjoys running with her dog and exploring nature.

More posts by Chris