8E) Background knowledge in home language
Preview concepts in the home language to activate and build background knowledge, prior to teaching new content in English.
Strategy Overview: Así se dice
This strategy, designed by Literacy Squared, engages students in translation as a means of providing them with a deeper understanding of how ideas are conveyed across languages and cultures. It is designed to raise cross-language awareness.Read More
Planning Guide: Teaching for Spanish-English Transfer
This K-6 Planning Guide aids teachers in preparing grade-level appropriate transfer lessons. It is organized using both the Common Core State Standards in Spanish and the ELA standards. Implications for transfer lessons are offered for each grade level.Read More
Video: Cross Language Connections
This video shows a variety of language-transfer lessons to help Multilingual Learners develop meta-linguistic awareness and compare and contrast their two (or more) languages.Read More
Website: Amigos Bilingües
This website offers many video read-alouds in both Spanish and English. Many of the texts can be found in both languages, allowing the teacher to preview content in a home language and then let students transfer that knowledge to the text in their second language.Read More
Video: Model Curriculum for English Learners – Weathering and Erosion (3rd grade)
A multilingual teacher uses numerous supports in English, Spanish, and Portuguese to develop the content understandings of beginner Multilingual Learners.Read More
Video: That’s How You Say It/Asi se dice- 2/3rd grade
Students learn both literal and conceptual translation skills by engaging in the "That's How You Say It/Asi se dice" strategy. The teacher assigns students to strategic groups and chooses a specific passage of text for them to translate. Students have the opportunity to negotiate word meanings and compare and contrast their two languages as they work together to write and share their translation.Read More
Video: Transfer and Integrated ELD in a Bilingual Classroom
The teacher in this bilingual classroom makes an intentional plan to develop literacy and oral language skills in two languages. She begins content instruction in Spanish to strengthen Multilingual Learners' understanding of key concepts, and then purposefully transitions to an integrated ELD block to offer speaking and writing practice in English.Read More
Strategy Overview: Sentence Patterning Chart / La tabla de formación de oraciones
This resource introduces a strategy to model and write good descriptive sentences with Multilingual Learners. It combines language-based supports with opportunities for children to practice academic vocabulary and apply it to structured, content-based writing.Read More
Video: Bilingual Provider Preview and Review
In this video, a teacher explains how to preview books in children’s home languages. The teacher introduces and explains new vocabulary words and reads a text in the child's home language before reading the text in English. The teacher also uses the home language to preview concepts to activate and build background knowledge.Read More
Video: How to Support Concepts in Home Language
This resource discusses how previewing and reviewing learning material in the home language can support Multilingual Learners’ content learning. Previewing concepts in the home language helps to activate and build background knowledge prior to teaching concepts in English.Read More
Video: When and What to Support in Home Language
This resource discusses how to reinforce target words and provide language-rich experiences to help give language meaning and purpose. Teachers can support content learning throughout the day by previewing concepts in the home language to activate and build background knowledge.Read More
