Translanguaging: The Key to Comprehension for Spanish-Speaking Students and Their Peers

Translanguaging: The Key to Comprehension for Spanish-speaking Students and Their Peers is a teacher’s guide for effective vocabulary and comprehension instruction in the translanguaging classroom. Translanguaging is a new approach that incorporates students’ languages and cultures with the goal of strengthening academic achievement. This book focuses on Spanish-speaking emergent bilingual learners, as they constitute over 70% of the English learners in American schools. Also included are activities designed for students who speak only English or languages other than Spanish. We provide teachers with practical tools for achieving translanguaging goals through a method called Cognate Strategy Instruction (CSI). The goal is to teach upper elementary and secondary students to unlock academic texts and meet Common Core Standards. This approach has been classroom-tested and validated by research in English immersion and bilingual classroom settings. This book includes detailed vignettes and over 30 lessons plans, demonstrating how to purposefully plan and deliver translanguaging instruction. Also provided are student texts, games, and assessments – all of the materials needed for a complete instructional program.