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

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Translanguaging: The Key to Comprehension for Spanish-speaking Students and Their Peers is a teachers 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.

Reviews

Understanding and incorporating the assets Spanish-speaking emergent bilingual learners possess into classroom instruction is essential to their success. This book is a timely, accessible guide that will build on teachers skills repertoire in reading. It is a must-have! -- Francesca Lpez, PhD, Associate Professor; Co-Editor, American Educational Research Journal; Senior Associate Editor: American Journal of Education; Educational Policy Studies and Practice, College of Education, University of Arizona
Translanguaging: The Key to Comprehension for Spanish Speaking Students and Their Peersis a must havefor districts and teachers serving English language leaners and dual immersion students. Lubliner and Grisham provide culturally relevant scenarios, techniques that are actionable and an effective approach to maximizing the potential of language learning students. After years of being without an effective and comprehensive curriculum for ELD instruction, this book has been a saving grace. I have used the cognate methods with various groups of students ranging from Spanish-only speaking newcomers to native English speaking dual language students within the same classroom and across different subject areas. I have found that starting the school year with the book's lessons on cognate instruction fosters a sense on inclusivity among both Spanish and English language learners and serves as a bridge to both languages throughout the school year. I have found that the progression of lessons in the book have made learning a language feel less daunting for students, fosters a sense on inclusivity and serves as a bridge to both languages not just in school but in their daily lives outside of school as well. The strategies throughout the book empower students to take risks as language learners and become teachers of their native languages. -- Raquel Pilar Moran Huerta, MA, Educational Leadership; 5th grade Dual Language Teacher

Author Bio

Shira Lubliner has been an educator for over 40 years. She is a professor of teacher education at California State University East Bay and is the author of numerous books and articles on literacy. Dana L. Grisham is retired Professor from the California State University who has worked in teacher preparation for over 25 years. She currently edits Reading and Writing Quarterly. She has published over 80 professional publications in the area of literacy instruction, technology, and action research.