Use bilingual literacy projects and cross-language comparison (bilingual books, cognates) to foster transfer between languages¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

To work for transfer of conceptual knowledge and language awareness across a student's two languages, Cummins recommends concrete activities: have grade 1 and 2 students write, illustrate, and publish bilingual books, and draw students' attention to cognates and examples of powerful language use in both oral and written modes. The premise is that the languages enrich each other if taught appropriately, consistent with the common underlying proficiency.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A bilingual program should be a genuine bilingual program with coherent and planned introduction of English reading and writing together with reading and writing in the students' L1.

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• elementary bilingual students in grades 1 and 2

Target Learning Goals¶

• transfer of conceptual knowledge and language awareness across L1 and L2

Affordances¶

• Common Underlying Proficiency Cup

Related Strategies¶

• Foster L1-L2 transfer of writing metacognitive regulation through cross-language collaboration between writing educators and balanced attention to all learner groups

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Cummins, J. (1999). BICS and CALP: Clarifying the Distinction. ERIC Document ED 438 551. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED438551