BRIDGING CONTENT LANGUAGE FROM L1 TO L2 -Calero, Maria 1

The Bridge: Strengthening Bridges between Languages Formative assessment:

Students participating in

English and Spanish

metalinguistic skills.

Subject: Science

Theme/Big Idea/Topic: Health Grade Level: 2nd

PVR model will be implemented where preview is in Spanish, View in English and Review is in

Spanish.

Spanish TEK:

Explicar las acciones que un individuo puede tomar cuando no se siente bien.

English TEK:

Explain actions an individual can take when not feeling well.

Lesson Objective: The student will determine good and not so good actions when not feeling

well by placing them in the correct category in a T-chart.

Language of Instruction: Spanish and English

BRIDGE

 Content language instruction is the focus of the Bridge. Students will generate a list of

words for the concepts they have just learned, first in Spanish, and they do so while

engaged in activities that focus on meaning. They may generate an illustration, side-by-
BRIDGING CONTENT LANGUAGE FROM L1 TO L2 -Calero, Maria 2

side, or Así se dice bridge chart (saludables, acciones, salud, visitar al doctor, tomar

medicina, cambiar la dieta alimenticia).

 After generating the Spanish Bridge Chart about health, the students are ready to learn

the English words for what they learned in Spanish. Because Teacher used a specific

oracy strategy to introduce the theme and the big idea to build the language orally in

Spanish, Teacher may use the same concrete activity, or another one, for students to

move into English and associate each card and picture with the word in English. Students

shared with the class the words they know the equivalents, and teacher completes the

terms that they did not know. (healthy, actions, health, visit the doctor, take the medicine,

change the diet).

Metalinguistic focus:

 Cognates

 Id patterns in language

Extension Activity

Language of Instruction English (the other language)

1. Students will practice vocabulary in English using their bilingual partner, one student

says the words and the other student does the movements or picture for the word.

2. Students will use English books with a related topic in order to learn the language in

context.

Bilingual students who are becoming biliterate have different levels of language development

ability in Spanish and English. Teacher must therefore plan and implement bridging activities
BRIDGING CONTENT LANGUAGE FROM L1 TO L2 -Calero, Maria 3

that are based on your knowledge of what your students know and can do in both of their

languages.

Once Teacher and the students have placed Spanish and English side by side, using one of the

three bridge charts shown in Bridge-Part 1, Teacher is ready to engage in contrastive analysis,

studying how the two languages are similar and different. You will find it easier to start with the

similarities between the two languages and then to go the differences.

Areas of Focus for Contrastive Analysis during Bridge

● Phonology

● Morphology

● Syntax and grammar

● Pragmatics

Phonology & Morphology:

During the contrastive analysis, attention to the sound system and structure of language should

be developmentally appropriate and meaningful to students.

Syntax and Grammar and Pragmatics:

Plan areas of focus by identifying predictable patterns inherent in the theme and by analyzing

student writing. Attention to syntax and grammar and pragmatics should be developmentally
BRIDGING CONTENT LANGUAGE FROM L1 TO L2 -Calero, Maria 4

appropriate and meaningful to students. More contrastive analysis found in the book “Teaching

for Biliteracy”.

Beeman, K., & Urow, C. (2013. P.65). Teaching for Biliteracy: Strengthening Bridges between
Languages. Philadelphia: Caslon.