English Vs German Bilingual Classroom
These bilingual classroom materials are beneficial because they promote metalinguistic awareness while also serving “…to demonstrate the value of other languages, to make connections with the community and family, to strengthen the cultural identity of ELLs and to honor their families” (Cloud, Genesse, & Hamayan, 2009, p. 102). These materials are intended for a lower level English and German bilingual elementary classroom. I have chosen bilingual children’s books at different reading levels in an attempt to include students of varying literacy levels. I have made sure to include some books that were originally written in English and some that were originally written in German. A student can read a book in his/her stronger language first in order to get an understanding of the text before reading it in the other language.
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Bilingual books, whether full-text translations, single-language translations or wordless books, help to develop a student’s linguistic skills. “These skills can be separated into the three categories of vocabulary, syntax, and sound awareness for the sake of description although they necessarily come together in real-life language use” (Semingson, Pole, & Tommerdahl, 2015, p. 134). Another option would be for the entire class to read the same book with each individual student reading it in whatever language he/she is most competent and comfortable. Then they class could work as a whole to compare and contrast English and German based on the text they read. The students could also read the books that represent German culture and discuss the similarities and differences between the United States and Germany. This would give the ELLs a sense of pride and security by showing that their culture is valued. It would also educate all students on a culture that is different than their
Bilingual books, whether full-text translations, single-language translations or wordless books, help to develop a student’s linguistic skills. “These skills can be separated into the three categories of vocabulary, syntax, and sound awareness for the sake of description although they necessarily come together in real-life language use” (Semingson, Pole, & Tommerdahl, 2015, p. 134). Another option would be for the entire class to read the same book with each individual student reading it in whatever language he/she is most competent and comfortable. Then they class could work as a whole to compare and contrast English and German based on the text they read. The students could also read the books that represent German culture and discuss the similarities and differences between the United States and Germany. This would give the ELLs a sense of pride and security by showing that their culture is valued. It would also educate all students on a culture that is different than their