Bridging Language and Literacy: A Study of Read-Alouds and Spanish–English Cognate Vocabulary With Bilingual Students

• In Event: 29.060 - Biliteracy: Bilingual Children Learning to Read and Write

Abstract

The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the learning of English-Spanish cognates by second-grade Latino emergent bilingual students in two bilingual classrooms. Because more than 70% of academic vocabulary words are cognates, they are a rich source of vocabulary development for emergent bilingual students. The vocabulary intervention introduced 8-9 cognates (also academic words) from bilingual picture books. The cognates were introduced before the text was read aloud, and after the storybook discussion, students had multiple exposures to the cognate vocabulary. The preliminary results show that students progressively understand the concept of cognates with each subsequent lesson. The implications are that providing cognate instruction through read-alouds can enhance students’ knowledge of their two languages.

Authors

• Anita C. Hernandez, New Mexico State University

• Jose A. Montelongo, New Mexico State University