Participants will learn research-based strategies for effective language and literacy instruction in programs where content is delivered in Spanish and English, such as dual language and transitional bilingual education programs.

This workshop is designed to provide participants with research-based, effective methods for teaching academic language and literacy to students in grades K-12 in Spanish-English bilingual programs. Classroom practices are framed by an understanding of the similarities and differences between Spanish and English linguistic features.

Participants will explore the systems and structures of both languages, examining key similarities and differences the language subsystems. Drawing on this foundational knowledge, teachers will learn how to apply cross-linguistic practices that leverage students’ full linguistic repertoire, building metalinguistic awareness and supporting transfer across languages. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with practical, classroom-ready strategies for making language visible, intentional, and meaningful in bilingual instructional settings.

Objectives:

• Articulate why knowledge of Spanish and English language systems is essential for effective literacy instruction in bilingual settings
• Compare the linguistic systems and structures of Spanish and English across key domains, including phonology, morphology, syntax, and orthography
• Describe and evaluate cross-linguistic instructional practices that leverage students’ full linguistic repertoire
• Apply classroom-ready methods that explicitly teach language similarities and differences to develop students’ metalinguistic awareness and support cross-linguistic transfer

Agenda

Day 1

• Welcome and Introductions
• Introduction to Linguistic Systems
• Overview of Pragmatics: Discourse-level language considerations between Spanish and English
• Grammar and Syntax: Responding to language use through intentional lessons
• Semantics: Meaning Across Languages

Day 2

• Morphology: Breaking it Down
• Orthography and Phonology: Considerations in Bilingual Contexts
• Assessment for Biliteracy
• Closing and Next Steps