Bridging Lessons
For Constrastive Analysis of English and Spanish
For Constrastive Analysis of English and Spanish
A bridging lesson or cross language instruction brings the two languages together to include a contrastive analysis of the similarities and differences of the linguistic features found in Spanish and English. These lessons are purposeful and target specific features that help multilingual learners develop their metalinguistic awareness of Spanish and English. This transfer of knowledge from either language helps our multilingual learners take a closer look at what they know in one language and how they make these connections in another. The lessons vary in length and can occur before, during or after a content area lesson/ unit of study. They can also address a specific need found after analyzing their performance in speaking, reading and/or writing.
Video Clips
Please review the short video clips below that show how bilingual teachers explicitly help students make cross-linguistic connections.
Cross Language Connections in the Classroom, 9/24/18, SEAL
In this 13 min. video clip, you will view K-3 students making cross language connections in their bilingual classrooms.
2nd Grade Dual Language Bridge Lesson, Spring 2022, Fisher Elementary
This bridging lesson focuses on punctuation using a Spanish poem in a bilingual second grade classroom.
Así se dice-That's how you say it-Bilingual 2nd & 3rd Grade Classroom 9/18/18, SEAL
This lesson focuses on how to translate the meaning of a text found in a picture book in Spanish to its English counterpart. It delves into the nuances of each language. The lesson takes place in a bilingual 2nd and 3rd grade classroom.
Discussion
Please share evidence of how cross linguistic transfer happens in your classroom with your student teacher.
Please discuss your observations of how students make connections in English and Spanish when speaking, reading and/or writing in your classroom. If you have conducted bridging, contrastive and/or "Así se dice" lessons, share how you select what to target in a specific lesson and when (how often) they occur.
Additional Reference Materials on Bridging Lessons
CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition) Handout: Biliteracy and Bridging Handout, CARLA 2012, Beeman & Urow
This handout explains how to strengthen biliteracy development by including bridging lessons into the curriculum. It lists various examples for contrastive analysis in phonology, morphology, syntax and grammar, and language use.
During early fall quarter, bilingual candidates will be reviewing all resources listed on this page and will create a mock bridging lesson for their grade level based on the standards and content students have learned in their classroom.