The document outlines best practices for supporting emergent bilinguals in dual immersion programs, emphasizing a multilingual perspective that values the coexistence of multiple languages as assets rather than deficits. It describes concrete activities that can enhance the learning experience for students, particularly those from underperforming backgrounds, by engaging them effectively regardless of their language abilities. The aim is to provide equitable access to high-quality education and improve outcomes for bilingual learners in the classroom.

1. Best Practices for Serving
Emergent Bilinguals in Dual
Immersion Programs
Kelly Alvarez and J-Lin Tamminga
MABE 2014

2. Partners in School Innovation transforms
teaching and learning in the lowest-
performing public schools so that every child,
regardless of background, thrives.
Partners in School Innovation transforms
teaching and learning in the lowest-
performing public schools so that every child,
regardless of background, thrives.
Mission

3. Why We Exist
The achievement gap persists. Results from a
wide variety of state and national tests administered
over the last half-century have been fairly consistent
in at least one respect. They indicated that certain
groups of children repeatedly score below children in
other groups. - EdSource
“Gaps in US educational achievement have affected GDP
more severely than have all recessions since the 1970s.”
– McKinsey Quarterly (April 2009)
Why We Exist
The achievement gap persists. Results from a
wide variety of state and national tests administered
over the last half-century have been fairly consistent
in at least one respect. They indicated that certain
groups of children repeatedly score below children in
other groups. - EdSource
“Gaps in US educational achievement have affected GDP
more severely than have all recessions since the 1970s.”
– McKinsey Quarterly (April 2009)

4. How Partners Works
Partners in School Innovation engages with
teachers and leaders in under-performing school
districts to drive results by strengthening teaching
and learning through our sustainable, adaptable
approach to continuous improvement.
By targeting students of color living in poverty, we aim to
provide fair and equal access to high-quality education—one
of the most valuable opportunities in a young person’s life.
̶ Derek Mitchell, CEO, Partners in School Innovation
How Partners Works
Partners in School Innovation engages with
teachers and leaders in under-performing school
districts to drive results by strengthening teaching
and learning through our sustainable, adaptable
approach to continuous improvement.
By targeting students of color living in poverty, we aim to
provide fair and equal access to high-quality education—one
of the most valuable opportunities in a young person’s life.
̶ Derek Mitchell, CEO, Partners in School Innovation

5. Objectives
• Explain the Multilingual perspective and the
new reality of the bilingual population in the
U.S.
• Describe the three linguistic spaces in the
new language learner’s classroom.
• Implement concrete activities in order to
increase success of emergent bilinguals in
the classroom.

6. Background
Knowledge
Primary Resource:
Teaching for Biliteracy:
Strengthening Bridges
Between Languages
Cheryl Urow and Karen Beeman

7. Adapted Readers Theater (ART)
• The monolingual perspective views the two
languages students speak as separate and
compares the students to monolingual
students. The monolingual perspective
views the use of a second language as a
deficit. The term “semilingual” may be used
to describe them as non-proficient.

8. ART (con’t.)
• On the other hand, a multilingual
perspective includes looking at the two or
more languages each student speaks as
complementary and views the use of more
than one language as an asset.

9. ART (con’t.)
• Part of the multilingual perspective includes
viewing the child as an emergent bilingual
instead of an English Language Learner.
With this term we recognize that our
emergent bilingual students come with
abilities and different levels of knowledge in
more than one language.

10. ART (con’t.)
• We can divide our emergent bilingual
students into two different groups -
sequential bilinguals and simultaneous
bilinguals.

11. ART (con’t.)
• Sequential bilingual students are those who
begin to learn more than one language after
the age of five whereas simultaneous
bilinguals are those who begin to learn more
than one language before the age of five.

12. ART (con’t.)
• Even though most of our students are now
entering school as simultaneous bilinguals,
many of our dual immersion programs are
still programmatically designed for
sequential bilinguals.

13. ART (con’t.)
• One effective strategy that can be
implemented to better serve emergent
bilingual students is the use of concrete
activities.

14. ART (con’t.)
• Concrete activities are different from
abstract activities in that they provide an
opportunity for all students to participate
regardless of their language abilities.
Abstract activities such as discussion and
reading can be used after themes and topics
have been introduced with concrete
activities.

15. Adapted Readers Theater
• The teacher summarizes or paraphrases a
text while she/he do the TPR for the
different terms and phrases.
• The students are able to preview the
concepts and the new vocabulary through
the activity. (Beeman and Urow, 2013)

16. Think, Pair, Share
• How can you apply this in your own practice?
• How would this process benefit your
students?

17. Concept Attainment Activity
• Partner A - a student with less language
abilities in the target language.
• Partner B- a student who is stronger in the
target language.

18. Concept Attainment Explanation
• Students are given a series of examples and non-
examples of the concept.
• Students analyze the examples and then can
formulate a definition or description of the concept
even if they are unable to name it using the exact
term. (Beeman and Urow, 2013)
• For what other topics/themes could this be used?

19. Open Word Sort & Connect Two
• Can be done with pictures or words.
• Can be used as a pre-reading, pre-assessment, or
introductory activity or as a formative assessment
at the end of a lesson.
• The Connect Two activity provides an extension to
the activity, and a way for the teacher to better
assess the students’ background knowledge,
and/or learning.

20. Objectives
• Explain the Multilingual perspective and the new
reality of the bilingual population in the US.
• Describe the three linguistic spaces in the new
language learner’s classroom.
• Implement concrete activities in order to increase
success of emergent bilinguals in the classroom.

21. Resources
• One pager on Bridging from Cheryl Urow
• Kathy Escamilla’s presentation on Literacy Squared
• Teaching for Biliteracy: Strengthening Bridges
Between Two Languages

22. Contact
PartnersInSchools.org
Renewing the Promise of Public Education
Contact
PartnersInSchools.org
Renewing the Promise of Public Education
Kelly Alvarez
kalvarez@partnersinschools.org
tammingaj@grps.org
School Innovation Partner
J-Lin Tamminga
Bilingual Support Teacher