Books for Bilingual Brainiacs!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

In our class, the motto is "Question Everything." We believe that kids learn best when they pursue their own interests. Our classroom library reflects this belief. We have graphic novels, everything Star Wars, and a basket of bug books for our budding entomologists.

We teach a diverse class of 25 learners.

The majority of our students are first-generation Brooklynites. They are eager to devour a variety of books that reflect their unique interests and life experiences. Some of our students have IEPs for special learning needs. We have a handful of newcomers who are just learning English. And most of our students are English Language Learners. All of our students are bilingual, and they read in both Spanish and English in order to preserve their home language and attain maximum literacy in both.

My Project

Do you remember the first time you really "got into" a series? For me it was the Hardy Boys (no, not Nancy Drew). I wanted to read every Hardy Boys book under the sun. Though formulaic, Frank and Joe's adventures kept me going back to the library for new titles. My heart raced for every "special edition" or "rare" title I could get my hands on. That is how my students feel about their favorite series. They are nuts about Geronimo Stilton's corny cheese puns, and will read anything that says Wimpy Kid on the cover. They love the Weird But True series of fact books from National Geographic Kids, and like to challenge each other to identify the Myths in the myth series. Every day (and night) they follow their favorite characters through serialized adventures, unwittingly picking up the habits of strong and committed readers along the way. These books will help my students get deeper into the series that they are most enjoying, and will also introduce them to some new favorites.

There is nothing better than being able to lead children to books they will love, particularly a series numbered from 1 to infinity!

The predictable plot and familiar characters of series books have been shown to help young readers make sense of story. Reading through a series is a huge help to language learners, who benefit from continuity as they encounter new words. Taking on the identity of a confident reader is easy when you can say you've read ALL OF your favorite series!