My students need class sets of 2 captivating Spanish language biographies, such as "Quien fue Sacagawea," to read during our Spanish language arts and socials studies block.
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
Hola! By the time my 5th/6th grade dual language students reach my class, Spanish is lame and English is king. According to research, dual language students achieve more when they read fluently in their first language. Help me make Spanish cool again with captivating books.
My Latino students mostly speak Spanish at home and their parents send them to our dual language program with the hope their children will become bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural.
In addition to the challenges of learning two languages, 77.5% come from families with low income. Although we are a dual language school, our books are almost exclusively in English. Last year, in need of Spanish materials, I used my own money to purchase 6 copies of Quien fue Sacagawea. As 26 students huddled around 6 copies, they became engrossed in Sacajawea's journey. Each night, students begged to borrow the book, often returning it after reading the whole thing in one night! To capitalize on this enthusiasm, I rushed to the public library for more Spanish books about Sacajawea. There were none. Although my students devoured the 30 English books I checked out, I was left with the same problem: once I ignite my students' interest in a historical topic, I can't find the Spanish materials they need.
My Project
This year, after igniting interest in history, I want to feed my students' excitement with books in their native language, thereby strengthening their literacy in both languages. I am requesting a class set of Quien fue Sacagawea (5th grade) and Quien fue el Rey Tut (6th grade). Lessons surrounding these books will be based on frameworks that have proven to be especially helpful for bilingual students (The Comprehension Toolkit and Partner Reading Content 2). The culmination of this unit will be a research project which may take the form of a poster, brochure, play, graphic novel, or other medium. My students will strengthen their Spanish literacy, gain knowledge of historical figures, delve into research, and learn how to present their findings.
As a teacher, my strength is inspiring a love of reading and history in my students.
Getting my students to love English reading is easy. Help me fuel a love of Spanish literacy with these page-turners. Although my students come from low income families, their bilingualism will lead to greater cognitive abilities, college scholarships, great jobs, and lasting family bonds. Please give my students the books they need to love their native language!
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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