August 28, 2025
Thursday Edition
Empowering Dual Language Immersion educators with best practices, relevant research, classroom tips, and fun ideas that will inspire you into, through and beyond your teaching week.
Our Craft
As is tradition, we begin the new school year focused on our North Star: The Pillars of Dual Language Immersion Education: Bilingualism & Biliteracy across content areas, Academic Proficiency in Two Languages and Sociocultural Competence, all supported by Critical Consciousness to ensure that all students belong.
I would add that, in the DLI context, not all students come to class motivated to learn in two languages, but they all want to belong. That is why we begin the year with Sociocultural Competence.
Sociocultural competence refers to the ability to effectively interact and communicate with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, understanding their norms, values, and perspectives
The school year begins with the intentional process of getting to know your students, your students getting to know each other and you, their teacher. The development of an inclusive classroom community where everyone belongs begins on day one and continues all year long. It's the key to ensuring that students can have an optimal learning environment while learning and engaging in a new language and continuing to develop language skills across two languages.
How to Build a Strong Foundation for the Year
The article highlighted above gives several ideas on how to foster a sense of belonging in your classroom and below check out this week strategy spotlight that pertains to DLI.
Creating a Bilingual Identity
Our students didn't pick the program
It's important to remember that our DLI students didn't choose to learn in two languages, their parents/guardians made that choice for them. For this reason, not all students go to school each day motivated to learn in two languages.
One way to begin to develop a strong sense of belonging is to engage students in a discussion about being biliterate/bilingual from the start of the school year. It's important that students understand that they are in a specialized program where everyone is working towards their bilingual/biliterate
In TK/Kindergarten it can begin with a mini-lesson on what the word bilingual means. You can do this in either language (Remember there is no need to do this activity in both languages. Once you've engaged students in a discussion around the word 'bilingüe' you can later engage students in cross-linguistic analysis of bilingüe and bilingual.)
For grades, 1st and up, you can invite students to share what it means to be bilingual. For students who have been in the program one or two years, they are beginning the year with experience being a bilingual student. Students can write one idea per sticky note and create a chart. Share and discuss students' answers. Don't forget to share your own ideas. We connect with students when we share our stories.
You can also invite students to reflect on their proficiency in either language. Here's a Spanish example. Using sticky notes, or engaging students in a discussion and capturing their answers on an anchor chart on their perspective of how they feel when they engage in Spanish.
You can also engage students in comparing and contrasting how they feel using each of their instructional languages? Capture their thoughts at the beginning of the year, middle and end of the year. It's powerful to show them at the end of the year how their perspectives might have changed.
These ideas help students develop a positive bilingual identity. The charts can stay up all year long and can serve as a reminder that the DLI classroom is a special place where they are becoming bilingual/biliterate. Don't forget to celebrate as they travel along their bilingual journey.
Interactive Read Alouds
Interactive Read Alouds provide an opportunity for both
oral language and vocabulary development.
We're excited to announce that, Tío Ricky Doesn't Speak English, by Maritere R. Bellas is available for pre-order. This story is a great story that demonstrates the power of being bilingual.
Maritere is also available to do an author's visit!
For information on how to bring her to your school you can contact Maritere at mrbellas@gmail.com
Tío Ricky Doesn't Speak English/no habla inglés
Pre-Order @ Bookshop
Meet Enrique, a bilingual boy who finds speaking Spanish a chore...until he discovers it's the superpower he needs to save his uncle--and the day!
- -Bookshop
Also by Maritere: I Have a Secret! ¡Tengo un secreto!
Available Now @ Bookshop
The book provides a fun, clever way to instill the love of language and addresses the concept of friendship and cultural pride. --Bookshop
Latinx Kidlit Book Festival
Fostering a love of story and contuining to uplift Latinx kidlit authors, the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival is back. Click HERE for the 2025 schedule and HERE for the Festival-at-a glance
DLI Resources
Classroom
Free Spanish Printables
Carson Dellosa Free Spanish Printables
Back to School Night
Infographic
Benefits of Multilingualism
Beneficios del multibilingüismo
Videos
Is Being Bilingual Good For the Brain? YOUTUBE
The Benefits of the Bilingual Brain YOUTUBE
Upcoming Conferences & DLI PD
Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE) - Allen,Texas - October 22-25, 2025
Learn more HERE
Washington Association for Bilingual Education (WABE) - Tacoma, WA - October 24-25, 2025
Learn more HERE
La Cosecha Dual Language Conference - Alburquerque New Mexico - November 11-15, 2025
Learn more HERE.
Call for proposals for Association of Two-Way and Dual Language Educators (ATDLE) - Sand Diego, CA June 17-19, 2026 Learn more HERE
Directory of Dual Language Programs in the U.S.
Dual Language Schools.org counts 4894 Dual Language programs across the United States. There are more programs than are listed. Check the link above to see if your school is on the list.
¡Viva ser bilingüe! Newsletter is published by Multilingual Learning Network.
**All products linked are independently selected and curated by the Viva ser bilingüe team. We may receive a commission on links. We are an affiliate of Bookshop and Amazon. We earn commission at no additional cost to you. Bookshop.org donates a portion of book sales to independent bookstores.
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