Sofia Monzon

Bi-Literacy Strategies for Second Language Learners

Dr. Gomez, Summer 2014, UST

Project # 3: Transfer Activity
The theory there are many transferable literacy skills from the students native language
to the second language is basically supported by the Common Underlying Proficiency Model
(CUP) (Cummins, 1981). The basic concept of the CUP model lies in the fact that many skills
are common or interdependent across languages. In other words, the skill or concept learned in
one language, transfers to another language, when the requisite vocabulary is acquired
(Balaban, 2010).
The literacy skills that are transferable from the native language (L1) to the second
language (L2) are:
directionality
sequencing
ability to distinguish shapes and sounds
knowledge that written symbols correspond to sounds and can be decoded in order and
direction
activation of semantic and syntactic knowledge
knowledge of text structure
learning to use cues to predict meaning
awareness of the variety of purposes for reading and writing, and
confidence in oneself as reader and writer (Roberts, 1994)
Based on this information, the following transfer activity was created to facilitate the
transfer of the literacy skills from L1 to L2.
Sofia Monzon
Bi-Literacy Strategies for Second Language Learners
Dr. Gomez, Summer 2014, UST

Activity: Identifying the Problem and Solution in a Fable (Story Elements)
Grade level: First grade
Transferable literacy skills from L1 to L2: Knowledge of text structure and morphologic
awareness
TEKS: 110.12.B.9.A: Describe the plot (problem and solution) and retell the storys beginning,
middle, and end with attention to the sequence of events.

By the time this transfer skills activity is being completed, students must have already
learned and mastered the concepts and definitions of the parts of the story or story elements in a
fable.
The teacher will begin by rereading the fable The Ant and the Grasshopper with the
students. As a whole group and using an enlarged graphic organizer, the students will analyze the
different parts of the story. After that, the teacher will ask the students to independently read
another fable (The Tortoise and the Hare, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, etc.). After, the teacher will
call the students to gather as whole group again and will begin the bridging activity, where the
literacy skill of text structure will be used to connect the vocabulary and concept from L1 to
L2.
The teacher will have a graphic organizer labeled with the story elements in Spanish. The
teacher will introduce the English equivalent vocabulary to the elements in Spanish (escenario =
setting, personajes = characters, problema = problem, solucin = solution, outcome =
resultado). The teacher will place the labels in English underneath the labels in Spanish. After
the vocabulary words are placed, the teacher will initiate a brief analysis of the words, focusing
Sofia Monzon
Bi-Literacy Strategies for Second Language Learners
Dr. Gomez, Summer 2014, UST
on the similarities and differences between the versions in Spanish and in English. The teacher
will emphasize how the words setting, characters, and outcome dont share any spelling patters
or phonological resemblance with the words in Spanish. On the other hand, the words problem
and solution in English are cognates from the words in Spanish. The teacher will ask students to
place the words that are cognates in the Cognate wall in the classroom, while the ones that are
not cognates will be placed in the New Important Words wall. Finally, the teacher will place
the graphic organizer with the vocabulary in both, English and Spanish on the Bridging Wall
for the students to refer to it during the instructional time (this wall can be either in the L1 or in
the L2 instructional classroom).





Sofia Monzon
Bi-Literacy Strategies for Second Language Learners
Dr. Gomez, Summer 2014, UST


References
All About Adolescent Literacy. (2014). Classroom Strategies, Text Structure. Retrieved from
http://www.adlit.org/strategies/23336/
Balaban, C. B. (2010, October 22). L1 & L2 Acquisition. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/mindependent/l1-l2
Beeman, K., Urow, C. (2012). Teaching for Biliteracy: Strengthening Bridges between
Languages. Retrieved from
http://www.carla.umn.edu/conferences/past/immersion2012/handouts/UrowBeeman_Bilit
eracyDevelopmentDualLangEd_ImmConfOct2012.pdf
Roberts, C. (1994). Transferring literacy skills from L1 to L2: from theory to practice. The
Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students. v13 p. 209-221, Spring
1994.
Texas Education Agency, (2013). Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Grade 1. Retrieved
from file:///C:/Users/Sofia/Downloads/Grade1_TEKS_0813%20(6).pdf