Running head: ACTIVITY #7 1

Activity #7 – Research findings

Diego A. Gutierrez

ID # 1068722

Maria-Cristina Cruz-Wiley, Ed. D.

University of St. Thomas

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Activity #7 – Research Findings

Literacy in Spanish and literacy in English has been found to have some

similarities and some differences, but also how they both work hand in hand to help

students become biliterate. The literacies of these two languages have been researched

by many, and many things have been found that help one or the other.

In bilingual education the languages were always used separate. Students were

taught in Spanish if they dominated Spanish and in English if they dominated English. It

was not until recent years that it was found that both languages could be used

simultaneously to help students become biliterate (Escamilla et al., 2010). According to

Escamilla et al. (2010), the students’ knowledge in their first language can be applied in

the second language acquisition. The knowledge and skills transfer across the

languages. For example, when a student already knows how to read in Spanish, the

student can apply the knowledge of reading into English.

According to Freeman and Freeman (2006), as cited by Beeman and Urow

(2012), students who are literate in their native tongue can easily catch up to their

English speaking peers, but students that do not reach literacy in their first language,

they tend to fall behind, therefore showing that learning literacy early on can be

beneficial when learning literacy in a second language.

Learning the two languages simultaneously has shown that the students are

more successful than bilingual learners who do not have the chance to learn biliteracy

(Beeman and Urow, 2012). Again, becoming literate in either one of the languages, it

aides in becoming literate in a second language.

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References

Beeman, K., & Urow, C. (2012). Teaching for Biliteracy: Strengthening Bridges Between

Languages. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.

Escamilla, K. (2010). Transitions to Biliteracy: Literacy Squared (Final Technical

Report). Boulder, CO: Author