Learning Languages

Bridging the Language Gap Using Bilingual Picture Books


WhiteSmoke's Dictionary

There are more than 39 million Hispanics live in the United States making it the fifth largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world. It is estimated that within five years, only Mexico will have more Spanish-speakers than the U.S. Schools are offering bilingual courses and fully integrated bilingual curriculum. In some areas of the country , Spanish even exceeds English as the first language of the residents. Families are integrating languages into their neighborhoods regularly.

We propose bridging the language gap with bilingual picture books that both educate and entertain. The presence of both English and Spanish in the same book allows cross-cultural access and language development. Reading is a wonderful family experience which allows children to explore character development, expanding imagination and develop problem solving skills. The addition of another language educates and the illustrations in a picture book support the learning in an entertaining way.

Raven Tree Press offer bilingual books in a variety of styles and choices.

Full text translation-Full text translation means the text of the story is presented in English and then again in Spanish. Both texts are generally placed on the page with an icon separating the two for ease of reading. A different ink color is also generally used to further offset the two languages.

Embedded text-Take a story in English and sprinkle in a little Spanish. We call it embedded text. The word that will be embedded is usually first introduced in English and then reiterated in the sentence, or at least in the same paragraph in Spanish later. Once the word is introduced, it can be used again and again in context of the story. The context of the story and the illustrations are of utmost importance when using embedded text as they aid in making the leap from one language to another.

Wordless-Can a wordless book be effective in learning language? Definitely! Wordless picture books and picture books with limited words are both beautiful and educational. They help children develop language, creative thinking and enhance future reading and writing skills. Using wordless picture books, children learn that reading follows a left-to-right pattern. They learn that stories generally have a beginning, a middle section and an ending. They also learn to identify details, see cause and effect, make judgements and draw conclusions. We present an instruction page in both English and Spanish for creative uses of our books.

Concept Bilingual-In concept bilingual books, we take one concept of language and focus strictly on that. Counting, for example. The story is presented in English, but the concept (numbers in this case) are presented in both English and Spanish. Keywords are easily learned using this format.

Raven Tree Press includes an English/Spanish vocabulary page to help readers with keywords in either language.

Raven Tree Press children's bilingual picture books are available at favorite bookstores, online booksellers and at the publisher's web site www.raventreepress.com.

Publisher Note: Book excerpts and artwork can be imbedded in this article easily to clarify points if interested. Please contact me for further details.

Raven Tree Press is an independent book publisher specializing in bilingual picture books in English and Spanish.

Contact: Raven Tree Press
Dawn Jeffers, Publisher
www.raventreepress.com
dawn@raventreepress.com
920-438-1605 phone
920-438-1607 fax



Learn French
a free trial copy of a French Language Course.
Learn German
a free introduction to the easiest to follow system for learning how to speak German.
Ads by Novtec

MORE RESOURCES:
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- There are many variables to consider before choosing a language learning program —including your educational goals, the types of features offered, the ...

  Espanol. Francaise. Deutsch. There are more than 6,000 languages in the world, and while many of these are not commonly taught and aren't spoken in most countries, students can reap a variety of benefits, both academic and personal, from studying any foreign language. High school can be one of the very best times to learn a language. There are few other periods in life when you'll have as many ...

MONTEREY, Calif., Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to federal government foreign language mandates for limited English proficient (LEP) populations and the need stressed by President Obama to ...

Language Services Associates , a global language service provider offering a full suite of translation, localization and interpretation solutions, announced today it has been named a finalist in the sixth annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Foreign language department head calls new policy ‘unfortunate’ The English department has changed its foreign language requirements for undergraduate majors for the Fall 2012 catalog. Prior to the change, English majors were required to study four semesters of a foreign language or three semesters of a foreign language and one semester of Latin or Old [...]

The world language program is flourishing in the Cave Creek Unified School District, but funding remains a challenge

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

MOORHEAD - A shortage of sign language interpreters in the region has officials from a local college taking matters into their own hands.

THURSDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Lower IQs and problems with visual-motor and language skills are common among children who survive an arterial ischemic stroke, according to a new study.

Swansea University’s latest Welsh Language Scheme has been approved by The Welsh Language Board. The Scheme outlines how the University will ensure the Welsh language is treated equally to English, as well as steps it will take to promote and encourage the use of Welsh among students, staff, and the public.  The University is required



home | site map | site map
© 2007-2010