Sunday, January 31, 2016

Presidents' Day in Your Bilingual Classroom

I don't think it is possible to try and fit any more in the month of February:  Groundhog Day, Black History Month, Valentine's Day, AND Presidents' Day!

Well, I thought that I would share some resources that I use for my bilingual second grade classroom for Presidents' Day and ask if you had any resources that you would share with other bilingual teachers.


When planning out my Presidents' Day unit, I started with the books.  I have a lot of bilingual books that I share with my students, focusing on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  You can click on any book or title to learn more about the books:


Primeras biografías - George Washington is one of my favorites to start off with.  Bellota books are so nice because they are easy to understand and that helps develop background knowledge before we move on in a topic.


I  like Personajes Estadounidenses - George Washington because it asks questions that a primary student would ask the president if given the chance.  Like, what would it be like to be George's friend?


I love that these books are out in Spanish now!  ¿Quién fue George Washington? is a chapter book all about George Washington.  These books were only available in English for the longest time and now they are making them in Spanish and that is awesome!  My advanced readers love these books - as soon as I put this one out, they all want it!


We usually move on to Abraham Lincoln after President Washington and I start it the same way:  Primeras biografías - Abraham Lincoln.  I love that both of these books follow the same format; it makes it super easy for the kids to use the texts to compare and contrast the two presidents.


This Scholastic Primeras biografías de Abraham Lincoln is perfect for my second graders. Sometimes you can find it through Club Leo (Scholastic's Spanish Book Club) or through Amazon.  I know that the first grade bilingual team liked it so much they purchased enough copies for partner reading in their classrooms.


There is a ¿Quién fue..?  book about Abraham Lincoln as well!  Like I said, I have loved these books in English for years, I am so thrilled to show my students the Spanish version this year!  They are great for finding information or just for enjoyment!

I also try to incorporate some Brain Pop Español in my classroom right about now. There is a great video that ties George Washington and the War of Independence together:


I will be tying all of our readings and movies together with some graphic organizers and a writing project at the end of the unit.  I am going to let my students choose who they write about.

I love how these turn out!  They are a part of these packs in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store:



I would love to know if you have any other book or movie ideas that you use in your bilingual classroom!  I am always looking for new ideas!


8 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your awesome ideas and for participating in our collaborative linky. :)
    Nicole and Eliceo

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  2. These are great texts to help students learn about these important presidents. Very valuable for language learners! Thank you for sharing!

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