There’s No One Way to Be Bilingual: Knowing Students’ Language Practices

Engaging in discussions of texts featuring diverse expressions of bilingualism is important at the elementary level to move away from historical conceptions of bilingualism focused on language proficiency and instead embrace a translanguaging view focused on linguistic practices. To successfully engage in these conversations, understanding bilingualism’s complexities is important. To choose books that reflect students, it is also key to learn more about their language practices, as they are often more complex than what home language surveys may capture. To these ends, the authors present ways to supplement home language surveys and engage students in text discussions about bilingualism (including providing book recommendations and potential discussion questions).