Biliterate Writing From the Start: The Literacy Squared Approach to Asset-Based Writing Instruction

Developed by highly respected experts through nearly two decades of research, this book shows bilingual educators how to use the Literacy Squared model to design effective writing instruction that places Spanish and English side by side. Focusing on emerging bilinguals in Grades K–5, this research-based guide supports educators through every step of planning and implementing biliterate writing instruction and monitoring student progress. Educators will learn proven strategies for teaching writing in tandem with other language arts skills, and they’ll get an invaluable Literacy Squared Writing Rubric to help them assess children’s developing writing in both Spanish and English.

A must for teachers, administrators, and leadership teams, this book prepares readers to deliver high-quality bilingual writing instruction—starting from the earliest years of school.

BILINGUAL EDUCATORS WILL:

• Discover how an asset-based approach to biliterate writing helps students’ skills flourish in both languages
• Make cross-language connections to help students connect what they know in one language with what they’re learning in another
• Learn how and why explicit teaching of oracy enhances writing development in both Spanish and English
• Learn about a highly effective strategy for helping students develop cross-language metalinguistic awareness
• Get practical, grade-specific guidance for nurturing biliterate writing in kindergarten, Grades 1–2, and Grades 3–5
• Link writing standards to Social Justice Standards to help students problem solve, think critically, and advocate for positive change

PRACTICAL MATERIALS: In each chapter, Key Terms, Guiding Questions, and Reflection and Action Questions help readers retain important points and put their new knowledge into practice. Educators will also get sample biliteracy units, student work examples, and lessons from real classrooms to guide their writing instruction.

See more from the same authors: Biliteracy from the Start

Sandra Butvilofsky, Ph.D., Biliteracy Instructional Coach at Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer, Boulder Valley School District received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity at the University of Colorado Boulder with a specialization in biliteracy. Her work in Literacy Squared involved assisting in program development, conducting research, and providing professional development to bilingual teachers and administrators. Dr. Butvilofsky has also been the Deputy Director of the BUENO Center, Assistant Research Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Associate Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. Her research interests include examining the biliterate writing and reading development of Latinx bilingual learners from preschool through fifth grade to demonstrate the potential of bilingual/biliteracy education. Her work has been published in peer reviewed journals and edited books. She is co-author of the book Biliteracy from the Start: Literacy Squared in Action. Her elementary teaching experience includes 5 years as a bilingual classroom teacher and 5 years as a trained Descubriendo la Lectura®/Reading Recovery® teacher.

Kathy Escamilla, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus of Education in the Division of Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Dr. Escamilla’s research focuses on issues related to the development of bilingualism and biliteracy for emerging bilingual children in US schools. She is a co-founder of Literacy Squared, a program dedicated to creating biliterate pedagogies with and for Spanish-speaking children and their teachers. She is a lifelong bilingual educator and has been a teacher, administrator, and professor in her 50+ years in public education.

Susan Hopewell, Ph.D. co-author of Biliteracy from the Start, Literacy Squared in Action and Associate Professor of Equity Bilingualism and Biliteracy at the University of Colorado Boulder, has spent her entire career working with, and learning from, bilingual learners. As the current director of Literacy Squared, Dr. Hopewell provides extensive professional development to schools around the United States to help them better design effective biliteracy instruction.