Highline students in Vietnamese Dual Language classrooms are learning that Vietnamese and English can work together and that their language, culture and identity are part of their education.
This is Highline’s Bilingual and Biliterate goal in action: helping students build multilingual and multicultural skills for school, work and life. Highline educators shared this work Saturday, May 2, at the Vietnamese Dual Language Conference in Anaheim, California.
Sharing Highline’s Work Nationally
White Center Heights educators Cô Anh Kjelland and Cô Vy Bui joined Highline Dual Language Elementary Specialist Delila Leber to share work happening in Highline classrooms. Their session "Teaching for Transfer: Bilingualism and Biliteracy in K-2 Vietnamese Dual Language Classrooms,” focused on how young students can use what they know in one language to strengthen learning in another.
Their session filled the room. Silvia Dorta Duque de Reyes, an author whose work helped shape their lesson, attended and praised the presentation. The team shared a first-grade lesson from the new Vietnamese American Experience Model Curriculum. They adapted it for Highline classrooms and tried parts of the lesson with first graders before the conference.
The team shared a first-grade lesson about Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, that they adapted and tried with Highline students. The lesson asked students to explore the meaning of Tết and symbols connected to the celebration, including lanterns.
Connecting Vietnamese and English
The lesson asked students to compare the phrase red lantern in English with lồng đèn đỏ in Vietnamese. They noticed that English usually puts the describing word first, while Vietnamese often puts it after the noun.
They also talked about how words show more than one. In English, students may add -s or -es, as in lanterns. In Vietnamese, the noun often stays the same, and other words show there is more than one.
These comparisons help students see how both languages work. They are building the skills to read, write, speak and think in two languages.
Teachers support this learning with picture charts, songs, word cards, partner talk and bilingual classroom charts. These tools help students practice new words, explain their thinking and make connections between Vietnamese and English.
Seeing Language and Culture as Strengths
Highline has helped lead this work. We started the first elementary Vietnamese Dual Language program in the country. Today, our educators continue to learn from other programs and share Highline’s work with schools across the country.
Vietnamese Dual Language helps students grow strong in Vietnamese and English. It also helps them see their language, culture and identity as strengths in school.
Thank you to Cô Anh, Cô Vy, Delila and the full Vietnamese Dual Language team for helping students learn, grow and stay connected to who they are.