Bilingual resources are essential to every dual-language or bilingual teacher. Most likely, you have a set of resources that help you plan your lessons, find standards, and even help with a classroom set up.

Those resources help you with classroom management, improving your professional career, and emotional care.

However, finding bilingual resources in English and Spanish can sometimes be challenging – more like finding a needle in a haystack.

What are handy tips that can help you get the most of the bilingual resources?

Bilingual Resources Practical Guide

A practical guide in bilingual resources is what you might need to help you navigate through the chaos. While there is so much information, most of the resources you find are not bilingual.

The bilingual resources practical guide enables you to sort out valuable information by topic. 

Table of Contents:

• Bilingual Resources in Science
• Best of Bilingual Language and Reading
• Bilingual Resources in Math
• Best of Bilingual Teaching Techniques

Bilingual Resources in Science

Science might not be a precise bilingual topic that needs English and Spanish text, but you might consider science literacy. As a result, there is much informational text in science that might be in one language but not another.

That discrepancy makes it challenging to teach life cycles, animals, and even habitats. 

The How to Grow a Lima Bean science experiment is a favorite blog post. You get clear, concise instructions to start to grow a Lima bean seed.

• Including with the post, you learn how to set up an experiment, ask relevant questions, and a video to help you through the process.
• Second, you could also add bilingual reading to the lesson with the Life Cycle of a Flower printable to reinforce seed germination.
• Along with this hands-on activity, you can include the free life cycle of a plant printables. 

Other bilingual resources in science include the Community Resources for Science, PBS Learning Media, and the Smithsonian Latino Center.

The Community Resources for Science and the Smithsonian Latino Center have excellent lists of resources for bilingual teachers. 

Best of Bilingual Language and Reading

Of course, the majority of bilingual resources might consist of language and reading sources. These areas of learning are vital to the language development of ELL and dual-language learners.

As young as toddlers, you can start teaching a few words in Spanish and English. The Teaching Toddlers a Second Language post is an introductory article to get you started with Spanish.

Whether you need a few ideas or a comprehensive list, the post can give handy tips to begin your journey in Spanish for toddlers. Preschool is an excellent time for exploring and learning.

For example, introducing rhyming and songs are fun ways to add literacy and reading skills.

• The 5 Easy Fun Spanish Rhymes and Lyrics for Preschoolers is one of the top blog posts that include English and Spanish translations of traditional nursery rhymes.
• You can find bilingual versions of
  • Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed;
  • Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary;
  • One, Two, Buckle My Shoe;
  • Mary Had a Little Lamb; and
  • Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

• Another popular nursery rhymes blog post is 7 Fun Spanish Nursery Rhymes and Lyrics for Preschoolers.
• Have fun singing and rhyming with
  • Five Little Speckled Frogs,
  • Humpty Dumpty,
  • Little Miss Muffet,
  • Hickory Dickory Dock,
  • Jack and Jill,
  • There was an Old Woman, and
  • Hey, Diddle, Diddle.
• These nursery rhymes are available for free in English and Spanish.

Bilingual Literacy Skills

Along with fun rhyming, you can integrate Spanish sight words or bilingual terms. If your preschooler is ready to start reading in English and Spanish, combining sight words in both languages can be worthwhile.

As preschoolers graduate to kindergartners, learning Spanish or bilingual sight words would boost reading skills. Aside from increasing reading skills, learning sight words helps children with language, vocabulary, and phonetics.

Meanwhile, you can use the free sight word tracking sheets or the bilingual ebooks. Then, combine the learning experience with Spanish sight word mini-books that includes reading comprehension activities and writing practice. 

Learning basic Spanish does not have to limit to reading. You can also use simple bilingual terms like farm animals, days of the week, months, seasons, or classroom objects.

First of all, The Days of the Week in Spanish blog post is a great way to learn basic words. Also, use the free writing printable for additional practice.

In addition, The Spanish Classroom Objects blog post uses various learning printables to help students learn prepositions and vocabulary.

Finally, other bilingual resources for reading and literacy include visiting your local library for bilingual story times or your local bookstore. 

Bilingual Resources in Math

Bilingual resources in math are few. Preschoolers and young learners might need simple math concepts like learning shapes, number identification, and number sense to start.

In contrast, as they get older and math concepts more challenging, bilingual math skills also become more intricate. While numbers are the essential components of learning mathematics, language skills play a crucial role in mastering other math concepts.

Furthermore, bilingual learners view math differently from monolinguals, but they also use language differently to solve math.

Teaching methods in scaffolding, hands-on experiences, and virtual simulations are great ways to support bilingual math learners. Take a look at the Bilingual Math Skills for Language Learners to read the science behind bilingual brains. 

• Other bilingual resources to support bilingual learners are the Building Capacity RTI, MathAmigos, and your local library databases.
• The Building Capacity RTI provides a comprehensive list for a response-to-intervention program of Spanish-speaking students.
• The MathAmigos site has plenty of bilingual resources for teachers and parents about geometry, math stories, and games. 

Best of Bilingual Teaching Techniques

Bilingual teaching techniques are necessary tools that you might need to develop practical learning activities. From deciding the best curriculum to lesson planning, you need time to select your students’ best resources.

If you are unsure where to begin, you might want to start with the Preschool Curriculum Themes for Spanish Classrooms blog post. This popular post gives you a quick guide to all the possible fun themes you can use in the bilingual classroom.

Ideally, you want to use themes as part of long-term learning lessons. That is, you can amplify themes by letters and numbers, nursery rhymes, seasons, science, and holidays and history.

After all, you can also use games, informational text, technology, and read-aloud videos to add variety to your lessons. 

• While a comprehensive curriculum supports you in selecting the best bilingual resources, the first year bilingual teachers may get overwhelmed with so much information.
• Nevertheless, you might have to figure out lesson planning, activities, meetings, and endless other tasks.
• So, do not feel overburden by teaching duties.
• Take a look at the Bilingual Teachers First Year Tips post to help you overcome anxiety, plan as much as you can, and connect with other teachers through professional networks.
• For instance, your mornings convey the right tone for the rest of the day.
• The Run Effective Bilingual Morning Preschool Routines can help you map out your mornings for fewer headaches and regain your sanity. 

Bilingual Visual Aids

As teachers, you never stop learning and teaching. One of the best bilingual resources to use in your classrooms is graphic organizers, concept maps, or anchor charts.

Indeed, these resources help your bilingual students with organizing ideas, writing, and boosting studying habits. Although an excellent learning tool for older students, using interactive notebooks can also help students grasp concepts, building studying methods, and learning.

That is, consider the Grading Interactive Notebook Rubrics and other blog posts for tips to simplify your teaching life. Interactive notebooks require plenty of planning, organization, and monitoring.

So, make sure implementing a new teaching technique like interactive notebooks are a good fit for your classroom. 

Additionally, other instructional strategies and tips for bilingual teachers include the NAEYC Dual Language Learners page as well as your professional development workshops from your school district. 

In conclusion, bilingual resources for teachers and parents can vary from topic to topic. However, you can still find useful resources about science, language and reading, math, and teaching techniques.

These valuable resources support you with organization, planning, and assessments.