Bilingual Glossary

All the words used by or known by a child or adult. Oral vocabulary refers to words used in speaking or recognized in listening. Reading vocabulary refers to words recognized or used in print.

provides integrated language and academic instruction for native English speakers and native speakers of another language with the goals of high academic achievement, first and second language proficiency, and cross-cultural understanding.  Teachers are licensed with bilingual endorsement or fluent as determined by a proficiency test.

“Interpreter” and “translator” are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings.  A translator conveys information in the written form.  An interpreter conveys information from one language to another orally (Weber, 1990). 

his program uses the student’s L1 for instruction.  The program maintains and develops skills in the primary language and culture while introducing, maintaining, and developing English skills.  The primary purpose of a TBE program is to facilitate the ELL’s transition to an all English program.

Instruction that provides opportunities for students to develop language and conceptual understanding by physically doing an activity or engaging in the concept being taught. 

Speech characterized by the use of a few content words without functional words or certain grammatical markers, as in telegraphs.

Teacher training programs for teachers of ELLs. 

The international professional organization for educators and administrators concerned with teaching English as a second or foreign language. 

The language that the learner is trying to acquire.

The act of calling attention to oneself to participate or show one’s knowledge; being the main speaker in a group.

The ordering of and relationship between the words and other structural elements in phrases and sentences.

The process of learning a second language after the first language has already been learned or after basic mastery in that first language has been achieved.

Learning a second language at the expense of the first or native language. 

A submersion program places ELLs in a regular English-only program with little or no support services on the theory that they will pick up English naturally.

The goal of this program is acquisition of English language skills so that the ELLs can succeed in an English-only mainstream classroom.  All instruction in an immersion program is in English.