Bilingual Dictionaries and Personal Glossaries
Bilingual dictionaries and personal glossaries are a vocabulary strategy in which emergent bilingual (EB) students build and maintain an ongoing, student-owned record of key academic and content words. For each word, students typically capture the term, a home-language equivalent or definition, a student-friendly English definition in their own words, an example sentence or use, and often a picture, symbol, or cognate note. A bilingual dictionary (print, online, or app-based) serves as the reference tool, while the personal glossary is the curated, accumulating artifact the student creates and returns to across a unit or year. The strategy is grounded in deliberate, repeated word study and in the understanding that a student's first language is a cognitive resource that supports, rather than competes with, English vocabulary growth.
How it’s typically applied
- 1Select a manageable set of high-utility academic and content-specific words from the upcoming text or unit (general academic Tier 2 words and domain-specific Tier 3 words), and decide which words each EB student will add to a glossary.
- 2Set up a consistent glossary structure (notebook section, binder, index cards, or a shared digital doc) with the same template each time: word, home-language equivalent or definition, English definition in the student's own words, example sentence or use, and a picture/symbol or cognate flag.
- 3Model the process explicitly: introduce a word with a clear description and example, think aloud as you record an entry, and show how to consult a reliable bilingual dictionary or app rather than copy a literal one-word translation.
- 4Teach students to look for and mark cognates (for example, observe/observar, gravity/gravedad) and to flag common false cognates (for example, embarrassed/embarazada), so the home language is used strategically and accurately.
- 5Have students restate each definition in their own words and add a personal example, then turn and talk to compare entries with a partner, reinforcing meaning through speaking and discussion.
- 6Revisit glossaries across the unit for repeated, multimodal exposure: quick reviews, word sorts and games, adding new examples, and using entries during listening, reading, speaking, and writing tasks so words move from form toward deep meaning and use.
- 7Let students use the glossary as a scaffold during reading and writing, and (where appropriate) on assessments, while periodically conferring with students to check entries for accuracy and growth and to plan next steps.
Why it works for emergent bilingual students
This strategy treats a student's home language as an asset and a cognitive bridge rather than a gap to overcome. Cummins' linguistic interdependence hypothesis holds that concepts and academic language developed in the first language transfer to the second, so a home-language definition or a recognized cognate gives EB students a direct route into English meaning instead of forcing them to start from zero. Cross-linguistic cognate awareness is especially powerful for Spanish speakers, because roughly 30 to 40 percent of English words have a related Spanish word, and much of the academic vocabulary in mathematics, science, and social studies has Spanish cognates. Because vocabulary knowledge is a strong predictor of reading comprehension and academic success for English learners, a student-owned, accumulating glossary supplies the deliberate, repeated, multimodal exposure research shows EB students benefit from, while honoring their bilingualism as a strength.
Adapting it across proficiency levels
Pre-Production
At Pre-Production, lean heavily on the home language and visuals. Provide pre-made bilingual word-and-picture cards or a partially completed glossary; students point to, match, draw, or copy the image and the home-language label, and can name or say the word in their first language. Accept nonverbal and first-language responses; the English column may be a labeled picture rather than a written definition.
Beginning
At Beginning, students copy or select the English word, add the home-language equivalent (using a bilingual dictionary or peer), and attach a picture plus a short phrase or sentence frame (for example, 'A ___ is a ___'). They begin flagging obvious cognates and saying the word aloud with a partner. Provide heavy scaffolding: word banks, models, and partner support.
Intermediate
At Intermediate, students consult bilingual dictionaries more independently, write the English definition largely in their own words, generate their own example sentences, and consistently mark cognates and a few false cognates. They begin self-selecting some words to add and use the glossary as a reference during speaking and writing.
High Intermediate / Advanced
At High Intermediate and Advanced, students maintain glossaries independently, write precise English definitions, distinguish nuances and multiple meanings, note morphology and word families, analyze cognate relationships and false cognates, and use the glossary to support academic writing and discussion. They increasingly draw on monolingual learner dictionaries while still leveraging the home language strategically.
In the classroom
In a 7th-grade science unit on cells, the teacher selects eight key terms (nucleus, membrane, organism, absorb, and others). Each student keeps a bilingual science glossary. For nucleus, a newcomer Spanish speaker writes 'núcleo,' notices the cognate and stars it, draws a labeled cell, and uses the frame 'The nucleus is the center of the cell.' An Intermediate student writes her own definition, adds 'controls what the cell does,' and notes the cognate plus the word family (nuclear). During the lab, students consult their glossaries to write conclusions, and a partner turn-and-talk asks them to use three glossary words aloud, giving repeated, meaningful exposure across speaking, reading, and writing.
Research basis
Concepts and academic language developed in a first language transfer to the second language (linguistic interdependence), so the home language is a cognitive resource for learning English vocabulary.
Cummins, J. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49(2), 222-251. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543049002222 [link]
Vocabulary knowledge is critical to reading comprehension and academic success for English language learners, and taking advantage of cognate knowledge from a shared first language helps learners connect to English words and concepts.
August, D., Carlo, M., Dressler, C., & Snow, C. (2005). The critical role of vocabulary development for English language learners. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 20(1), 50-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5826.2005.00120.x [link]
Direct vocabulary instruction is strengthened when students record terms in an academic notebook, restate meanings in their own words, add nonlinguistic representations, and revisit terms through multiple exposures.
Marzano, R. J. (2004). Building background knowledge for academic achievement: Research on what works in schools. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Deliberate vocabulary learning from word cards that pair a word form with its meaning (including a first-language translation) is an efficient way to build vocabulary, and full word knowledge requires attention to form, meaning, and use.
Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524759 [link]
Making content comprehensible for English learners includes building background and providing explicit, scaffolded vocabulary support such as student-maintained vocabulary records, visuals, and home-language connections.
Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. J. (2017). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model (5th ed.). Pearson.
About 30 to 40 percent of English words have a related Spanish word, and teaching cognate awareness gives Spanish-speaking English learners a tool for understanding academic vocabulary across content areas.
Colorín Colorado. (2007). Using cognates to develop comprehension in English. WETA. https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/using-cognates-develop-comprehension-english [link]
Sources reviewed by an independent second-language-acquisition specialist and an adversarial citation audit.
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