Lesson Plan: The Joy and Pain of Being Bilingual
II. While Reading Activities
Word Inference
- bilingual |ˌbīˈliNGɡwəl| adjective-(of a person) speaking two languages fluently: a bilingual teacher.
- pretend |prəˈtend| verb speak and act so as to make it appear that something is the case when in fact it is not: I closed my eyes and pretended I was asleep | she turned the pages and pretended to read.
- feigned |fānd| adjective simulated or pretended; insincere: her eyes widened with feigned shock.
- exasperate |iɡˈzaspəˌrāt| verb [with object] irritate intensely; infuriate: this futile process exasperates prison officials | (as adjective exasperated) : she grew exasperated with his inability to notice anything.
- interrupt |ˌin(t)əˈrəpt| verb [with object] • stop (someone speaking) by saying or doing something: “Of course …” Shepherd began, but his son interrupted him | [with direct speech] : “Hold on,” he interrupted.
- retort |rəˈtôrt| verb-1 [reporting verb] say something in answer to a remark or accusation, typically in a sharp, angry, or wittily incisive manner: [with direct speech] : “No need to be rude,”
- dismissively |disˈmisivlē| adverb-in a manner that suggests that something or someone is unworthy of consideration: he was treated dismissively and mocked publicly | Elizabeth shrugged dismissively.
- verbatim |vərˈbādəm| adverb& adjective-in exactly the same words as were used originally: [as adverb] : subjects were instructed to recall the passage verbatim | [as adjective] : your quotations must be verbatim.
- interpret |inˈtərprət| verb (interprets, interpreting, interpreted) [with object] 1 explain the meaning of (information, words, or actions): the evidence is difficult to interpret.
- transcend |tran(t)ˈsend| verb [with object] be or go beyond the range or limits of (something abstract, typically a conceptual field or division): this was an issue transcending party politics. • surpass (a person or an achievement).
Source: New Oxford American Dictionary
Grammar Focus: Identifying Prepositions
My parents refused to let my sister and me forget how to speak Spanish.
Spanish was the only language we were allowed to speak in our one-bedroom apartment in Miami in the late 1980s.
As kindergartners and first graders we longed to play and talk and live in English.
We would let out exasperated sighs at having to repeat ourselves in Spanish.
Reading Comprehension Fill-ins
Those of us who’ve served as interpreters in everyday life know it’s a bittersweet privilege.
You find truths in the in-between spaces of language, but never the right words to express them.
You hear the sound of someone being heard in your voice, and the sound of someone being unseen in the silence.
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