The Power of Cognates: Leveraging What Bilingual Students Already Know

Bilingual students bring powerful linguistic knowledge into classrooms, and cognates make that knowledge visible. This session explores how intentional use of cognates supports biliteracy, comprehension, and student confidence across grade levels. Participants will see classroom examples of how teachers model cognate thinking, explore different types of cognates including false and non-obvious cognates, and engage in a hands-on activity they can immediately use in their own classrooms. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to leverage what bilingual students already know and to position students as linguistic experts in everyday instruction.