Advanced Proficiency: Support students in expressing ideas with academic language while enriching discussions with cultural insights. For younger students, guide them from simple sharing to detailed explanations (e.g., from “This is important” to “This detail is significant because it demonstrates how the character’s perspective changes”). For older students, encourage them to analyze ideas across languages (e.g., “In English we say ‘It’s raining cats and dogs,’ but in my language we say ‘It’s raining ropes,’ both meaning extremely heavy rain.”). During partner exchanges, help students use content-specific vocabulary while explaining concepts (e.g., “The author’s use of metaphor here emphasizes the theme of resilience, which reminds me of a similar literary device in my home language called…”). Model how to bridge concepts between languages (e.g., “While the English word ‘respect’ captures part of this idea, in my culture we use a term that also includes the notion of mutual responsibility.”). When sharing with partners, encourage students to explain subtle differences in meaning (e.g., “Although both terms describe leadership, our word implies more of a collaborative approach, while the English word suggests individual authority.”).
