Using Cognates with ELLs

Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation, such as 'information' in English and 'información' in Spanish. While English may share very few cognates with languages that use a different written system, 30-40% of all words in English have a related word in Spanish. For Spanish-speaking ELLs, cognates are an obvious bridge to the English language and are particularly common in content areas such as math, science, and social studies.

These resources offer ideas on how to use cognates in the classroom and provide examples of English / Spanish cognates.