Cognates Teacher Resources

Define the meaning of a cognate and use the concept to help Spanish-speaking ELLs connect their first language to English. Middle schoolers explore Latin roots to find cognates in both languages. They relate the Spanish and English word...

Everyone loves food! Help your English language learners pick up some vocabulary with a series of activities based around cognates and food. Pupils practice each word and focus on the words in-depth by filling out Frayer model...

Did you know that "30-40 percent of all words in English have a related word in Spanish?" This fact launches an interactive study of cognates appearing the same in English and Spanish. Learners demonstrate what they have learned about...

Discover Spanish cognates. Your learners don't even have to know what common cognates are, to be able to identify the ones used here. First, have them read the Spanish sentence provided. They then choose the correct translation from a...

Studying the history, influences, and cognates of the English language, this presentation provides students in linguistics and language classes with several charts of information on cognates from languages around the world. The slideshow...

Second graders examine how some root words are the same in English and Spanish. They explore cognates in Spanish and English language.

Students explore vocabulary pertaining to food and restaurants. They read an ad for restaurants and discuss the information they expect to find. They research the Internet and locate cognates to examine the meaning in context.

Smart Solutions is the theme of a unit created to meet the needs of English language earners. Through a series of lessons, scholars follow a routine—move, speak, and listen— to cover topics including stores, shops, celebrations, pets,...

Do all languages have a common ancestor? Although no one yet knows the answer to that big question, the narrator of this short, animated video explains how linguists use migration patterns, geological features, and word clues to...

Students guess the meanings of many unfamiliar French words because of their similarity to English words. They read an article from Le Figaro or another French-language newspaper with cognates underlined to guess the meanings.

A large Christmas tree covered in words from around the world adorns this lesson plan. Pupils hunt through the list of Christmas words from around the world and circle the musical vocabulary words hidden among them. A fun activity that...

Designed to be spread across multiple days, this mini-unit gives learners an opportunity to develop family related vocabulary. Start by reading selected pages from "Family Pictures-Cuadros de familia" by Carmen Lomas Garza, and then...

Here's an introduction to a 13-part course on psychology, which the narrator defines as, "the science of behavior and mental processes." In the overview to the course, the narrator traces the development of this integrated science from...

Fifth graders explore the Adventures of Don Quixote in a four-week language arts unit. Scholars listen to and discuss a new chapter each day as well as examine vocabulary and practice word work including suffixes, subject-verb agreement,...

Ninth graders use the internet to research sports in Spain. Using the information they gather, they identify cognates and use them to guess the meanings of words they are unsure of. They use a news article to illustrate on their...

Students read and comprehend materials written for French native speakers; use cognates and contextual visual clues to derive meaning from texts that contain unfamiliar words, expressions, and structures; identify subtleties of meaning...

Students discuss family composition and traditions. After reading Family Pictures, students identify key vocabulary and cognates. Working in pairs, students discuss the people who compose their family and some traditions that are unique...

Not sure how to translate a word, phrase, or paragraph? No worries. Simply paste in, type, or dictate your text, select the initial and desired language, and up pops your translation. Better yet, the app will read the text to you in most...

The Earth is over 70% water and so are our bodies. What makes water so special? Learn about water and its properties as it relates to solutions, dilutions, electrolytes, and molarity.

¿Estás listo para la escuela? Check your mochila for the materials you'll need for school with an engaging Spanish video that details a variety of school supplies and their purposes. Additionally, the video describes las clases de mate,...

Let's get to the gist. As scholars continue their study of Charles Fishman's The Big Thirst, they practice writing the gist of the text. Additionally, pupils add notes about the industrial uses of water to their researcher's notebooks. 

¿Quíen tiene la camiseta? Here's a fun, interactive activity using real pieces of clothing to teach and review new vocabulary. Get all of your young learners participating with this one!

Analyze and make inferences from the information used by linguists to construct the evolution of languages. They research different dating techniques to explain how scientists infer age with evidence.

Learners plan a trip to Disneyland in Tokyo. They read the read the research website in Japanese and create a poster in katakana.