{"id":8845,"date":"2025-07-30T12:59:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T12:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/?p=8845"},"modified":"2026-02-18T10:30:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T10:30:02","slug":"bilingual-alphabet-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/30\/bilingual-alphabet-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"Bilingual Alphabet Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"8845\" class=\"elementor elementor-8845\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49160b4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"49160b4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-777e48b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"777e48b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1>Alphabet cards<\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63f0946 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"63f0946\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-394f00e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"394f00e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d273f60 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d273f60\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"390\" data-end=\"701\">In multilingual classrooms, alphabet cards are more than decorations, they\u2019re daily reference points that shape how children learn, speak, and think about language.<\/p><p data-start=\"390\" data-end=\"701\">That\u2019s why I created the Bilingual Alphabet Card Set: a visual tool designed specifically for dual-language learners in Dutch-English settings.<\/p><p data-start=\"703\" data-end=\"938\">Each card features a word that starts with the <strong data-start=\"750\" data-end=\"772\">same initial sound<\/strong> in both English and Dutch, like <em data-start=\"804\" data-end=\"813\">dolfijn<\/em> and <em data-start=\"818\" data-end=\"827\">dolphin, <\/em>helping children connect letters, sounds, and vocabulary across languages in a developmentally meaningful way.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-867a37b e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"867a37b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-772f5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"772f5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/product\/alfabet-en-klanken-kaart\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-7-300x300.png\" class=\"elementor-animation-float attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-9874\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-7-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-7-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-7-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-7-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-7-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-7-1320x1320.png 1320w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-7-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-7-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-7.png 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c2cbd14 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c2cbd14\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51977c3 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"51977c3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b12472e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b12472e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 data-start=\"945\" data-end=\"987\">Why use Bilingual Alphabet Cards?<\/h2><p data-start=\"989\" data-end=\"1247\">In many bilingual classrooms, alphabet cards are based on just one language, usually the language of instruction. This can unintentionally exclude children&#8217;s home languages, or even confuse learners when familiar letters are paired with unfamiliar sounds.<\/p><p data-start=\"1249\" data-end=\"1585\">I noticed that in our Dutch-English setting, traditional alphabet lines didn\u2019t support second-language learners effectively. English examples like <em data-start=\"1396\" data-end=\"1412\">&#8220;A is for ant&#8221;<\/em> or Dutch ones like <em data-start=\"1432\" data-end=\"1450\">&#8220;B is voor boom&#8221;<\/em> didn\u2019t always resonate with all students, and often conflicted with what they were learning at home or in the other classroom language.<\/p><p data-start=\"1587\" data-end=\"1665\">To bridge this gap, I developed a custom set of dual-language cards where:<\/p><ul data-start=\"1667\" data-end=\"1944\"><li data-start=\"1667\" data-end=\"1778\"><p data-start=\"1669\" data-end=\"1778\">Each word begins with the same phoneme in both English and Dutch (e.g., <em data-start=\"1745\" data-end=\"1750\">vis<\/em> \/ <em data-start=\"1753\" data-end=\"1758\">van<\/em>, <em data-start=\"1760\" data-end=\"1766\">lamp<\/em> \/ <em data-start=\"1769\" data-end=\"1775\">lion<\/em>)<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"1779\" data-end=\"1859\"><p data-start=\"1781\" data-end=\"1859\">The illustrations reflect recognizable objects or animals for young learners<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"1860\" data-end=\"1944\"><p data-start=\"1862\" data-end=\"1944\">The cards build on shared vocabulary, aiding transfer and reducing confusion<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"1946\" data-end=\"2048\">This simple shift made our classroom alphabet line more inclusive, cognitively supportive, and joyful.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51d8d58 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"51d8d58\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-33ec8fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"33ec8fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/product\/alphabet-cards-new-alfabet-kaarten-nieuw\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-9-1024x1024.png\" class=\"elementor-animation-float attachment-large size-large wp-image-9899\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-9-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-9-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-9-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-9-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-9-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-9-1320x1320.png 1320w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-9-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-9-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-Instagram-Claires-Classroom-9.png 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f2ca07 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"1f2ca07\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67f4d35 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"67f4d35\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-af1d15a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"af1d15a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 data-start=\"2055\" data-end=\"2108\">The Theory: Language Transfer &amp; Sound Awareness<\/h2><p data-start=\"2110\" data-end=\"2314\">Why does this work? Because early literacy depends not just on knowing what a letter <em data-start=\"2195\" data-end=\"2202\">looks<\/em> like, but understanding what sound it makes, and how that sound maps onto meaning in more than one language.<\/p><p data-start=\"2316\" data-end=\"2644\">According to phonological transfer theory, children who are learning two languages often try to apply known sound-letter relationships from one language to another. By using cognates\u2014words that look and sound similar in both languages\u2014we reduce cognitive load and make space for positive transfer (Durguno\u011flu, 2002).<\/p><p data-start=\"2646\" data-end=\"2936\">Research also shows that validating a child\u2019s home language (also called &#8220;first language&#8221; or &#8220;heritage language&#8221;) supports metalinguistic awareness\u2014the ability to think about and manipulate language as a system (Cummins, 2000). This is a key predictor of long-term literacy success.<\/p><p data-start=\"2938\" data-end=\"3113\">When we offer learning tools that build bridges between home and school languages, we help students build stronger, more connected neural pathways for reading and writing.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3a5bee8 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3a5bee8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c791faf elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c791faf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2058-768x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8855\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2058-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2058-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2058-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2058-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2058-1320x1760.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2058-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2058-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9ae97ef e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9ae97ef\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-facaa39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"facaa39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-993bbbc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"993bbbc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 data-start=\"75\" data-end=\"99\">How the cards are used<\/h3><p data-start=\"101\" data-end=\"361\">In our classroom, the bilingual alphabet cards are displayed above the board as a visual reference, and students also receive a smaller version of the full chart. But they are far more than decoration\u2014they are an active part of our routines and daily learning:<\/p><ul data-start=\"363\" data-end=\"834\"><li data-start=\"363\" data-end=\"437\"><p data-start=\"365\" data-end=\"437\">We play \u201cFind the Sound\u201d games using objects from around the room.<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"438\" data-end=\"512\"><p data-start=\"440\" data-end=\"512\">We use the cards during phonics lessons in both English and Dutch.<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"513\" data-end=\"609\"><p data-start=\"515\" data-end=\"609\">Students practice code-switching and sound recognition across languages using the cards.<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"610\" data-end=\"743\"><p data-start=\"612\" data-end=\"743\">Each card inspires mini-lessons, songs, or storytelling (e.g., \u201cWhat would our octopus \/ octopus do if he lost a tentacle?\u201d).<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"744\" data-end=\"834\"><p data-start=\"746\" data-end=\"834\">As students grow in confidence, they begin using the cards to spell out whole words!<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"836\" data-end=\"1055\">The cards support phoneme\u2013grapheme correspondence and give children a sense of linguistic ownership. They can point to the P card and say <em data-start=\"986\" data-end=\"997\">\u201cPigeon!\u201d<\/em> in English or <em data-start=\"1012\" data-end=\"1021\">\u201cPoes!\u201d<\/em> in Dutch\u2014and both are celebrated.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-969f81e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"969f81e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-adae21d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"adae21d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/product\/letterkaart-spel-letter-card-game\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lettercard-game-website-image-1024x1024.png\" class=\"elementor-animation-float attachment-large size-large wp-image-11456\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lettercard-game-website-image-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lettercard-game-website-image-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lettercard-game-website-image-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lettercard-game-website-image-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lettercard-game-website-image-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lettercard-game-website-image-1320x1320.png 1320w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lettercard-game-website-image-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lettercard-game-website-image-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lettercard-game-website-image.png 1620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alphabet cards In multilingual classrooms, alphabet cards are more than decorations, they\u2019re daily reference points that shape how children learn, speak, and think about language. That\u2019s why I created the Bilingual Alphabet Card Set: a visual tool designed specifically for dual-language learners in Dutch-English settings. Each card features a word that starts with the same [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8845"}],"version-history":[{"count":52,"href":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11466,"href":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8845\/revisions\/11466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clairesclassroom.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}