Fortalécete, from the Spanish verb fortalecer (to strengthen) is the name of the curriculum guide for a Spanish literacy class developed last year by the Juntos (Together) Collaborative in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Four teachers and administrators from two of the partners in the collaborative, the Community Education Project and the Care Center in Holyoke, worked on this guide as a curriculum frameworks project and used the English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Framework as a guide and reference point. The authors' goal was to share their experience and approaches to teaching Spanish literacy to adults in the western part of the state.

ELA Framework
It is interesting that the Juntos Collaborative chose the ELA Curriculum Frameworks, rather than the ESOL Frameworks, as a model for developing guidelines for teaching native language literacy in Spanish. After all, the ELA Framework does not mention native language literacy (NLL) as a consideration, while the ESOL Frameworks does. There are specific reasons for choosing the ELA over the ESOL Frameworks, however. Members of the Juntos Collaborative noted that although English instruction is is an important part of their curriculum, they wanted to assert that Spanish literacy is not an adjunct piece of an ESOL- focused curriculum. Rather, Spanish literacy is the focus of an entire adult basic education curriculum in the native language of the learners in the same way that the Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks works in other ABE programs.

As one member puts it, the ELA framework is a guide for "native language literacy for native English speakers. We chose the ELA framework (as a guide) because that's the one that's about teaching people to read and write."

It is well known that adult learners who are literate in their native language progress at a faster rate when they are learning English than those who cannot read or write in the language they do speak (Rivera, 1999). The Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) recognizes this fact and funds classes in native language literacy as part of the continuum of ESOL classes in a DOE-funded ABE program.

There is a folksy, endearing tone to this curriculum that reflects the voices of the people who wrote it. It also reflects their philosophy. For example, the teachers talk about teaching with respeto y humildad as one of the ways to counteract the low self-esteem and shame that many learners have about their lack of basic education.

The guide offers practical advice that makes a teacher trainer like me happy. For example, a lesson- planning form, sample learner-centered lesson plans, and suggestions for the first day of classes are included, as well as useful advice on participatory evaluation and assessment.

I found the Level I sample lesson more extensive and better realized than for Level II. It would be useful if the authors could expand the curriculum in the future to include samples of how the Juntos teachers introduce the GED and ESOL in Level II. Many teachers have questions on how to facilitate this transition from basic literacy in the native language to preparing for the GED or learning English.

Clearly, the authors of the Fortalécete curriculum have taken to heart their own imperative to strengthen themselves by reflecting on their practice and beliefs as they examined the ELA Curriculum. They truly used it as a framework within which to set their own curriculum as teachers of literacy in Spanish. This past year the collaborative used a similar process with which to examine their experiences and struggles teaching math. I am looking forward to reading Fortalécetec on la Matematica and getting some tips on how to strengthen my own math teaching skills.

For a copy of the Fortalécete curriculum, contact your regional SABES center. The curriculum is included in the Native Language Literacy "Box," a collection of resources about NLL. It will also be available soon as an ERIC document.

Maria E. González is the SABES Coordinator for the Boston region, based at the Adult Literacy Resource Institute (ALRI). She can be reached at maria@alri.org