Abstract
This article offers a deep dive into two lessons of a structured literacy curriculum to interrogate how current SoR–aligned mandates materialize in a Spanish dual-language first-grade classroom. Using Critical Discourse Analysis and Curriculum as a Discourse as both our conceptual frame and analytical method, we examine (a) La gran historia de Dilly—a retelling of The Ugly Duckling translated into Spanish—and (b) the teacher-facing lesson plan supplied by a major commercial publisher. Four patterns emerged: (1) reading is reduced to quantifiable skills (Lexile badges, sight-word drills) while the tale naturalizes biologically ‘correct’ identities, erasing hybrid selves; (2) scripted directives recast teachers as technicians and students as data points, extending SoR’s surveillance logic; (3) English-centric texts, monolingual assessments, and token cognate tasks constrain culturally sustaining and translanguaging practices, though remix opportunities exist; and (4) English-centric phonics assumptions (e.g., Ll taught without dialectal context) misalign with Spanish orthography. These features re-inscribe English hierarchies under a scientific veneer, complicating the phonics-versus-meaning binary that dominates SoR debates. We propose six counter-discursive moves—centering authentic Spanish texts, Spanish-specific orthographic study, routine translanguaging, explicit contrastive analysis, restored teacher agency, and Spanish-based readability metrics—to align SoR strengths with the sociocultural and linguistic needs of emergent bilinguals. The study adds a critical, context-rich narrative to the literature on SoR implementation in multilingual classrooms.
Author Biography
Elenita Irizarry-Ramos
Elenita Irizarry-Ramos is a bilingual education leader, scholar, and practitioner committed to advancing equitable, high-quality multilingual education. She teaches graduate courses in bilingual education and Teaching English as a Second Language at UMass Amherst and the University of Puerto Rico. Her work centers on dual language program design, policy implementation, educator preparation, and instructional quality, with a focus on language, identity, and justice for multilingual learners across diverse educational contexts.
Ysaaca D. Axelrod
Ysaaca D. Axelrod is a former kindergarten teacher and currently serves as an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she prepares future early childhood and elementary educators. Her research focuses on language and literacy development in emergent bilingual children and the role of play, and she is currently engaged in projects exploring the intersection of climate change, justice, and literacy education.
Recommended Citation
Irizarry Ramos, E.,
&
Axelrod, Y. D.
(2026).
La gran historia de Dilly meets the science of reading: A cuento of scripts, skills, and silenced selves.
Occasional Paper Series,
(55).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58295/2375-3668.1576
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons