Parallel Texts: FAQs

WHOOPS. I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. It's been quite the year, but I'm happy to be back sharing with you again! Today's post is dedicated to Parallel Texts! If you're interested, I will be presenting for FREE at this year's World Language Teacher Summit on this exact topic on October 10th and how to use Parallel Texts to unlock student creativity, even at the novice level.

What are parallel texts?

Simply put, a parallel text is a text based on a text that has already been written but that has had some of the content changed. When students write parallel texts, they are essentially swapping out details of the original text.

How do I create a text to use?

To create the original text, you can grab a text you find online (as long as it's comprehensible for your students). You could grab a reading from a textbook or an excerpt from a novel. My favorite is using a write and discuss text that you've previously co-created with your students. Or you can just write a text.

This is an original text that I wrote as a model for my 8th graders. Students wrote their own parallel texts describing places they've visited to practice their presentational writing near the end of Cycle 1 Phase 1.

If you're using the Stepping Stones Curricular Framework by Tina Hargaden, you can create texts to use for any cycle/phase. Here are a few examples:

C1P1: a paragraph description of a setting

C1P2: a paragraph about your preferences or the class preferences

C1P3: a paragraph biography about a person

C1P4: a paragraph biography about a person/place in the past and present

C2: any story can be used as an original text

If you're interested in seeing sample texts I've created for my students, subscribe to my email list here. Once my presentation goes live for this year's World Language Teacher Summit, I will be sending my email subscribers some extra goodies, so don't miss out!

How do I use the original text to create parallel texts?

This is where you get the most bang for your buck. There are so many ways to use the original text you have. 

If you want to use it as a whole class, I suggest displaying the original text, and as a whole group, reading through it, and making changes to some of the details. My 5th graders LOVED doing this as a whole group and found our silly changes to a story absolutely hilarious last year. I had written a short summary of the video ¡Pan! by Señor Wooly, and before they had seen the video, we made parallel texts from it. Instead of Bo, the main character, being a boy, he ended up a dog that lived with his family of elefants... and instead of wanting bread, he wanted cheese (typical Wisconsin suggestion!). 

If you want to use it for students to work independently, or in small groups, you could distribute copies of the text, and have students work to make their own changes to the original by creating a parallel text. If you are working with novice level students, you may want to be very specific about what kinds of details they should change. You could even provide them with a short "glossary" of options. Maybe Bo could be a person, a dinosaur, a cat, or a mouse. This helps keep students inbounds when they don't have enough language to be super creative yet. If your students have the language to get creative, then let them show off what they know! I recommend having them keep the format of the original text the same and sticking to the same verbs so that it has a similar vibe (and stays comprehensible).

Once you have the parallel texts made, as a whole class or in groups, you could do nothing with them... or you could do everything with them: read them in class, have students create storybooks, add them to a classroom library, and so much more. 

I could continue with more, but I need to get to bed. Check out my presentation for this year's World Language Teacher Summit for FREE on October 10th, or purchase the all-access pass to unlimited time to view over 30 presentations. If you register using my link and make a purchase, I may receive compensation as a thank you for presenting.

Have you used parallel texts or stories before? How do you use them? Comment below or share with me on social media! 

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