Mazahua Children's Books
Presenter(s)
Natalie Leet and Yaretzy Sandoval-Reyes
Abstract
Mazahua is an indigenous language of Mexico that is currently spoken by approximately 100,000 people. Many speakers of Mazahua learn to read and write in only Spanish because there is a dearth of educational materials in their native language. Many indigenous languages lack literacy materials, such as short books for new readers. Research has demonstrated that supporting students in learning to read and write in their first language will assist them in transferring these skills to the dominant language of society, in this case Spanish. This project was a coordinated effort to create elementary level children's books for students who are learning to read in Mazahua and Spanish. The group used Canva.com to create templates for short books that could easily be printed out by classroom teachers in Mexico. The group used WhatsApp to communicate with a team of Mazahua instructors and college students who provided authentic bilingual texts and translations into Mazahua; we then illustrated the stories using Canva.com tools. The result was a large collection of bilingual Mazahua and Spanish illustrated children's books that can be posted online and printed by classroom teachers in Mexico.
College
College of Liberal Arts
Department
Global Studies & World Languages
Campus
Winona
First Advisor/Mentor
Mary Hudgens Henderson
Location
Kryzsko Great River Ballroom, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Start Date
4-23-2026 9:00 AM
End Date
4-23-2026 10:00 AM
Presentation Type
Poster Session
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
Session
1a=9am-10am
Poster Number
47
Mazahua Children's Books
Kryzsko Great River Ballroom, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Mazahua is an indigenous language of Mexico that is currently spoken by approximately 100,000 people. Many speakers of Mazahua learn to read and write in only Spanish because there is a dearth of educational materials in their native language. Many indigenous languages lack literacy materials, such as short books for new readers. Research has demonstrated that supporting students in learning to read and write in their first language will assist them in transferring these skills to the dominant language of society, in this case Spanish. This project was a coordinated effort to create elementary level children's books for students who are learning to read in Mazahua and Spanish. The group used Canva.com to create templates for short books that could easily be printed out by classroom teachers in Mexico. The group used WhatsApp to communicate with a team of Mazahua instructors and college students who provided authentic bilingual texts and translations into Mazahua; we then illustrated the stories using Canva.com tools. The result was a large collection of bilingual Mazahua and Spanish illustrated children's books that can be posted online and printed by classroom teachers in Mexico.
Comments
Leet, Natalie R; Sandoval Reyes, Yaretzy