Language of Instruction: Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole and Emergent Bilingual Pedagogy

Rationale

Cape Verdean law gives the national language (língua cabo-verdiana) a distinct status as mother tongue and cultural heritage while designating Portuguese as the official language of instruction. The LBSE affirms the Cape Verdean language, mandates its written form through ALUPEC (DL 67/98), and aims at its official use alongside Portuguese. The Ministry has introduced the Cape Verdean Language as a secondary-school subject. Teachers across all subjects face the daily reality of teaching in Portuguese to pupils whose first oral language is Creole. This course builds the bilingual pedagogy that the legal framework envisions: additive bilingualism that develops Portuguese competence without displacing the mother tongue, culturally sustaining materials, fair assessment of bilingual learners, and practical orthography in ALUPEC. Every lesson is anchored in the statutes and policies that make language competence a statutory duty and a recertification-relevant professional-learning priority.

Part I: Foundations (Lessons 1-4)

Lesson 1. Two languages, two statuses

Participants examine the legal distinction between Portuguese as the official language of instruction and Cape Verdean Creole (Kriolu) as the national language and mother tongue of the vast majority of pupils. The lesson traces the LBSE provisions that assign Portuguese the role of formal schooling while affirming the Cape Verdean language as the primary vehicle of oral communication, cultural identity and heritage. Participants analyse the practical implications of this dual status for classroom practice: the teacher must deliver the curriculum in Portuguese while respecting and leveraging the language pupils bring from home. The lesson uses the statutory text to clarify that the two languages are not in competition but are assigned complementary roles by law. Participants produce a written reflection on how the dual-status framework affects their own teaching context.

Lesson 2. The written affirmation of Cape Verdean and ALUPEC

This lesson introduces the standardized alphabet for writing Cape Verdean Creole, ALUPEC (Alfabeto Unificado para a Escrita da Língua Cabo-verdiana), established by DL 67/98. Participants study the legal basis for the alphabet, its orthographic rules, and its role in the LBSE goal of affirming the national language in written form. The lesson explains how ALUPEC enables the Cape Verdean Language to function as a school subject and as a medium for producing classroom texts. Participants practise reading and writing short passages in ALUPEC, focusing on the grapheme-phoneme correspondences that differ from Portuguese. The session also addresses the political and cultural significance of a standardized orthography for a language that was historically oral. Participants leave able to produce simple written materials in ALUPEC for classroom use.

Lesson 3. From mother tongue to school language

Participants explore the cognitive and linguistic journey that Cape Verdean pupils make when they enter formal schooling: moving from a Creole-speaking home environment to a Portuguese-medium classroom. The lesson draws on the LBSE provisions that recognize the mother tongue as the first language of oral communication and the foundation for learning. Participants examine research on the role of the first language in concept formation, literacy development and identity. The lesson presents the additive bilingualism model, in which Portuguese is built on the Creole base rather than replacing it. Participants analyse case studies of Cape Verdean classrooms where teachers either suppress or leverage the mother tongue, and they identify the pedagogical consequences of each approach. The session concludes with participants drafting a personal statement of their language stance as educators.

Lesson 4. Foundations of additive bilingual pedagogy

This lesson establishes the theoretical and practical framework for teaching in a bilingual context where the official language is not the mother tongue. Participants study the principles of additive bilingualism: maintaining and developing the first language while adding the second language to the learner's repertoire. The lesson connects these principles to the LBSE assumed-bilingualism policy, which envisions a society where both languages function in complementary domains. Participants examine classroom strategies that protect the mother tongue while systematically developing Portuguese: translanguaging, strategic code-switching, and language separation by activity type. The lesson includes a structured comparison of subtractive and additive approaches, using Cape Verdean classroom scenarios. Participants design a brief bilingual activity that respects both languages.

Part II: Core Practice (Lessons 5-10)

Lesson 5. Supporting Portuguese acquisition from a Creole base

Participants learn specific pedagogical strategies for developing Portuguese oral and written competence in pupils whose first language is Cape Verdean Creole. The lesson is grounded in the LBSE objective that all pupils achieve mastery of Portuguese as the official language. Participants study the predictable transfer patterns between Creole and Portuguese: shared vocabulary with different meanings, grammatical structures that overlap partially, and phonological differences that affect spelling. The lesson provides structured bridging activities that explicitly teach these contrastive points. Participants practise designing a Portuguese vocabulary lesson that starts from a Creole cognate, then builds the Portuguese form and usage. The session also addresses the pacing of Portuguese introduction in the first cycle, respecting the curricular priority of foundational literacy.

Lesson 6. Contrastive features of Creole and Portuguese

This lesson deepens participants' linguistic knowledge of the systematic differences between Cape Verdean Creole and Portuguese. Participants study the major contrastive features: verb tense and aspect systems, pronoun usage, negation patterns, word order, and prepositional structures. The lesson draws on linguistic literature on the two languages to provide accurate descriptions. Participants analyse authentic pupil errors in Portuguese writing and speech, tracing each error to a Creole structural feature. The session includes a contrastive analysis chart that teachers can use as a diagnostic tool. Participants leave able to anticipate the most common interference points and to design targeted instruction that addresses them. The lesson does not require prior linguistics training; it builds practical contrastive awareness through examples and classroom data.

Lesson 7. Oral language as the entry to literacy

Participants examine the role of oral language development in early literacy, with specific attention to the Cape Verdean context where Creole is the primary oral language. The lesson is anchored in the LBSE recognition that the Cape Verdean language is the first language of oral communication for most pupils. Participants study how oral proficiency in the mother tongue supports phonological awareness, vocabulary development and narrative skills that transfer to Portuguese literacy. The lesson presents structured oral-language activities that teachers can use in the first cycle: storytelling in Creole with Portuguese retelling, oral vocabulary games that bridge the two languages, and dialogic reading practices. Participants practise leading a classroom discussion that moves strategically between Creole and Portuguese, using each language for its appropriate function.

Lesson 8. Teaching the Cape Verdean Language subject

This lesson prepares participants to deliver the Cape Verdean Language subject that the Ministry has introduced in secondary education. Participants study the curricular objectives, content areas and assessment expectations for the subject as reported by the Ministry. The lesson covers the legal basis in DL 67/98 and the LBSE language-affirmation provisions. Participants examine sample lesson plans that teach ALUPEC orthography, Creole grammar, oral literature (morna, coladeira, finaçon), and written composition in the national language. The session addresses the sensitive nature of teaching a language that has only recently been standardized and that carries strong identity associations. Participants practise teaching a short ALUPEC spelling lesson and a Creole oral-literature analysis. The lesson also covers how the Cape Verdean Language subject relates to Portuguese-language instruction.

Lesson 9. Writing in ALUPEC

Participants develop practical competence in writing Cape Verdean Creole using the ALUPEC alphabet. The lesson provides systematic instruction in the orthographic rules: vowel representation (including the open and closed distinctions), consonant digraphs, stress marking, and the treatment of loanwords. Participants practise writing sentences, short paragraphs and classroom instructions in ALUPEC. The lesson addresses common orthographic errors and the relationship between ALUPEC and Portuguese spelling conventions. Participants also learn how to evaluate pupil writing in ALUPEC, distinguishing between developmental errors and violations of the standard. The session includes a guided writing workshop where participants produce a short text in ALUPEC that they could use as a classroom reading passage. Participants leave able to write and correct ALUPEC texts at a functional level.

Lesson 10. Culturally sustaining materials and texts

Participants learn to select, adapt and create classroom materials that reflect Cape Verdean culture, language and experience. The lesson is grounded in the LBSE cultural-heritage objective, which requires the education system to affirm and transmit the nation's cultural identity. Participants study examples of culturally sustaining texts: Cape Verdean literature in Creole and Portuguese, morna lyrics, oral narratives, proverbs, and historical documents. The lesson provides criteria for evaluating whether a text is culturally sustaining: does it use authentic language, represent Cape Verdean perspectives, and connect to pupils' lived experience? Participants practise adapting a Portuguese-language textbook passage to include Creole vocabulary and cultural references. The session also addresses the creation of original bilingual texts that move between Creole and Portuguese.

Part III: Application and Mastery (Lessons 11-15)

Lesson 11. Language across the curriculum

Participants learn to manage bilingual talk in content-area instruction: science, mathematics, social studies and expressive arts. The lesson is anchored in the Plano de Estudos and the LBSE language provisions, which together require that subject content be delivered effectively while respecting the language reality of the classroom. Participants study strategies for using Creole as a cognitive tool for explaining concepts, checking understanding and building reasoning, while using Portuguese for formal written work and assessment. The lesson presents a structured framework for language allocation by activity type: exploratory talk in Creole, recording in Portuguese. Participants practise planning a science lesson that uses Creole for the hands-on investigation phase and Portuguese for the written conclusion. The session addresses the challenge of maintaining Portuguese development while using Creole for access.

Lesson 12. Language, equity and access

This lesson examines the equity dimensions of language policy in Cape Verdean education. Participants study how Creole-dominant pupils may face systematic disadvantage in a Portuguese-medium system, particularly in assessment, teacher expectations and curriculum access. The lesson is grounded in the LBSE equity and human-rights objectives, which require the education system to guarantee equal opportunities for all pupils. Participants analyse data on educational outcomes by language background (where available) and discuss how language bias can mask content knowledge. The lesson presents strategies for reducing language-related disadvantage: bilingual glossaries, extended time for Portuguese-language tasks, and assessment accommodations that separate language demand from content mastery. Participants develop an equity action plan for their own classroom or school.

Lesson 13. Assessing bilingual learners fairly

Participants learn to design and interpret assessments that fairly measure the content knowledge of bilingual learners without confounding language proficiency with subject mastery. The lesson is anchored in the national assessment reform (DL 13/2018) and the LBSE equity objectives. Participants study the distinction between language load and content demand in assessment tasks. The lesson presents practical strategies: using visual supports, allowing Creole responses in formative assessment, providing bilingual rubrics, and separating language objectives from content objectives in scoring. Participants practise analysing an existing assessment task for language bias and redesigning it to be more accessible to Creole-dominant pupils. The session also addresses the ethical obligation to report assessment results in a way that does not penalize pupils for developing bilingualism.

Lesson 14. Family and community language partnership

Participants learn to engage Creole-speaking families and communities as partners in their children's education. The lesson is grounded in the LBSE family-participation objective and the EPD Art. 6(2)(b) duty to foster relationships with encarregados de educação. Participants study the barriers that language can create between school and home: Portuguese-only communication excludes Creole-speaking parents from school life. The lesson presents strategies for bilingual communication with families: school notices in Creole and Portuguese, parent-teacher meetings that allow Creole use, and family literacy events that celebrate both languages. Participants practise writing a bilingual school-home communication and planning a parent workshop on supporting bilingual development. The session also addresses the cultural sensitivity required when working with families whose own schooling may have been entirely in Portuguese.

Lesson 15. Documenting bilingual practice for evaluation

Participants learn to compile evidence of their bilingual pedagogy for the annual performance dossier required by the avaliação de desempenho regime (EPD Arts. 31-34). The lesson provides a structured framework for documenting language work: lesson plans that show strategic language allocation, pupil work samples that demonstrate bilingual development, assessment adaptations for bilingual learners, and parent communication in Creole. Participants practise writing a reflective narrative that connects their bilingual practice to the statutory duties in EPD Art. 6 and the LBSE language provisions. The session includes a peer-review protocol for evaluating dossier entries. Participants leave with a template for ongoing documentation of their bilingual pedagogy and a clear understanding of how this work supports career progression under the EPD and the PCFR 2025.

This syllabus was designed from primary-source research of this nation's official teacher requirements and passed independent verification. The full course, its lessons, assistant, and materials are live for enrolled educators.