ACTION 1.1
Approach MLs equitably, with comprehensive and intentional intersection of literacy and integration of the four domains of language
We used to think...
Following a curriculum with fidelity would address the major needs of our students, attending to grade-level standards and instructional strategies that benefit all students
Now we know...
MLs deserve equitable instruction: Research-aligned curriculum is necessary as the foundation for instruction and must be paired with teacher expertise in language and literacy, resulting in teacher agency in implementing the curriculum’s researched-aligned strategies and meeting the needs of ALL learners in their specific context.
Best Practice Strategies
To cultivate a supportive multi-language learning environment:
Teachers
Utilize High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) for their literacy instruction.
HQIM supports a diverse set of learners and their unique needs because it is aligned to federal/state standards and evidence-based best practices in literacy. Teachers should be provided with support to internalize this curriculum to identify the ways in which the HQIM supports all students.
HQIM often includes:
Frequent progress monitoring through embedded and aligned assessments
Culturally responsive student-facing and teacher lesson materials
Supports and scaffolds for MLs baked into the content design
Leverage tools, routines and coaching that help integrate their thinking and decision-making specifically for MLs within their general implementation of materials for all students.
Provide intentional instruction of literacy skills that demonstrates an understanding of students' home language and culture and includes phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, along with encoding, vocabulary and comprehension in context to provide language development support simultaneously.
Integrate vocabulary instruction as a key component of literacy instruction. This is even more essential for multilingual learners to support meaning-making and language development
Students
Receive daily Designated ELD and Integrated ELD that focuses on the unique and individual developmental language and literacy needs of MLs aligned with the CA ELA/ELD standards
Apply decoding and encoding in context. When taught in a Dual Language program, foundational skills for the target language are taught authentically to the language
Resources
Curriculum Internalization Guides
Teaching Lab
An important process of using High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) is to ensure teachers have been provided time to internalize the curriculum at varying levels (module, unit, lesson, etc). Engaging in internalization provides teachers the opportunities to plan with the end in mind, allowing them to provide scaffolds and differentiated supports to MLs as they teach each lesson.
ELSF ML Guidelines
English Learner Success Forum/CC BY 4.0 DEED
The ELSF ELA Guidelines provides guidance for educators to improve ELA materials to meet the needs of MLs. Teachers may use these resources in conjunction to assess the quality of their school's chosen curriculum (or help them choose a new curriculum).
How Well Do My English Language Arts Instructional Materials Support English Learners?
English Learner Success Forum/CC BY 4.0 DEED
This inventory is intended for those developing, procuring, or using instructional materials and for those who want to create better learning conditions and academic outcomes for Multilingual Learners.
Essential Practices for MLLs Teacher Edition
Oakland Unified School District
Five essential practices, identified as Oakland Unified's theory of change, with aligned focal indicators, links to resources, and a description of example student and teacher actions.
Some examples in action: Go to Strategies
Project EXCELL
These strategies are designed to provide scaffolding options for teachers of multilingual learners. The link to the strategies can be found at the bottom of the website.
Scaffolds to Support MLLs in Writing and Discussion
Achieve the Core
Scaffolds providing vocabulary and structure for multilingual learners to use in discussions and developing linguistically complex ideas. Important note: It is important that teachers not misuse or overuse sentence frames. Making the use of sentence frames mandatory for all students or using them too frequently can stunt students’ creativity and lead to parroting of phrases rather than deeper thought. Once students are able to produce structured responses on their own, sentence frames should no longer be provided.
Language objectives and Lesson planning overview
Colorín Colorado
This article provides an overview of how to use language objectives in content-area instruction for multilingual learners and offers classroom-based examples from different grade and subject levels.
Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Teaching Strategies Observation Checklist
Molina
This checklist allows educators to reflect on their instruction and how the target language techniques are demonstrated within said lesson- this could apply to anyone teaching multilingual learners
2014 ELA/ELD Framework, Chapter 2
California Department of Education
Chapter 2 (Pg 106-119) of this framework outlines the importance of both integrated ELD and designated ELD to receive instruction that focuses on accelerating English Language and literacy development
ELD Proficiency Level Descriptors
California Department of Education
This resource includes guidelines to help teachers understand what to look for in assessing oral language. Teachers can use this to develop rubrics for assessing oral language
Strategies for ELD (TCOE)
Tulare County Office of Education
This resource provides a compilation of ELD strategies found in California's ELA/ELD framework.
ELL SDAIE Strategies
Cindi Lyon, Design Group
A list of instructional strategies known as SDAIE, Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English. Though these strategies were designed to support students learning English, they can be applied in any classoom to support any language being taught
GLAD Strategy: Sentence Patterning Chart
Claudia Conroy, Design Group
The video (English) and bilingual templates model how a Sentence Patterning Chart (SPC) is used to develop student’s understanding of parts of speech and sentence structure.
English Language Learners and the Five Essential Components of Reading Instruction
Reading Rockets/WETA Public Broadcasting
This article provides recommendations and considerations for instruction of ELLs within each of the Reading First components.
What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners?
Reading Rockets/Suzanne Irujo/WETA Public Broadcasting
In this article, a seasoned ELL teacher synthesizes her own classroom experience and the findings of the National Literacy Panel on "Language-Minority Children and Youth" to make recommendations for effective literacy instruction of ELL students
Phonemic Awareness with English Language Learners (Video webinar)
Heggerty/Literacy Resources, LLC
The first 12 minutes of the webinar gives larger overview of multilingual learners and literacy. Starting at 12:40 this webinar this webinar explains how oral language is the foundation and an overview of phonological awareness. Starting at 20:30, they answer some FAQs about how to support multilingual learners in the classroom. At 26:20, they discuss how Dual Language teachers can make connections across the two languages. At 29 minutes, the webinar discusses how to plan small group instruction for emergent bilinguals. At 34:30 the webinar discusses different assessment options and how to use them for progress monitoring and using this information to plan a small group lesson.
Foundational Skills Guidance Documents: Grades K-2
Achieve the Core
Page 38-39 has a decodable readers protocol with guidance specific to applying the instructional practice to ELLs
Blending Syllables to Make a Word Lesson Plan
Reading Universe Prototype/WETA Public Broadcasting
This is an example of a lesson that uses manipulatives to support students in understanding phonological awareness
How to for ELs
Reading Universe Prototype/WETA Public Broadcasting
This is an example of a lesson that uses manipulatives to support students in understanding phonological awareness
Developing Foundational Reading Skills in the Early Grades
West ED/Pamela Spycher
This paper provides thorough information about the instruction and development of foundational reading skills, with a particular
focus on how to help students learn to decode words in order to become independent readers. Throughout, it provides information about effectively teaching multllingual learners from an asset focused lens and provides examples of what the instruction looks like in a classroom setting. Pg. 30-31 gives recommendations differentiated by English proficiency
Planned Language Approach: Alphabet Knowledge and Early Writing
United States Department of Health and Human Services
This resource from Headstart provides specific strategies to support alphabet knowledge and early writing for children who are dual language learners
Dictado
Teaching for Biliteracy
This resource outlines one process for implementing the Dictado which is a strategy that can be used in Spanish or in English to teach various components of word study and mechanics, including spelling, punctuation, and fluency.
El Dictado en primer grado (video)
Teaching for Biliteracy
This video shows the Dictado in action
Dictado PD example
Teaching for Biliteracy
This overview and professional development provides teams with the learning and resources to begin implementing the Dictado strategy.
Knowledge & Vocabulary (K-2)
Achieve the Core
This resource provides dos and dont's for building knowledge and vocaublary with early readers.
Read It, Say It, Hear It, Write It: Instructional Routines That Engage the Four Language Skill Areas
Iowa Reading Research Center
An example best practice called Read It, Say It, Hear It, Write It allows students to engage in all four language skills.
Vocabulary Development
Colorin Colorado/WETA Public Broadcasting
This article provides specific strategies for vocabulary development.
Picture Dictionary
Multilingual Learning Toolkit
This lesson plan will guide teachers in help children build picture dictionaries by introduces and/or reinforcing a word daily.
Tools for Building a Productive Academic Vocabulary Toolkit Event With Dr. Kate Kinsella
Dr. Kate Kinsella/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Dr. Kinsella introduces research-based instructional principles and practices to prepare English learners for the vocabulary demands of academic interaction, text analysis, and constructed response.