HS ELA Guide

BEST PRACTICES FOR MULTILINGUAL LEANERS

The purpose of this document is to serve as a quick reference of supports. For more information, contact the Content Specialists in ISD and/or refer to the Implementation Resources .

CREATE QUALITY INTERACTIONS Incorporate opportunities to process & articulate thinking -​ MLs thrive when they write, inquire, listen, and speak about what they read. -​ Engage in low-stakes peer interaction - co-constructing knowledge using sustained dialog. -​ Pair/group MLs heterogeneously for more English exposure and practice.

-​ Silent MLs can still learn from peers - productive struggle is okay! -​ Newcomers can work in groups of 3 to balance language use.

CHUNK INSTRUCTION Break up a lesson into smaller, digestible tasks -​ Preview content or text with images, video clips, key vocabulary , etc. -​ Read only a section of text -​ Stop to allow students time to process, discuss, and write so everyone has an opportunity to participate and apprentice into a concept or skill. SCAFFOLD BY REDUCING BARRIERS Provide structured supports that minimize cognitive and linguistic load. -​ Identify essential skills and only assess those questions or skills. -​ WIDA Can Do Descriptors inform opportunities to respond, assignments or assessments. -​ Structure supports using guided notes, outlines, sentence frames , word banks, engineered text. -​ Focus on essential vocabulary (limit to 5-7 words if possible) -​ Use Explicit Instruction: I Do - Model skills students should do ; We Do - Practice with the whole class ; Y’all Do - Collaborate in small groups ; You Do - Work independently LEVERAGE THE HOME LANGUAGE Use translation as a scaffold not a replacement -​ Translate definitions instead of key terms -​ Provide both the translation & English version if using translated tests or quizzes or during instruction and discussion to ensure the MLs engage with the same material as their peers -​ Use independent work time for students to review translations -​ When reading whole-class novels, provide translated summaries of text WHY NOT TRANSLATE ALL VERSIONS OF TEXTS ALL THE TIME? Translations can be helpful, but exposure to English text supports language development. -​ Some students may be experiencing text-based learning for the first time . -​ Overusing translations can delay English acquisition .

-​ Switching between languages during instruction can be confusing . -​ Some terms do not have a direct translation in the home language.

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Jun 4, 2026

Last Updated

High School ELA, Page 24