When working with English language learners (ELLs), it is essential to learn more about their prior literacy experiences. This information can help shape the kinds of literacy instruction and support you provide, which may vary from student to student, as well as how you partner with families.
What You Need to Know
There are a few pieces of information that can help inform your literacy instruction for ELLs, including the following:
- Students' Languages
- Students' Literacy Skills in Their Language
- Students' Literacy Skills in English
- Family Literacy
Here is an overview of each of these factors, as well as ideas on where to find this information.
Notes:
- Students' educational experiences may vary widely. Some students will have had regular, uninterrupted schooling during which they developed strong literacy skills in their first language. Others may have had limited schooling and/or literacy experience.
- Having concrete data about students' language and literacy background can also help guide your decisions if students need additional support.
Students' Languages
Key Questions
- Which languages do your students speak?
- Are these languages alphabetic (using letters to make sounds) or non-alphabetic (using symbols or characters)?
Why It Matters
Knowing the answers to these questions can inform your instruction in the following ways:
- Finding resources that are available students' languages
- Learning the connections between students' languages and English
- Identifying certain sounds, letters, structures, and words that you may need to target
- Helping you notice patterns and common errors
How to Find This Information
- Find out which languages your students speak from home language surveys, conversations with students and families, or from your ELL colleagues.
- Avoid making assumptions about which languages students speak based on appearance, name, or other characteristic.
- Keep in mind that Indigenous students from Latin America may be hesitant to share their Indigenous identity and may speak Spanish as a second or third language.
Students' Literacy Skills in Their Language
Key Questions
- Do students read and write in their language?
- If so, how proficient is their reading and writing?
Why It Matters
- Students who have learned to read in their home language can build on their existing literacy skills as they learn to read in English. They can also draw upon letters, sounds, and words that are shared between languages.
- Students who have not yet learned to read will need some specialized support in the basics of learning to read — all in a new language.
For example, ELL expert Areli Schermerhorn shares in a video below that when she came to New York state from Puerto Rico as a child, more than a year passed before her teachers realized she already knew how to read in Spanish. In the meantime, she had been placed in a special education classroom because she had not yet learned to read in English. Her teachers lost more than a year of instructional time thinking that she couldn't read at all.
How to Find This Information
- Start by talking with families. (If you need language support such as interpreter, find out to set up a meeting together.) It's important not to overwhelm families with too many direct questions at first, but you can introduce your questions by explaining that this information will help you plan instruction for students.
- If families are comfortable discussing their students' experiences, ask them questions such as:
- Has your child learned to read in [insert the family’s first language here]?
- Has the child had access to books in [insert the family’s first language here]?
- Do you have any prior school records for your student?
- If families are hesitant to share information, don't push the conversation. It may take some time to build trust. You can also check in with a family liaison for ideas.
- You can also learn more information from student interviews, especially with older students. Again, if students are hesitant to share their experiences, don't push the conversation.
- Invite students to read a paragraph in their home language. If you don't have a text available, you can generate or translate a paragraph through a trusted translation tool. While it's ideal to have a bilingual speaker who can help with this exercise, Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan explains that even if you don't speak students' languages, you can get a good idea of their pacing, fluency, and ease as they read just by listening.
Note: We also recommend that you take a look at our sections on special populations of ELLs, including refugees, students with interrupted formal education (SIFEs), and unaccompanied minors.
Students' Literacy Skills in English
Key Questions
- Do students have some literacy skills in English?
- If so, how proficienct are they?
Why It Matters
- Keep in mind that students' English language skills may vary widely. Some students may have studied English in their home country.
- Many ELLs were born in the U.S. and speak English comfortably. In some cases, their conversational (social) English may be stronger than their literacy skills in English. Without good data, however, it is difficult to target instruction to match students' skill level.
How to Find This Information
- Students who are identifed as ELLs will need to take English language proficiency (ELP) assessments. Students in the process of being identified as ELLs will also need to take assessments, so there should be some good data available on their ELP levels. ELL educators can help you access and understand this information.
- Keep in mind that students ELP levels may vary across different skill areas. If you aren't sure how to find this information, ask your ELL colleagues or administrators how to proceed.
Family Literacy
Key Questions
- Do family members read in their language or in English?
- Do families have access to books or other print at home?
- What kinds of spoken/oral language resources are familiar in the student's language or culture?
Why It Matters
There are a lot of ways that families can support literacy at home. It's important to assure families that they can support their student's literacy development in all kinds of ways.
How to Find This Information
Questions about their own levels of literacy may put families on the spot and they may feel embarrassed to talk about their own educational bakcground. Rather than asking a lot of questions, share some ideas with families and see what questions come up.
These include ideas such as:
- Continuing to speak their languages at home: Many families may wonder if they should keep speaking their language at home. The answer is yes! This supports their student's bilingual development and continues to build a strong foundation for learning a new language.
- Family activities in their home language: Encourage families to share songs, poems, rhymes, and stories in their language at home. These activities all strengthen language and literacy skills for students.
- Reading in their home language: If families are able to read in their language, encourage them to read books and stories in that language at home. You can suggest places where families can find bilingual books, such as the school library, public library, or other resources.
- Listening to students read: One important thing can do is listen to students read, whether in English or in their language. Students need lots and lots of practice reading out loud, and families can help by listening and encouraging their students.
Collaboration
Ideally, a team can support students' literacy development by connecting skills practice to content instruction and language development. As noted above, different educators bring different kinds of expertise to the table.
If students have very little literacy background, it's important to get them targeted reading instruction as soon as possible, no matter their grade level. Talk with colleagues and administrators about how students will receive that instruction, who will provide it, and when it will happen. It's also important to limit the amount of time that students miss core instruction. For example, a elementary school in Virginia scheduled its language arts team push into classes for literacy instruction so that students could get small-group, tailored instruction without leaving the classroom. Read more in The PRESS-In Model: Turning All Students into Readers.
Older students still need to develop the same kind of skills as younger students, but they may respond more positively to materials that aren't created for young children. If more formal instruction is needed for a group of students or targeted supports aren't currently available at the level your students need, talk with administrators about ways to schedule that support.
Related Resources
Learn more from the following articles and resource sections:
- 8 Strategies for Building Relationships with ELLs
- How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment for ELLs
- 10 Things You Need to Learn About Your English Language Learners
- Literacy for ELLs: Resource Gallery
- Reading 101 for English Language Learners
- Phonics Instruction for English Language Learners
- Phonics Instruction for Middle and High School ELLs
- Essentials of Adolescent Literacy Instruction (AdLit.org)
- It took 20 years for this author to reunite with the teacher who changed his life (NPR)
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