Colorín Colorado Blog: Helping ELLs Succeed
Welcome to our Colorín Colorado blog! This blog is focused on helping English language learners (ELLs) succeed in the classroom, with a special focus on strategies and tools that that support the use of college- and career-ready standards with ELLs.
The blog includes updates from the ELL field about topics such as language proficiency standards and assessments, as well as practical tips for developing academic language, helping ELLs tackle grade-level content, and collaborating with colleagues.
For related content, see our Common Core and ELLs resource section. You can also browse blog posts by topic.
On February 26 I was fortunate to attend the Alliance for Excellent Education’s briefing on the CCSS for ELLs in Washington, DC.
Earlier this month, TESOL International Association invited a group of guests fr
Part II of the series on informational text will first provide an overview of what close reading is and could mean for ELLs, including some definitions of close reading. Then I’ll present the role of background knowledge, which is a major consideration with teaching ELLs close reading, and share some recommended resources.
This two-part post will focus on some aspects of teaching informational text to ELLs. Part I will share background considerations and strategies regarding informational text, first providing a basic foundation about informational text for all students and then narrowing my focus to include a few specific strategies about teaching informational text to ELLs.
In this video interview, Dr. Joanne Urrutia, formerly of the U.S. Department of Education, provides some helpful context about how policy decisions affect English language learners (ELLs).
The Common Core State Standards and Next-Generation Science Standards present both opportunities and challenges for the growing number of English language learners. Panelists discuss a number of initiatives underway to help English learners access grade-level content while building their language proficiency.
The implementation of the Common Core means that all students, including English language learners, will face new demanding ac
In the recent article titled “Educators Tout IB’s Links to Common Core,” Education Week described the intersection between the standards used in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and the Common Core.
Lesli Maxwell at Education Week has posted an article that outlines how the unit will be piloted in Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; and Denver, CO. In this larger pilot, the Understanding Language team will provide professional development to teachers in these three districts and will also monitor the unit's implementation and collect feedback that will inform the revision of the unit's lessons.
The New York State Department of Education (NYSED) has recently released newly created draft language progressions for ELLs that it has developed via its Bilingual Common Core Initiative.
