How ELLs' Literacy Backgrounds May Vary

Some children will come, for example, where they have knowledge of print, and some of the languages might be alphabetic languages. So they know how print works, that there's letters and sounds, and they form syllables and words. And they may even have fluency to where maybe all those skills could be applied as they're learning this new structure and really focus on the meaning.

Other students may come from other languages that maybe they didn't have the opportunity to learn very well their literacy skills, and they may be non-alphabetic languages. So it's up to us to know our students and know, do they know this new structure, this system of letters and sounds and how they form together to make words? And we always have to be working on word meaning, on meaning and the use of language. Language is everything, and language is the foundation for literacy.