Language Arts Instruction for ELLs

Teaching language arts and literature to English language learners (ELLs) provides rich opportunities for language and literacy development. These resources offer ideas for helping ELLs succeed with grade-level texts and work towards the rigorous demands of the Common Core and other language arts standards. Resources also include ideas for language arts in ELLs' native languages, such as Spanish.
Featured Articles
- Writing Poetry with English Language Learners
- Introducing and Reading Poetry with English Language Learners
- Primary Sources, the Library of Congress and English Learners
- Teacher Reflections: Common Core Language Arts and ELLs
- Literature Circles
Blog Posts
- Analysis of a PARCC ELA Assessment Task Through an ELL Lens (Part 1)
- Background Knowledge: A Key to Close Reading with ELLs
- Teaching Informational Text to ELLs
- Writing with the Common Core: Considerations for ELLs (Part 1)
- Writing "Just Right" Research Questions: Strategies for ELLs
Related Video
Juan Felipe Herrera: Teaching Poetry
Re-teaching a lesson on drawing conclusions
Why drawing conclusions is hard for ELLs
Classroom Strategies for 4th-Grade Language Arts
Making Dual-Language Immersion Work
Introducing "Burro's Tortillas"
Learning about genre
Teaching "A Christmas Carol"
Higher-level questions: Thinking about magic
Answering guiding questions with middle school ELLs
Reading non-fiction text with high school ELLs
Introducing different versions of "Cinderella"
Literature for ELLs (with Michalle Lawrence Biggar)
Research and Reports
- Educating English Language Learners: A Review of the Latest Research
- What Does Text Complexity Mean for English Learners and Language Minority Students?
- The Role of English Teachers in Educating English Language Learners (ELLs)
- Advancing Our Students' Language and Literacy: The Challenge of Complex Texts
- Beyond Comprehension: We Have Yet to Adopt a Common Core Curriculum That Builds Knowledge Grade by Grade, But We Need To