Multilingual students can thrive as multilingual writers when teachers create rich, meaningful contexts. The authors argue that teachers should use Brian Cambourne's seven conditions for learning as a guide: immersion, demonstration, approximation, engagement, expectation, responsibility, employment (use), and response.

Teachers often tend to discuss their English language learners (ELLs) in terms of "level." Writes the author, "But if I were to say to a teacher, 'You have four level 2s in your class,' how does that help us have a common understanding of the students' needs?" One approach that has great potential to increase students' language…

Educators, Ferlazzo claims, often perceive English language learners through a lens of deficits. We would serve these learners better, especially as readers, if we viewed them through a lens focused on assets. The author, who was a community organizer for 19 years before becoming an ESL teacher, relates the process of community organizing--helping…

The author works as a biliteracy teacher in a bilingual school that serves students from K-5th grade. She and her coteacher provide instruction in both English and Spanish to 4th and 5th graders. They have two language arts blocks so that students receive literacy instruction in both their native and second languages, and they teach math, social…

Teachers often grapple with the challenge of giving report card grades to students with learning disabilities and English language learners. The authors offer a five-step model that "offers a fair, accurate, and legal way to adapt the grading process for exceptional learners." The model begins with a high-quality reporting system for all students…

Adolescent English language learners present particular challenges for schools. The population of adolescent ELLs is diverse, and their educational needs are affected by differences in immigration status, quality of educational background, native language, cultural distance from U.S. culture, future plans, and economic status. The article offers…

The author's research indicates that instructional programs that teach English language learners in English are more effective than programs that provide more instruction in the students' native language. Following the passage of Proposition 227 in California, which outlawed bilingual education as the default assignment for English language…

Learning a language is closely connected to learning to think critically in specific subject matter. Teachers need to teach not only the technical basics of reading and writing to English language learners but also the critical thinking skills that these students need both in and out of school. Various question-seeking activities can promote…

Academic language is the linguistic glue that holds the tasks, texts, and tests of school together. If students can't use this glue well, their academic work is likely to fall apart. According to the author of this article, "academic language" is defined as the set of words and phrases that (1) describe content-area knowledge and procedures; (2)…

The research on beginning reading instruction for English language learners that provides several useful guidelines for policy and practice is presented. Research suggests that bilingual programs usually improve the English reading performances of English language learners.

Hadi-Tabassum believes having a separate life context for each language she learned in childhood enabled her to switch easily among five different tongues. She states that the success of dual immersion bilingual programs is largely dependent on whether they immerse students in each of the involved languages separately and help students have a…

Research in second language acquisition has shown that adjusting classroom discussions, textbook reading, and written activities to the language proficiencies of second language learners triggers second language acquisition in subject matter classrooms. Second language researchers find that subject matter teachers should systematically teach…

Because most English language learners receive instruction in content-area classes, teachers of these classes need to understand the varying backgrounds of ELLs and their different levels of conversational and academic English skills. The authors have developed a research-based model for effectively delivering sheltered instruction to ELLs in…

The authors state that one key to successfully working with English language learners (ELLs) is to view them as a resource in the classroom since these students can offer information and perspectives about other countries and cultures. Additionally, many researchers support the use of scaffolding strategies to help ELLs organize their thoughts in…

The English-only initiatives sweeping the United States are mainstreaming English language learners into content-area classes designed for native or fluent English speakers, with little, if any, English as a second language (ESL) support. This spells trouble for the ever-growing population of Latinos because ESL teachers are not likely to have the…