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Practice Guide
Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School
This practice guide provides four recommendations that address what works for English learners during reading and content area instruction. Each recommendation includes extensive examples of activities that can be used to support students as they build the language and literacy skills needed to be successful in school, including examples of how the recommendations align with Common Core and other contemporary state standards. The recommendations also summarize and rate supporting evidence. This guide is geared toward teachers, administrators, and other educators who want to improve instruction in academic content and literacy for English learners in elementary and middle school.
Audience:
- Administrators
- Policymakers
- Researchers
- School Specialist
- Teacher
This practice guide was prepared for the WWC by Instructional Research Group under contract ED-IES-12-C-0016.
The following research staff contributed to the guide: Joseph Dimino, Kelly Haymond, Russell Gersten, Madhavi Jayanthi, and Rebecca Newman-Gonchar.
-
Scott Baker
(Chair)
Center on Research and Evaluation, Southern Methodist University -
Esther Geva
University of Toronto -
Michael J. Kieffer
New York University -
Nonie Lesaux
Harvard University
-
Sylvia Linan-Thompson
University of Texas at Austin -
Joan Morris
Pasadena Unified School District -
C. Patrick Proctor
Boston College -
Randi Russell
Miami-Dade Public Schools
Video
Connecting Classroom Instruction to Learning at Home: Building Oral and Written Language Skills
December 1, 2021
This video shows how to extend elementary classroom learning to the home with two Family and Caregiver Activity Sheets:
Asking and Answering Questions About an Informational Text and Writing Note...
Video
Connecting Classroom Instruction to Learning at Home: Supporting Young English Learners to Develop Academic Vocabulary Across Content Areas
December 1, 2021
This video demonstrates how educators, families, and caregivers partnered to prepare transitional kindergarten children for classroom
lessons on sequential language and then extend this learning ...
Video
Connecting Classroom Instruction to Learning at Home: Applying Academic Vocabulary and Language to Multiple Contexts
December 1, 2021
This video focuses on how the Family and Caregiver Activity sheets Word Detective and Interviewing a Special Person can extend classroom
lessons on academic vocabulary to help elementary age Engl...
Webinar
What Works: Evidence-Based Math, Reading & Writing Tips for In-Person & Remote Instruction
July 1, 2021
What Works Clearinghouse released a webinar for educators on evidence-based practices to support math, reading, and writing instruction, as well as instructional resources to share with parents and ca...
Reference
What Works: Evidence-Based Math, Reading & Writing Tips for In-Person & Remote Instruction
July 1, 2021
What Works Clearinghouse released a webinar for educators on evidence-based practices to support math, reading, and writing instruction, as well as instructional resources to share with parents and ca...
Infographic
Evidence-Based Recommendations for Remote Writing Instruction in the Secondary Grades
October 1, 2020
This infographic provides examples from two practice guides about secondary school instruction in writing that can be implemented for free or at a low cost in remote learning settings.
Infographic
Evidence-Based Recommendations for Remote Reading Instruction in the Elementary Grades
October 1, 2020
This infographic provides examples from three practice guides about elementary school instruction in reading that can be implemented for free or at a low cost in remote learning settings.
Infographic
Evidence-Based Recommendations for Remote Writing Instruction in the Elementary Grades
October 1, 2020
This infographic provides examples from two practice guides about elementary school instruction in writing that can be implemented for free or at a low cost in remote learning settings.
Video
Teaching Newcomer English Learners: Four Powerful Vocabulary Practices
May 6, 2019
Newcomer English learner students must navigate new social structures, school systems, and cultural dynamics-while learning new content in English. One way schools can support them is by building teac...
Guide
Professional Learning Communities Facilitator's Guide
April 1, 2019
This guide is designed to assist teams of educators in applying the evidence-based strategies presented in the Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle Schoo...
Video
Early Reading Outcomes in the Pacific Region: A Focus on English Learners
February 7, 2019
Using the What Works Clearinghouse guide on Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School, this archived webinar focuses on foundational reading skills for...
Video
Improving Language Acquisition Among English Learners: Four Powerful Evidence-Based Activities
February 1, 2018
How can teachers help English learners build their language skills while they learn complex grade-level content? This REL Northwest instructional video illustrates four evidence-based practices teache...
Video
Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School, Part 1
March 25, 2015
This bridge event webinar, Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School, was hosted by the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southwest on November 10,...
Video
Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School, Part 2
March 25, 2015
This bridge event webinar, Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School, was hosted by the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southwest on November 10,...
Video
Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School, Part 3
March 25, 2015
This bridge event webinar, Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School, was hosted by the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southwest on November 10,...
Video
Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School, Part 4
March 25, 2015
This bridge event webinar, Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to EnglishLearners in Elementary and Middle School, was hosted by the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southwest on November 10, ...
Webinar
Overview of the Practice Guide
May 1, 2014
The presenters cover key recommendations in the areas of academic vocabulary, content-area material, written language, and small-group instructional intervention. The slide deck is available along wit...
The practice guide is also available in e-book format. Materials from the webinar with the practice guide panelists are also available. Click below to access any of the available resources.
Teaching Newcomer English Learners: Four Powerful Vocabulary Practices
Newcomer English learner students must navigate new social structures, school systems, and cultural dynamics-while learning new content in English.
This guide is designed to assist teams of educators in applying the evidence-based strategies presented in the Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School educator's practice guide to help K–8 English learners acquire the language and literacy skills needed to succeed academically.
This protocol guided the review of research that informed the recommendations contained in the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) updated English learner practice guide, Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School, published in April 2014.
