As educators with years of experience supporting multilingual learners (MLs) and students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE), we have seen firsthand how critical literacy skills are for academic and personal growth. The fact that literacy has become a pressing issue for educators and society at large cannot be understated. Multiple studies show that the decline in literacy skills is a recurring theme that continues to impact students across the country. Most recently, the National Literacy Institute has shown about 40 percent of students in the U.S. were unable to read at a basic level in 2023. That percentage increases to 70 percent for low-income 4th graders. Equally concerning is the data tying reading skills to behavior—60 percent of reported behavioral problems occur during reading assignments.
It comes as no surprise that MLs are also struggling with literacy development. The gap between MLs and their mainstream counterparts is not new. In fact, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, there was a significant gap between the average NAEP reading score for 4th grade EL students (190) compared to their non-EL peers (222). This trend continues at the secondary level, with 12th grade MLs scoring significantly lower (235) than their mainstream non-ML peers (288).
When it comes to SLIFE and other struggling MLs, the challenges they face when developing literacy skills are even greater, especially since many of these students are older than their peers. Generally speaking, students in the United States learn how to read at very young ages, but a growing portion of our MLs come with limited or oftentimes nonexistent reading skills, even in their native languages. Educators are forced to address these age gaps while also catering to the needs of students who are ready for a faster pace and more challenging tasks.
To address these challenges, we propose three practical strategies from our book Learning Unlimited: Strategies for Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education and Other Struggling Multilingual Learners (ASCD, 2024) that we have found successful in a variety of contexts when working with SLIFE and other struggling MLs at the secondary level.
1. Reading Comprehension Template
To promote student interactions and increase engagement during all phases of the reading process, we designed a reading comprehension template. While it can benefit all learners, the template is especially crucial when working with SLIFE and other struggling MLs.
This template is meant to engage students in a text-based academic conversation, hence the Student A–Student B format. Students would partner up in class and take turns being “Student A” and “Student B.” The questions and responses with sentence stems would enable MLs at all levels to engage in an academic dialogue about the text.
As the example below illustrates, the template includes two columns—one for text-based questions and another for student responses. Sentence stems in the response column help students interact with each other by using rigorous academic language and textual evidence.
Reading Comprehension Template
Student A | Student B |
|---|---|
| 1. What is the title of the text? | The title of the text is ________________ . |
| 2. Who are the main characters? | The main characters are _____________ . |
| 3. Choose one character. What are his/her strengths? | ___________’s strengths are… |
| 4. What textual evidence supports your answer? | According to the text, “.... |
| 5. What are the weaknesses of your chosen character? | ___________’s weaknesses are… |
| 6. What textual evidence supports your answer? | Based on the text, “... |
| 7. How are you and your chosen character similar or different? | We are similar/different because… |
This template allows students to practice their language skills in all four language domains (reading, writing, listening, and speaking), by first reading and responding to the text in writing, and afterwards sharing their responses orally with their partner and listening to their answers.
We use this template as a during-reading or after-reading activity, depending on our instructional goals. In terms of grouping techniques, students can discuss their reading responses in pairs or with the class at large using the “concentric circles” or “slide and glide/speed dating” format. Through the use of strategic questioning, aligned to the specific objectives of the lesson, this tool acts as a formative assessment for checking reading comprehension by allowing teachers to monitor student learning and provide ongoing feedback.
2. True/False Evidence from Text Template
Unlike traditional true/false exercises, this next template encourages SLIFE and struggling MLs to justify their answers using textual evidence. During textual analysis, students evaluate text-based statements and identify evidence from the text that supports their answers. This strategy focuses on citing textual evidence to support claims and interacting with peers using complex academic discourse.
When using this strategy, we pre-select text-based statements and include them in the first column of the template. Students then analyze the statements and decide if they are true or false, justifying their answers using textual evidence.
In the second column, students write their responses using the provided sentence stems. To promote text-based discussion, students can complete the activity as a turn-and-talk or a think-write-pair-share exercise. In this example, we used the template in conjunction with an informational text on the pros and cons of technology.
True/False Evidence from Text Template Example
Statement | True/False Evidence from Text |
|---|---|
| 1. Cell phones and cars are examples of technology we use every day. | Ex.: This is true because the text says, “When we use our cell phones, drive our cars, or use our computers, we are using technology.” |
| 2. Everyone agrees that technology is beneficial to our lives. | This is ______ because the text says, “ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________” |
| 3. Technology can make communication with people we love quicker. | This is ______ because the text says, “ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________” |
| 4. Driving cars is better for the environment. | This is ______ because the text says, “ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________” |
3. Turn & Talk Template
Lastly, we developed our turn-and-talk template to maximize opportunities for both student-to-student interaction and the use of academic language. The greatest benefit of this template is that it allows for higher student engagement by eliminating the teacher question- student response cycle. Because these questions and sentence stems are created in advance, they can be crafted to be especially deliberate and strategic. This strategy also allows for differentiation in mixed-level classrooms since the sentence stems can be easily changed or removed.
Another advantage of this tool is its simplicity in design and use. Like the reading comprehension template, this template consists of one column for Student A and one for Student B. This template is meant to be “completed” orally, although writing a response could be done as an extension activity.
When implementing this strategy in our classes, we use or create questions that match the objectives of our lesson. We then think about how we would respond to the same questions. What language would indicate a well-crafted response? The answers we come up with can serve as the sentence stems in column B. Before asking students to turn and talk, we model the use of this template by taking on the role of Student A and asking one or two questions to a student volunteer. Then we switch roles. When students are ready, they will take turns turning and talking with a peer. The following example shows a turn and talk template designed to be used in conjunction with a picture.
Turn-and-Talk Template: Making Observations, Inferences, and Predictions
Student A (Question) | Student B (Response) |
|---|---|
| 1. What can you see in this picture? | I can see ______________. I observe ______________. I notice _______________. |
| 2. Based on the picture, what inferences can you make? | Based on the picture, I can infer ______________ . |
| 3. Based on the picture, what do you think will happen next? | Based on the picture, I predict that ______________ . |
From Statistics to Success
Focusing on student engagement is paramount when it comes to literacy instruction. This is especially true in the case of SLIFE and struggling MLs, who benefit from the systematic integration of the four language domains as they develop their literacy skills. Since we have started implementing these strategies, we have seen a steady increase in our students’ performance on not only classroom assessments but also standardized tests. Rather than “being the statistics,” our students rewrite the definition of what’s achievable for SLIFE and struggling MLs. We are confident that your students can, too! Our goal is that you will see how the literacy strategies we outlined above come together to optimize learning, like pieces of a puzzle forming a bigger picture. We trust that you will be able to adapt these strategies to fit the needs of your own students and truly make them your own. Above all, we hope that you continue to believe in the unlimited potential of your students.
Learning Unlimited
Practical strategies tailored to students with limited or interrupted formal education and other struggling multilingual learners to ensure their academic success and personal growth.
