Biliteracy & Multilingual Readers

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Why it works

Students developing literacy in English while knowing another language are not starting from deficit: research shows that many literacy skills (phonological awareness, print concepts, comprehension strategies, background knowledge) transfer across languages, and that strong home-language literacy supports, rather than hinders, English literacy. Effective teaching builds on the home language as an asset, attends to the specific features of English that differ from the home language, and provides strong, explicit literacy instruction with language support.

The research: Research on biliteracy and cross-language transfer.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: build on multilingual assets

Teachers leave building on the home language and cross-language transfer for their readers.

For your multilingual readers, consider what literacy skills may transfer from the home language.
Plan to honor and build on the home language as an asset.
Attend to the English-specific features that may be new.
Provide strong explicit instruction with language support.

The home language is an assetLiteracy skills transfer across languages, and the home language supports English literacy. Build on it, teach the English-specific features, and support language.

Facilitator notes

Build on the home language as an asset, and leverage cross-language transfer.
Teach English-specific features, with explicit instruction and language support.
Collaborate with specialists.

The home language is not a deficitTreating another language as an obstacle, or ignoring the assets that transfer, misses what helps. Build on the home language and teach the English-specific features.

Adapt it

Elementary: build on home language, explicit instruction, oral support.
Secondary: transfer, academic language, explicit instruction.
All settings: home language as asset, explicit instruction, language support.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Biliteracy: the home language is an asset

Build on what they bring: cross-language transfer, the home language as an asset, and explicit English instruction with support.

The literacy skills that may transfer from the home language:
How I honor and build on the home language:
The English-specific features to teach:
How I provide language support:
My collaboration with language specialists:

Make it stick

Home language as asset:

Build on the home language.
Leverage transfer.
Bring a multilingual reader you supported well to the next PLC.

Common questions

Does a student's home language get in the way of learning to read English?

No, the opposite. Strong home-language skills and literacy transfer to and support English literacy. The home language is an asset, not an obstacle.

What transfers across languages?

Many skills, phonological awareness, print concepts, comprehension strategies, and background knowledge, transfer. You build on what the student already has, and teach the English-specific features.

How do I support multilingual readers?

Honor and build on the home language, provide strong explicit literacy instruction with language support, attend to features of English that differ from the home language, and collaborate with language specialists.