Resources/Recursos

This video walks through how to closely analyze biographies — helping students uncover key life events, make sense of structure, and understand how personal and historical context shape a person's story. It offers clear strategies for interpreting and discussing biographical texts in a thoughtful, meaningful way.

Released November 2025

This short video gives clear, practical strategies for guiding students through rich and meaningful discussions around texts. It highlights how to build a safe discussion environment, ask powerful questions, and help students support their ideas with evidence — all to deepen their critical thinking and engagement.

Released November 2025

This WIDA Webinar explores five critical, research-based aspects or “guideposts” of reading instruction for multilingual learners. An overview of the current research, strategies and tips for how it translates to classroom instruction are included for each guidepost.

Released October 2024

This video features Carmen, an elementary teacher in Minnesota. Even though she is required to teach from a prescribed curriculum, she still engages students in building personal connections to the text by connecting to students’ home literacy experiences and their emotions. Watch Carmen work with her small group of 2nd graders prior to reading a text on the lunar landing.

Released October 2024

This reading focused observation tool supports educators to observe a student engaging in activities related to reading comprehension in any content area. Use the tool to observe the student during activities that are structured in different ways; for example during teacher-led, whole-group instruction and during small group or independent activities.

Released September 2024

A home and community literacy mapping activity supports students to see the literacy in their daily lives and enables the teacher to learn about their students’ literacy assets. Use this resource to plan a literacy mapping activity with your students.

Released August 2024

A reader portrait is a chance to reflect on what you understand about a student’s reading and what you could learn more about. Use this activity to connect what you already know, questions you have, English language development (ELD) data in all domains, and what you know about the student’s home language(s).

Released August 2024

This reading-focused conferencing tool helps plan a one-on-one conversation with a student about how they understand a text. Use this tool alongside one or two teacher-selected text excerpts.

Released August 2024

This document offers a brief synthesis of research to shed light on and help make sense of the reading research and how it applies to multilingual learners. It focuses on five essential components, or guideposts, to guide equitable literacy instruction for multilingual learners.

Released August 2024

Across the country, educators are working to improve students' reading, but many of the programs and approaches in use were not designed to take into account the unique needs and assets of multilingual learners. This Focus Bulletin shares classroom-ready resources, as well as examples and video from classrooms where educators are working to expand reading instruction to make it more inclusive and more effective for multilingual students.

Released February 2024

Many literacy programs were not designed to effectively use multilingual students’ knowledge, skills, and strengths. This Snapshot is the first in a five-part series that provides insights from relevant research and suggests ways to engage the significant strengths that multilingual learners bring to their literacy development. 

Released January 2024

Many literacy programs were not designed to effectively use multilingual students’ knowledge, skills, and strengths. This Snapshot is the second in a five-part series that provides insights from relevant research and suggests ways to engage the significant strengths that multilingual learners bring to their literacy development. 

Released January 2024

Many literacy programs were not designed to effectively use multilingual students’ knowledge, skills, and strengths. This Snapshot is the fourth in a five-part series that provides insights from relevant research and suggests ways to engage the significant strengths that multilingual learners bring to their literacy development. 

Released January 2024

Many literacy programs were not designed to effectively use multilingual students’ knowledge, skills, and strengths. This Snapshot is the third in a five-part series that provides insights from relevant research and suggests ways to engage the significant strengths that multilingual learners bring to their literacy development. 

Released January 2024

Many literacy programs were not designed to effectively use multilingual students’ knowledge, skills, and strengths. This Snapshot is the fifth in a five-part series that provides insights from relevant research and suggests ways to engage the significant strengths that multilingual learners bring to their literacy development. 

Released January 2024