Reading - A World of Language Learners

Decodable Books for MLs

October 11, 2026 aworldoflanguagelearners Comments 0 Comment

Decodable Books for MLs: The Importance of Decoding with Meaning What are Decodables? Decodables are books or passages that have controlled text. The words are simple to decode based on phonics skills that students have learned. They typically follow a sequence of skill progression such as consonants and short vowels, blends and digraphs, long vowels, affixes. MLs benefit from using decodables because they are able to successfully sound out most of the words they are reading independently. This gives…

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Best Back To School Books For Multilingual Learners

August 23, 2026 aworldoflanguagelearners Comments 3 comments

The beginning of the school year is a great time to read back to school books, including those about starting at a new school, culture, respect, names, and identity. Diverse back to school books that feature a range of characters allow students to see their own and other cultures represented. It is especially important for MLs to read and listen to books where they see characters similar to themselves represented. Here are some diverse back-to-school books to use for a…

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How to Use Patterned Texts with MLs

August 31, 2025 aworldoflanguagelearners Comments 0 Comment

Predictable or patterned texts can be a helpful tool for multilingual learners (MLs) in the ELD classroom. While these books often support language development through repeated sentence structures and high-frequency vocabulary, they often include words that are challenging for students to decode independently. Because of this, patterned texts are not typically the best fit for guided reading with beginning readers until they have developed the necessary phonics skills and sight word knowledge. Instead, ELD teachers can use these books during…

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Summer Books

June 23, 2025 aworldoflanguagelearners Comments 0 Comment

Get kids excited about reading during the summer with these fun summer-themed fiction and nonfiction books. Students will enjoy reading about the ocean, camping, and summer traditions. Many of the characters come from immigrant families or have family members that live in other countries. For more ideas about helping children read over the summer check out my Summer Reading Tips for ELLs. Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click on…

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Word Building with MLs

February 17, 2025 aworldoflanguagelearners Comments 0 Comment

Word building activities are a hands-on way for students to practice phonics skills. Breaking apart or putting together words helps students focus on the individual sounds that letters or letter combinations make. Students can use word puzzles such as word chains or word ladders. The activities are fun for students as they learn how to read. They also include both phonemic awareness and phonics practice. For MLs, it is helpful to include pictures of the words that you are using,…

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Setting Language Goals with MLs

December 29, 2024 aworldoflanguagelearners Comments 0 Comment

Goal setting is helpful for students to reflect on their learning. Students can set goals at any point in the year. Setting language goals for Multilingual Learners (MLs) is particularly beneficial at the beginning of the school year, at the beginning of the calendar year, and before beginning WIDA or other language testing. For English Language Learners (ELLs), setting a language goal helps them to become aware of how they are progressing in learning the English Language. This can look…

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Ten Fall Books for MLs

September 22, 2024 aworldoflanguagelearners Comments 2 comments

Here is a collection of books for read-alouds, text sets, and mentor texts to use during the fall season. These books feature diverse characters and have vivid illustrations. Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click on an Amazon link and make a purchase. This does not cost you any extra money. Autumn Story Books Hiking Day– Follow a family as they hike up Hickory Hill and reach the summit. They see…

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Fall Decodable Text

September 17, 2023 aworldoflanguagelearners Comments 0 Comment

Decodable texts are a valuable tool for students still learning to decode in English. Decodable texts give students the tools that they need to be successful when they are reading. A connected theme allows students to build background knowledge as they read. They will be exposed to similar vocabulary words and be able to use their background knowledge to determine the meaning of new words. Here is a list of fall decodable texts. What makes a text decodable? A student…

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Using sentence starters and sentence frames with MLs

Sentence Starters and Frames for MLs

July 15, 2023 aworldoflanguagelearners Comments 1 comment

Using sentence starters and sentence frames is one strategy to support students in speaking, reading, and writing. A sentence starter is when you give students the beginning part of a sentence and they fill in the rest. A sentence frame is when there are blanks inside a sentence that students fill in. Here are some ways to use sentence stems and frames as a scaffold to support your multilingual learners (MLs). Sentence stems are helpful for getting students started with…

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Summer Learning Tips for ELLs

June 4, 2023 aworldoflanguagelearners Comments 0 Comment

Encourage students to continue learning throughout the summer. Here are some summer learning ideas to help kids have fun and keep learning to share with parents or use in a summer school program. Practice Native Language It might seem counterintuitive, but the summertime is a great opportunity for ELLs to practice their home language. International trips this year might still be postponed. Students can practice speaking their native language at home, reading books in their native language, or learning how…

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