Appendix A: Guiding Questions

Guidance for Teaching Literacy in Multilingual Settings

Appendix A: Guiding Questions (PDF)

Guiding Questions for Planning Biliteracy Instruction

The intent of the Guidance for Teaching Literacy in Multilingual Settings is to support the planning and delivery of effective biliteracy instruction. Since each school and grade level context is unique, it is imperative that teaching and leadership teams coordinate their efforts and engage in shared decision-making and collaboration to achieve a coherent, articulated, and aligned multilingual program experience for optimal student outcomes.

The following questions serve as a tool to support instructional planning. Choose the questions that assist in these conversations or choose all, based on the goals of the planning discussion.

Program Structure

• What is the program model?
• Who are the students in the program, i.e., is this a one-way or two-way model based on student enrollment?
• What is the language allocation plan?
  • How and when are biliteracy skills mapped across grade levels in both languages for students’ full biliteracy development across instructional years in the program?
  • Which content areas are taught in each or both languages within the grade level and across program years?
  • As part of daily or weekly instruction, how is each subject area addressed so that content knowledge is developed equally in both languages by the end of the program: language arts/literacy, partner language development, English language development, mathematics, science, history–social science, the arts, health, and physical education, etc.?
  • How much instructional time is dedicated to literacy skills in both languages, and when, so that students are supported to achieve biliteracy in both program languages?
  • Is there consensus horizontally within grade level teams and vertically across grade levels about the allocation of instructional minutes for each language and content area and the trajectory or progression over time?

Instruction and Assessment

• How are reading, writing, listening, and speaking integrated within lessons and units as part of Tier One instruction?
• Does the literacy concept, skill, or understanding positively transfer across program languages?
• How can lessons link the concepts, skills, or understandings to facilitate contrastive analysis (bridging) between the two languages?
• Which skills or concepts are students applying or approximating (making intentional, imperfect attempts at a new skill or practice) in the partner language and in English?
• Which skills or concepts are not transferable and will need targeted, direct instruction in a specific language?
• How are students grouped for each content area during Tier One instruction?
• How is learning assessed in each content area?
• How are instruction and support differentiated for students based on developmental, experiential, linguistic, or intermittent needs?
• How are gaps in learning in either language addressed in whole group, small group, or one-on-one teaching as part of Tier One and Tier Two instruction?
• What does the partnership look like between bilingual classroom teachers providing core biliteracy instruction and the bilingual resource specialist team (interventionists, special education support, individualized education program [IEP] team, counselors, etc.) assigned to support to meet all students’ needs?

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