Teaching need

Multilingual Learners

Support language development and content learning with clear language objectives, models, and participation options.

Choose a route

Use the question that best matches the decision in front of you; the labels and filters below narrow the library without implying that one method fits every context.

Write the content objective and the language students must understand or produce.
Choose models, interaction, and multilingual resources that preserve the content target.
Collect observable language and content evidence without treating home-language use as a deficit.

Suggested starting sequence

Academic Language Across the Curriculum: Task Demands, Models, and Evidence
Identify the academic-language demands of one content task.
How to Write ELD Standards in a Lesson Plan
Connect the applicable ELD standard to a content objective and observable language evidence.
Bridging Language and Content: A Practical Guide to the SIOP Model
Use the SIOP components to plan input, interaction, practice, and review for that lesson.

Recent hub updates

Updated July 19, 2026: added a decision aid, starting sequence, resource filters, preparation labels, and a subtopic map.

Recently expanded guides:

How to Write ELD Standards in a Lesson Plan — 2026-07-20
Bridging Language and Content: A Practical Guide to the SIOP Model — 2026-07-20

Multilingual Learners · Planning guide · 20 minutes

Academic Language Across the Curriculum: Task Demands, Models, and Evidence

Identify the vocabulary, sentence patterns, and discussion moves a subject task requires, then plan instruction and progress checks across content areas.

Best for: Cross-curricular teacher teams

Next action: Choose one upcoming task and write the vocabulary, sentence frame, and discussion move students need to complete it.

Learner participation and practice

Multilingual Learners · Lesson framework and examples · 30 minutes

Adult ESL Lesson Plans: Practical Framework and Examples

Plan an adult ESL lesson around a real language use, explicit objective, model, guided practice, accessible materials, and a brief performance check.

Best for: Adult ESL instructors

Next action: Write one real-world language objective and the final speaking, listening, reading, or writing evidence before choosing activities.

Planning and design

Multilingual Learners · Model implementation guide · 25–35 minutes

Bridging Language and Content: A Practical Guide to the SIOP Model

Use the SIOP framework to connect content and language objectives with comprehensible input, interaction, practice, review, and observable lesson evidence.

Best for: Teachers planning language-rich content lessons

Next action: Write one content objective and one language objective, then identify where students will practice and demonstrate both.

Learner participation and practice

Multilingual Learners · Planning template · 25 minutes

How to Write ELD Standards in a Lesson Plan

Write an ELD standard into a lesson plan by linking language function, language demand, proficiency support, content objective, and observable evidence.

Best for: Teachers planning integrated or designated ELD

Next action: Choose the applicable ELD standard and write the language students will produce to demonstrate the content objective.

Planning and design

Multilingual Learners · Planning guide · 20–30 minutes

Translanguaging Strategies: Language Access, Choice, and Task Evidence

Plan translanguaging with a clear content and language purpose, multilingual resources, participation choices, accurate language support, and observable evidence.

Best for: Teachers planning for multilingual learners

Next action: Choose one task and decide where home-language discussion, annotation, or drafting supports the objective without changing the final evidence.

Access and support

Multilingual Learners · Vocabulary planning guide · 20 minutes

Vocabulary Instruction: Opportunity, Morphology, Context, and Retrieval

Review vocabulary opportunity without deficit labels, then plan explicit word teaching, morphology, context, retrieval, wide reading, and access to rich language.

Best for: Teachers planning explicit vocabulary instruction

Next action: Choose three high-value words from an upcoming text and plan meaning, morphology, examples, use, and later retrieval for each.

Subject teaching