Supporting Multilingual Learners
Research shows that integrating English language development with content instruction is highly effective. Arts & Letters™ is designed to deliver high-quality, grade-level content through engaging topics and rich texts, benefiting all students, especially multilingual learners. Integrated supports address multilingual student needs before, during, and after lessons. This ensures their full participation in all activities and discussions alongside peers, to develop strong foundations in knowledge and literacy skills.
Embedded Differentiation
Arts & Letters emphasizes high-quality core instruction with these built-in tools:
- Differentiation strategies support students of all abilities, including multilingual learners. Differentiation Supports provide teachers with strategies to scaffold instruction, helping all students meet grade-level expectations.
- Differentiation Challenges offer strategies to explore content at a higher level of complexity, providing extension opportunities for students who are ready for advanced learning.
- Language Supports can also be found in core Arts & Letters lessons and provide ideas and scaffolds to support students.
Spanish Support Materials
At the core of Arts & Letters is a commitment to robust knowledge building for all students. Throughout the curriculum, embedded supports address multilingual learners' language needs before, during, and after core ELA lessons, with translated materials available to provide additional access points for Spanish-speaking students.
Every student's path to literacy is unique, especially for multilingual learners. That's why we've created Prologue, a companion for Arts & Letters that provides teachers with supplemental lessons that strategically introduce key language concepts early, establishing a solid foundation for background knowledge and the opportunity to preview and practice essential literacy skills.
Designed to be taught before correlated Arts & Letters lessons, each 30-minute Prologue lesson provides students with tailored scaffolds and ensures they are well-prepared to engage with and master grade-level material. This proactive approach ensures that all students can fully participate in class with their peers, receiving the guidance they need ahead of time to succeed.
Prologue includes an overview of instructional context, key learning objectives in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills, and guidance on learning, preparation, and teaching. Prologue also aligns with English Language Development Standards, World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA), and English Language Proficiency (ELP), providing a clear framework for lesson planning and delivery.
Language Connections in Prologue build on students' home language knowledge to support English learning, valuing their native language as a strength.
The program offers scaffolds for beginners to develop their English skills and expansions for more proficient students to advance further.
Bridging Classroom and Community: Family Engagement Tools
To foster deeper connections for multilingual learners, Arts & Letters invites families and caregivers to participate in their child’s learning.
Family Welcome Letters
This letter introduces families to Arts & Letters and is available in many different languages.
Tips for Families
Module-level tip sheets will provide topic information, a list of all texts students will read in the module, sample questions to ask, and other activities to extend students' thinking at home.
Multilingual Glossaries
The glossaries will be available in multiple languages, and provide high-quality translations of vocabulary words in each lesson.