Supporting Emergent Bilingual Learners Through Language-Rich Instruction
A practical, classroom-ready professional learning experience
Start
Introduction
Teaching emergent bilingual learners means teaching both content and language at the same time. In many classrooms, students’ only opportunity to use academic English happens during the lesson itself. When language demands are not anticipated, students may disengage—not because they lack ability, but because they lack access. This module focuses on proactive, language-rich instructional moves that help students participate, explain their thinking, and access grade-level learning without lowering expectations.
Start!
Objectives
Identify key language demands in grade-level instructional tasks. Select classroom-ready language supports aligned to lesson goals. Apply targeted language supports during instruction to increase participation and comprehension. Reflect on instructional decisions related to language scaffolding and student access.
Sections Overview
This module is organized into six short sections. Each section focuses on one instructional action that supports language access during instruction.
Section 4: Support
Section 1: Identify
Section 5: Engage
Section 2: Select
Section 6: Check
Section 3: Model
Before students struggle, effective teachers identify the language demands within a task. Most grade-level activities require more than content knowledge. Students will need to explain thinking, compare ideas, and use academic vocabulary. Identifying these demands in advance allows teachers to plan supports that improve access while maintaining rigor.
Section 1: Identify Language Demands
What it IS
Structured Student Talk
classroom example
What it is NOT
Identify
Looking closely at what students are being asked to read, say, write, or listen to, not just what content they are learning. This includes noticing verbs like explain, justify, compare, or analyze, as well as sentence length, vocabulary load, and expectations for academic talk.
It is not simplifying the task, lowering rigor, or waiting for confusion to occur. It is also not guessing which students might struggle. Instead, it is a proactive planning step that benefits all learners, especially emergent bilinguals.
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Quick Explain to a Partner Students tell a partner what key words mean using their own words. Why it works: Saying ideas aloud exposes misunderstandings before instruction begins.
In a science lesson, students are asked to “explain how energy is transferred in a system.” The content is energy transfer, but the language demand includes explaining cause and effect, using academic vocabulary, and forming complete, logical sentences.
Which Language Demand Comes First?
You are planning a grade-level lesson for emergent bilingual students. Review the instructional task below and order the language demands from most critical to least critical for student success.
Reflection
Selecting language supports means choosing one or two intentional strategies that directly match the language demand of the task — not adding every support you know.
Section 2: Select the Right Support
Classroom Example
What it IS
What it is NOT
Structured Student Talk
Choosing supports that align to the language demand, not just the content Matching strategies to the purpose of the task Being intentional, not reactive
Adding sentence stems “just in case” Over-scaffolding to the point that thinking is removed Using the same supports for every lesson
Students explain the main cause of a historical event. Language Demand: Explaining cause-and-effect using academic language. Selected Supports:
- Cause-and-effect sentence frames
- A short modeled example using academic vocabulary
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
select
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Written Rehearsal Before Speaking: Students write one complete response using a language support before sharing. Why it works: Writing lowers pressure while strengthening academic language accuracy.
Which Supports fit best?
Which TWO supports best match the language demand of this task?
Emergent bilingual learners need to see and hear what strong academic language sounds like before they can use it independently. Modeling gives students a clear example of how to respond, explain, or participate using grade-level language.
Section 3: Make Academic Language Visible
Structured Student Talk
Classroom Example
What it IS
What it is NOT
Modeling is when the teacher explicitly demonstrates the language students are expected to use during a task, discussion, or written response. This includes sentence structure, vocabulary, and academic phrasing—not just the content answer.
It is not giving students the answer, simplifying the task, or assuming they will “pick it up” by listening to others or guessing how to respond. It is also not repeating directions louder or more slowly without explicitly showing the language students need.
During a science lesson on life cycles, the teacher models an oral response before partner talk: “The butterfly changes during its life cycle. First, it starts as an egg. Next, it becomes a caterpillar. Finally, it turns into a butterfly.” The teacher then invites students to practice using the same sentence structure with their partner.
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
Choral Completion: Students orally complete a modeled sentence together as a class. Why it works: Choral responses build confidence and fluency without singling out students.
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
model
Teacher Modeling Example: Grade 3 Classroom
Reflection
Match-the-Pairs
Explore different ways teachers model academic language during instruction.
Reflection
Putting It Together: Language Support in Action
During a math lesson, students are solving multi-step word problems involving fractions. The task requires students to read a complex problem, determine which operation to use, and explain their reasoning in writing. Several students understand the math but struggle to explain their thinking clearly.
Model
Select
Identify
Reflection
Supporting emergent bilingual learners does not mean simplifying content. It means providing scaffolds that help students engage with grade-level thinking while reducing unnecessary language barriers. Effective supports clarify expectations, highlight key ideas, and guide student thinking—without doing the thinking for them. These supports should be temporary, intentional, and closely aligned to the task students are expected to complete.
Section 4: Scaffolds that Maintain Rigor
Classroom Example
Structured Student Talk
What it IS
What it is NOT
support
Support means adding temporary scaffolds that help students access complex tasks while maintaining rigor. These may include structured sentence frames, visual references, anchor charts, guided steps, or discussion protocols that support academic language use.
Explain Using a Visual: Students point to a visual and explain their thinking using academic language. Why it works: Visuals reduce cognitive load while supporting precise language use.
During a lesson on comparing fractions, the teacher provides a visual fraction model and a comparison sentence frame: “I know ___ is greater than ___ because ___.” Students must still analyze the fractions and justify their reasoning, but the support helps them communicate their thinking clearly.
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Support is not reducing the task, giving answers, or over-scaffolding. When supports replace thinking or stay in place too long, they limit student growth instead of increasing access.
True or False?
You are teaching an ELAR lesson where students must explain how a character’s actions affect the plot. You provide students with a sentence frame and a short list of academic verbs (e.g., contributes, leads to, results in) to support their written response.
Emergent bilingual learners need structured opportunities to use academic language, not just hear it. When students talk, explain, and respond to one another, they process content more deeply and build confidence using language in authentic ways. Engaging students does not mean calling on volunteers or hoping discussion happens naturally. It means intentionally planning when, how, and with whom students will talk so language use is purposeful and supported.
Section 5: Engage Students in Meaningful Academic Talk
Classroom Example
Structured Student Talk
What it IS
What it is NOT
Engaging EB learners means planning structured opportunities for students to speak, explain, and respond using academic language. This includes partner talk, sentence-supported responses, and guided discussion routines tied to the lesson goal.
In a kindergarten ELAR lesson, students turn and talk about a picture from a shared text. The teacher provides a simple sentence frame such as, “I see ___ because ___.” Students practice saying their sentence to a partner before sharing with the class, allowing all learners to use academic language in a supported way.
Agree or Disagree with Evidence: Students state whether they agree or disagree and explain why using a sentence frame. Why it works: Defending ideas increases language output and deeper thinking.
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
engage
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Engagement is not calling on the same few students, asking yes-or-no questions, or assuming students will talk without support. It is also not unstructured “turn and talk” without a clear language purpose.
which option best supports engagement?
sort language use
Academic language develops through use, not exposure. For many students, the classroom is the only space where they can practice using academic English. Structured opportunities to talk, explain, and write are not extras—they are essential for access, understanding, and growth.
Checking for understanding allows teachers to adjust instruction before misunderstandings become barriers. For emergent bilingual learners, this means using quick, language-supported checks that reveal what students know—not just who is confident enough to speak. Effective checks are brief, intentional, and embedded within instruction so teachers can respond immediately.
Section 6: Check for Understanding in Real Time
Structured Student Talk
Classroom Example
What it IS
What it is NOT
Short, frequent checks during instruction Uses visuals, gestures, sentence frames, or choices Helps teachers decide what to clarify, model, or revisit
The teacher asks students to respond on whiteboards or in notebooks and show their answers at the same time. By scanning responses, the teacher quickly identifies misunderstandings, models or clarifies as needed, and continues instruction with appropriate supports.
Justify in Writing: Students write one sentence explaining how they know their answer is correct. Why it works: Written justification reveals both language use and conceptual understanding.
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Moving on without language evidence Waiting until the end of the lesson or test Calling on the same few volunteers Assuming silence means understanding
check
True or False?
Applying what you know
This final assessment asks you to apply what you’ve learned to a real classroom scenario. For each question, choose the response that best reflects proactive planning, intentional language support, and instructional decisions that help emergent bilingual learners access grade-level content.
Applying what you know
This final assessment asks you to apply what you’ve learned to a real classroom scenario. For each question, choose the response that best reflects proactive planning, intentional language support, and instructional decisions that help emergent bilingual learners access grade-level content.
Congratulations
You have completed the course!
Please take a moment to complete the end of course survey by following the link below.
Quick Reflection
When planning a lesson like this, which step—Identify, Select, or Model—do you most often overlook?
Quick Reflection
After modeling academic language, how might student participation or confidence change during discussion compared to when no model is provided?
Quick Reflection
Identifying language demands early helps you plan supports before students get stuck—saving time during instruction and increasing participation for emergent bilingual learners.
Identify
What language demands are present?
Students must interpret academic vocabulary, follow complex sentence structures, and explain mathematical reasoning using complete sentences.
Correct!
Effective instruction includes both receptive and productive language opportunities. Students must hear academic language before they can successfully use it—but growth happens when they are required to produce it.
Almost there.
Revisit which actions ask students to take in language and which ask them to produce it. Both are important, but they serve different purposes in learning.
Quick Reflection
Which modeling strategy might you to try this week?
Select
Which language supports fit best?
Targeted supports include clarifying key vocabulary, providing structured sentence frames for explanations, and modeling how to organize reasoning using math-specific language.
Model
What does the teacher model?
The teacher verbally models how to think through the problem and explain the solution step-by-step, using precise math language and complete sentences while solving an example.
Supporting Emergent Bilingual Learners Through Language-Rich Instruction
Stephanie Brady
Created on January 2, 2026
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Transcript
Supporting Emergent Bilingual Learners Through Language-Rich Instruction
A practical, classroom-ready professional learning experience
Start
Introduction
Teaching emergent bilingual learners means teaching both content and language at the same time. In many classrooms, students’ only opportunity to use academic English happens during the lesson itself. When language demands are not anticipated, students may disengage—not because they lack ability, but because they lack access. This module focuses on proactive, language-rich instructional moves that help students participate, explain their thinking, and access grade-level learning without lowering expectations.
Start!
Objectives
Identify key language demands in grade-level instructional tasks. Select classroom-ready language supports aligned to lesson goals. Apply targeted language supports during instruction to increase participation and comprehension. Reflect on instructional decisions related to language scaffolding and student access.
Sections Overview
This module is organized into six short sections. Each section focuses on one instructional action that supports language access during instruction.
Section 4: Support
Section 1: Identify
Section 5: Engage
Section 2: Select
Section 6: Check
Section 3: Model
Before students struggle, effective teachers identify the language demands within a task. Most grade-level activities require more than content knowledge. Students will need to explain thinking, compare ideas, and use academic vocabulary. Identifying these demands in advance allows teachers to plan supports that improve access while maintaining rigor.
Section 1: Identify Language Demands
What it IS
Structured Student Talk
classroom example
What it is NOT
Identify
Looking closely at what students are being asked to read, say, write, or listen to, not just what content they are learning. This includes noticing verbs like explain, justify, compare, or analyze, as well as sentence length, vocabulary load, and expectations for academic talk.
It is not simplifying the task, lowering rigor, or waiting for confusion to occur. It is also not guessing which students might struggle. Instead, it is a proactive planning step that benefits all learners, especially emergent bilinguals.
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Quick Explain to a Partner Students tell a partner what key words mean using their own words. Why it works: Saying ideas aloud exposes misunderstandings before instruction begins.
In a science lesson, students are asked to “explain how energy is transferred in a system.” The content is energy transfer, but the language demand includes explaining cause and effect, using academic vocabulary, and forming complete, logical sentences.
Which Language Demand Comes First?
You are planning a grade-level lesson for emergent bilingual students. Review the instructional task below and order the language demands from most critical to least critical for student success.
Reflection
Selecting language supports means choosing one or two intentional strategies that directly match the language demand of the task — not adding every support you know.
Section 2: Select the Right Support
Classroom Example
What it IS
What it is NOT
Structured Student Talk
Choosing supports that align to the language demand, not just the content Matching strategies to the purpose of the task Being intentional, not reactive
Adding sentence stems “just in case” Over-scaffolding to the point that thinking is removed Using the same supports for every lesson
Students explain the main cause of a historical event. Language Demand: Explaining cause-and-effect using academic language. Selected Supports:
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
select
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Written Rehearsal Before Speaking: Students write one complete response using a language support before sharing. Why it works: Writing lowers pressure while strengthening academic language accuracy.
Which Supports fit best?
Which TWO supports best match the language demand of this task?
Emergent bilingual learners need to see and hear what strong academic language sounds like before they can use it independently. Modeling gives students a clear example of how to respond, explain, or participate using grade-level language.
Section 3: Make Academic Language Visible
Structured Student Talk
Classroom Example
What it IS
What it is NOT
Modeling is when the teacher explicitly demonstrates the language students are expected to use during a task, discussion, or written response. This includes sentence structure, vocabulary, and academic phrasing—not just the content answer.
It is not giving students the answer, simplifying the task, or assuming they will “pick it up” by listening to others or guessing how to respond. It is also not repeating directions louder or more slowly without explicitly showing the language students need.
During a science lesson on life cycles, the teacher models an oral response before partner talk: “The butterfly changes during its life cycle. First, it starts as an egg. Next, it becomes a caterpillar. Finally, it turns into a butterfly.” The teacher then invites students to practice using the same sentence structure with their partner.
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
Choral Completion: Students orally complete a modeled sentence together as a class. Why it works: Choral responses build confidence and fluency without singling out students.
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
model
Teacher Modeling Example: Grade 3 Classroom
Reflection
Match-the-Pairs
Explore different ways teachers model academic language during instruction.
Reflection
Putting It Together: Language Support in Action
During a math lesson, students are solving multi-step word problems involving fractions. The task requires students to read a complex problem, determine which operation to use, and explain their reasoning in writing. Several students understand the math but struggle to explain their thinking clearly.
Model
Select
Identify
Reflection
Supporting emergent bilingual learners does not mean simplifying content. It means providing scaffolds that help students engage with grade-level thinking while reducing unnecessary language barriers. Effective supports clarify expectations, highlight key ideas, and guide student thinking—without doing the thinking for them. These supports should be temporary, intentional, and closely aligned to the task students are expected to complete.
Section 4: Scaffolds that Maintain Rigor
Classroom Example
Structured Student Talk
What it IS
What it is NOT
support
Support means adding temporary scaffolds that help students access complex tasks while maintaining rigor. These may include structured sentence frames, visual references, anchor charts, guided steps, or discussion protocols that support academic language use.
Explain Using a Visual: Students point to a visual and explain their thinking using academic language. Why it works: Visuals reduce cognitive load while supporting precise language use.
During a lesson on comparing fractions, the teacher provides a visual fraction model and a comparison sentence frame: “I know ___ is greater than ___ because ___.” Students must still analyze the fractions and justify their reasoning, but the support helps them communicate their thinking clearly.
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Support is not reducing the task, giving answers, or over-scaffolding. When supports replace thinking or stay in place too long, they limit student growth instead of increasing access.
True or False?
You are teaching an ELAR lesson where students must explain how a character’s actions affect the plot. You provide students with a sentence frame and a short list of academic verbs (e.g., contributes, leads to, results in) to support their written response.
Emergent bilingual learners need structured opportunities to use academic language, not just hear it. When students talk, explain, and respond to one another, they process content more deeply and build confidence using language in authentic ways. Engaging students does not mean calling on volunteers or hoping discussion happens naturally. It means intentionally planning when, how, and with whom students will talk so language use is purposeful and supported.
Section 5: Engage Students in Meaningful Academic Talk
Classroom Example
Structured Student Talk
What it IS
What it is NOT
Engaging EB learners means planning structured opportunities for students to speak, explain, and respond using academic language. This includes partner talk, sentence-supported responses, and guided discussion routines tied to the lesson goal.
In a kindergarten ELAR lesson, students turn and talk about a picture from a shared text. The teacher provides a simple sentence frame such as, “I see ___ because ___.” Students practice saying their sentence to a partner before sharing with the class, allowing all learners to use academic language in a supported way.
Agree or Disagree with Evidence: Students state whether they agree or disagree and explain why using a sentence frame. Why it works: Defending ideas increases language output and deeper thinking.
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
engage
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Engagement is not calling on the same few students, asking yes-or-no questions, or assuming students will talk without support. It is also not unstructured “turn and talk” without a clear language purpose.
which option best supports engagement?
sort language use
Academic language develops through use, not exposure. For many students, the classroom is the only space where they can practice using academic English. Structured opportunities to talk, explain, and write are not extras—they are essential for access, understanding, and growth.
Checking for understanding allows teachers to adjust instruction before misunderstandings become barriers. For emergent bilingual learners, this means using quick, language-supported checks that reveal what students know—not just who is confident enough to speak. Effective checks are brief, intentional, and embedded within instruction so teachers can respond immediately.
Section 6: Check for Understanding in Real Time
Structured Student Talk
Classroom Example
What it IS
What it is NOT
Short, frequent checks during instruction Uses visuals, gestures, sentence frames, or choices Helps teachers decide what to clarify, model, or revisit
The teacher asks students to respond on whiteboards or in notebooks and show their answers at the same time. By scanning responses, the teacher quickly identifies misunderstandings, models or clarifies as needed, and continues instruction with appropriate supports.
Justify in Writing: Students write one sentence explaining how they know their answer is correct. Why it works: Written justification reveals both language use and conceptual understanding.
Joint work towards a common goal, sharing responsibilities and achievements.
Ability to understand emotions and points of view of others in the work context.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Ability to identify, address, and resolve disagreements constructively.
Moving on without language evidence Waiting until the end of the lesson or test Calling on the same few volunteers Assuming silence means understanding
check
True or False?
Applying what you know
This final assessment asks you to apply what you’ve learned to a real classroom scenario. For each question, choose the response that best reflects proactive planning, intentional language support, and instructional decisions that help emergent bilingual learners access grade-level content.
Applying what you know
This final assessment asks you to apply what you’ve learned to a real classroom scenario. For each question, choose the response that best reflects proactive planning, intentional language support, and instructional decisions that help emergent bilingual learners access grade-level content.
Congratulations
You have completed the course!
Please take a moment to complete the end of course survey by following the link below.
Quick Reflection
When planning a lesson like this, which step—Identify, Select, or Model—do you most often overlook?
Quick Reflection
After modeling academic language, how might student participation or confidence change during discussion compared to when no model is provided?
Quick Reflection
Identifying language demands early helps you plan supports before students get stuck—saving time during instruction and increasing participation for emergent bilingual learners.
Identify
What language demands are present?
Students must interpret academic vocabulary, follow complex sentence structures, and explain mathematical reasoning using complete sentences.
Correct!
Effective instruction includes both receptive and productive language opportunities. Students must hear academic language before they can successfully use it—but growth happens when they are required to produce it.
Almost there.
Revisit which actions ask students to take in language and which ask them to produce it. Both are important, but they serve different purposes in learning.
Quick Reflection
Which modeling strategy might you to try this week?
Select
Which language supports fit best?
Targeted supports include clarifying key vocabulary, providing structured sentence frames for explanations, and modeling how to organize reasoning using math-specific language.
Model
What does the teacher model?
The teacher verbally models how to think through the problem and explain the solution step-by-step, using precise math language and complete sentences while solving an example.