ELL Standards Support

Inspired by the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages International Association1, the reference points that are bolded below can enhance your ELL instruction.

Share authentic depictions of the experiences of authors and illustrators, allowing students to see themselves in professionals' accounts.

  • Listen as Rukhsana Khan shares the inspiration and cultural influence for King for a Day.
  • Reflect on opportunities to "...handle words and images in an interesting way" in daily language by reading this in-depth written interview with Gary Soto.

Build background knowledge and preteach using author movies and book readings.

  • Provide students with insight into the complexity of Rosa la Bayamesa's and Cuba's struggle through a decades-long war by sharing Margarita Engle's Meet-the-Author Recording.

Create a language-rich environment using paired texts to provide additional context for new information.

Extend understanding and provide perspective and information with Meet-the-Author Recordings:


Develop vocabulary and teach academic language with vocabulary resources for the books you teach.


1. Referenced from "TESOL Pre-K-12 English Language Proficiency Standards Framework." Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, www.tesol.org/docs/books/bk_prek-12elpstandards_framework_318.pdf?sfvrsn=2.