Very often, writing instruction for multilingual learners is overly focused on precision and accuracy instead of meaning. Furthermore, the use of sentence frames and starters, when not integrated with content that multilingual learners are learning, do not support students with expressing increasingly complex ideas.

The following strategies should be used when evidence from student work suggests that students are struggling with sentence fluency in academic and disciplinary writing. They can be used across content areas and should be designed to target content and academic concepts, as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary, that multilingual learners are learning in subject area instruction.

The strategies can be rolled out over time to progressively build students’ language and writing skills. Home language should be leveraged as well to support students in the use of these strategies, or tasks can be provided in home language entirely.