The Role of

L1 Literacy in
Secondary
L2 Language
& Literacy
Development
Reading, Writing, Speaking, and
Listening Support One Another

1
Literacy Learning
Is Transferable

L1 Literacy
2 L2 Literacy
Strategies
Strategies
Expect diversity among L2 learners.
Biliterate Growth

is grounded in home language use,

social, cultural, and personal
experiences and inclination.
 Home (L1) )

Language & Literacy

Mixed
Language & Literacy

Interlanguage (L1 & L2)

Language & Literacy
Active Languaging
pushes and extends
thinking
3 while thinking pushes
and extends active
languaging.

Fu & Matoush (2014)

Languaging-As-Thinking
Doing language,
literacy, and learning
while being and
becoming.

Fu & Matoush (2014)

 Language and literacy are
social communication tools

4
Collaboration Supports L2
Literacy Development
 Collaboration

tends to push and extend

languaging-as-thinking
via the contribution of varying
ideas and perspectives.
Multimodal Instruction
Helps Students Make Connections

And Make Sense of Language

 Home
Language &
Culture
Gestures & Pictures &
Movements Symbols

Realia Events &

(Actual Social
Things) Experiences
Secondary Settings
 Ideal Content
Classrooms for Diverse
L2 Learners
 Require that teachers actively
observe, support, and value
each learners unique path to L2
language & literacy.

Poll: Raise your hand if you can (or do)

adopt that mindset.
They also require time to for
students to collaborate
while languaging and doing
 Time for

Shared
Multimodal
Experiences
 Include time For
Collaborative Inquiry
with

Text Sets
L1 books Bilingual books L2 books
Picture books Documents
Articles Websites
Multimodal materials
 Include time to
Share & Discuss
discoveries
 include time for students
to design and work on
Interdisciplinary Projects
with oral, written, and nonverbal components
 Include time For

Collaborative
Review & Revision
 Include time For

Conferencing
With The Teacher
 Include time For

Collaborative
Practice
 Include time for

Presentation
of finished work
 Include time For
Reflective

Self-evaluation
Its not always easy to create the time for
collaboration
while languaging and doing
But, it is possible!

Poll: Raise your hand if you can figure out

how to create time for active collaboration.
 Teach students to use
Active
Language, Literacy &
Learning Strategies
 Teach students to use
Background
Knowledge
Or
What they already know about
L1 language & literacy
To

Develop
L2 language & literacy
 Teach students to use

Background
Knowledge
(what they already know)
to

Make Sense
of Talk & Texts
 Teach students to use

The Context
to

Make Sense
Of Talk & Texts
 Teach students to

Attend to

Language
Patterns
in

Talk & Texts

Teach students to

Watch for
& Listen to

Spelling
Patterns
in

Words
 Teach students to

Listen for

Vocabulary
In content classes and
Expect to see that
vocabulary in text
 Teach students to

Think of
Active Languaging
As a way to deepen learning
 Teach students that

Relying
on
Patterns
Is effective for getting started
AND . . .
 Teach students that

Translating
or

Copying
May get the job done correctly
BUT . . .
 Teach students that
Active
Languaging
(talking with/writing for others)
1. Trying to use what one knows
(including making mistakes)
2. Followed by checking for clarity and
meaning, revising, then editing

Deepens language & literacy

Learning significantly
 Addenda:

Commonly Taught
Reading and Writing
Strategies
Teach students to use

L1 Reading
Strategies
 Remind students to

Monitor
Comprehension
Use inner voice
to decide if the text
Makes sense
 Remind students to

Preview Texts
Before reading
and to

Predict
Content & Vocabulary
 Remind students to

Determine
Whats Important
Identify and focus on
Themes & Key Ideas
NOT every word or detail
 Remind students to

Ask
Questions
before, during & after reading
to

Make Sense
of Text
 Remind students to

Make
Mental Images
(movies in the mind)
or
Draw images, diagrams,
charts, or other visuals
to enhance meaning
 Remind students to

Draw
Inferences
using
Evidence from the Text
and
Background Knowledge
 Remind students to

Draw
Inferences
using
Evidence from the Text
and
Background Knowledge
 Remind students to use
Fix-up
Strategies
when reading doesnt make sense
Reread
to help it make sense

Skip it. Read to end. Then go back.

to help it make sense

Use letter sounds/syllables

(to see if it is a known word)
to help it make sense

Use dictionary or translation

software
to help it make sense
Teach students to use

L1 Writing
Strategies
 Remind students to

Plan
Decide whats important to say
about the topic.

Think about the audience and what

theyd be interested in reading.

Think the interesting ways to

present the topic.
 Remind students to

Focus
Make sure the topic is well defined,
narrow enough to be manageable

Present main idea and key details

without adding unnecessary details

Use terms precisely

 Remind students to

Maintain
Focus with Cohesion
Weave a theme through the piece

Use tenses, terms, etc. consistently

Link ideas

Use transitions
 Remind students to

Organize
Purposefully
Start with a strong lead

Answer a question, demonstrate a

process, tell a story, make an
argument, etc.

Finish with a memorable ending

 Remind students to

Voice
Establish a your attitude toward the
subject (tone)

Present perspective or point of view

Use style, word choices, pace, narration

or dialogue to set the tone . . . may lead
to particular emotional responses in the
reader (mood).
 Remind students to

Flow
Make sure that ideas follow one
another

Vary sentence length

Use rhythm or repetition

 Remind students to

Imagery
Show, dont tell.

Paint a picture with words

Choose descriptive words and/or

action verbs
 Remind students to

Imagery
Show, dont tell.

Paint a picture with words

Choose descriptive words and/or

action verbs
 Remind students to

Revise,
Revise,
Revise
Read through the piece many times.

Ask others to read it.

Try out various ways to improve the

content for the sake of the reader.
 Remind students to

Edit
Correct Errors
After revision, but
before making it
public.
 Further Reading
Fu, D. (2009). Writing between languages: How English language learners
make the transition to fluency, Grades 4-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Fu, D. and Matoush, Marylou M. Focus on Literacy. Oxford: Oxford University

Press.

Garcia, O. And Sylvan, C. E. (2011). Pedagogies and practices in multilingual

classrooms: singularities in pluralities. Modern Language Journal, 92,
385-400.,