Top articles
This series provides an overview to important considerations for working with English language learners at the middle and high school level.
Social and Emotional Issues
How to Support the Social and Emotional Health of Middle/High School ELLs
Learn about the unique responsibilities, strengths, and social-emotional needs of English language learners and immigrant students in middle and high school.
Classroom Instruction
Tips for Teaching Middle and High School ELLs
Learn how to target your instruction to support ELL success with these tips from a veteran high school ELL teacher.
Families and Schools
How to Partner with Families of Middle and High School ELLs
Learn how middle and high schools can partner with multilingual families to support older ELLs’ success. Find strategies, videos featuring educator voices, and more.
Featured videos
ESOL Teacher Anne Marie Foerster Luu: Getting to know high school ELLs
Award-winning ESOL teacher Anne Marie Foerster Luu shares the importance of giving students the chance to share their stories and experiences in high school and also talks about what one student told her when asked the question, “What is something about you that I can’t see?”
Dr. Ayanna Cooper: Making assumptions about Black students’ background knowledge
Dr. Ayanna Cooper shares the story of a Haitian student whose teachers assumed that she was African American.
Omar Salem, High School ELL Teacher: Getting to know your ELLs and why it matters
Omar Salem talks about the importance of getting to know your ELLs, their interests, and their concerns.
Teacher Alejandra Rojas: When bilingual children translate for their parents
Alejandra Rojas, a teacher at a dual-immersion school in Arlington, VA, shares some of her experiences as a child and teenager translating for her mother.
Jorge Bermudez, High School Math Teacher: How advisory periods are helping my students
High school math teacher Jorge Bermudez, who teaches at an alternative high school, talks about the changes the school made to how it uses office hours and advisory periods — and how those changes are helping students.
Recommended reading
Double the Work: Challenges and Solutions to Acquiring Language and Academic Literacy for Adolescent English Language Learners
Adolescent English Language Learners (ELLs), who must simultaneously learn English and age–appropriate subject material, perform double the work of their native language peers because they are held to the same grade-level standards for academic literacy. Moreover, the ELL population is comprised of a diverse range of learners who vary dramatically in their existing literacy levels, native languages, and cultural and educational backgrounds. This foundational report is the effort of a panel of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to address six main challenges to improving academic literacy among ELLs, as well as proposed solutions and policy implications.
Professional Booklist: Middle & High School ELLs
These guides compiled by Colorín Colorado offer strategies for teaching reading and content area material to older ELLs. Many of the books also address social and emotional needs, as well as the responsibilities that many adolescent ELLs have at home.