Building Background Knowledge for Multilingual Learners

For years, we've been hearing from teachers that they need quality resources to support their multilingual learners. After careful development, we've brought together teacher requests and the research to create Spanish-English Paired Texts for multilingual learners.

Teachers have told us that in their classrooms, their multilingual learners come from a variety of different backgrounds. They come into the classroom with different language skills. And they're taught in a variety of different settings, from one-on-one, to small groups, to integrated classrooms. This is in line with the research as well.

Additionally, reading comprehension research shows that students understand what they are reading better if they know more about the topic. Research also shows that any language is an asset when learning another, reading comprehension skills are transferable, and translation alone is not a strong support.
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We designed a product that capitalizes on students’ existing language skills by building background knowledge in the Spanish language first. This gained background knowledge can then bridge to English reading comprehension.

ReadWorks Spanish-English Paired Texts consist of three components:

1. A Spanish-language passage
   
2. An English-language passage
   
3. An English-language question set
   

​In line with the Science of Reading, students can read the Spanish text to build background knowledge and vocabulary in the student’s home language first. Both the Spanish and English passages use the same vocabulary words. Next, students read a text in the English language on a similar topic. Finally, they answer the Question Set for the English passage to deepen reading comprehension.
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ReadWorks Spanish-English Paired Texts are written by diverse Spanish speakers who are representative of students. They also offer differentiation features such as human audio by Spanish speakers.

Spanish-English Paired Texts in the Classroom

Prep

1. Find Spanish-English Paired Texts on our Content page, under the “Paired Texts” filter. Select “Spanish-English (for ELLs).”
2. Based on your needs, further filter by grade, topic, or special collection. Currently, Spanish-English Paired Texts span from grades 2-5.
3. Select and assign the Spanish-English Paired Text(s) to your students.

Before

1. To use Spanish-English Paired Texts in the classroom, explain to students that they will be reading two passages. The first passage is in the language that is more familiar to them and will help them learn about the topic. This will help them in reading and understanding the English passage.
2. Review the vocabulary words for both passages. All Spanish passages share vocabulary words with their paired English passage.

During

1. Students read the Spanish passage, then the English passage, and finally complete the Question Set. They can use the audio, as needed.

After

1. Spanish-English Paired Texts offer many opportunities for extension. Connect passages to other lessons. Bring students into classroom discussions. As peers share, the gained background knowledge can support listening comprehension. Spanish-English Paired Texts can also give students confidence to add to classroom discussions themselves, supporting oral language development.

​What’s on the Way for Fall 2025?
ReadWorks is constantly working to improve our products, and SEPTs are no exception. Here's what's on the horizon for SEPTs:

• Vocabulary Widget: The Spanish passages in Spanish-English Paired Texts will soon have the same vocabulary pop-up in the passage as the English passages.
• Article-A-Day Alignment: Soon, each Article-A-Day set in the topical Scope & Sequence for grades 3 to 5 will have at least one aligned Spanish-English Paired Text. You can use Spanish-English Paired Texts to support ELLs in an integrated classroom while English-dominant students read the English passages in the Article-A-Day set.
• Human Audio: All Spanish passages already have human audio, and we are continually adding human audio to their English passage pairs​​

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​Written by:​ Nathalie Karimian, Ed.D, Senior Content & Curricular Supports Manager