The Importance of Spanish-English Paired Texts for English Language Learners

8/2/2024

In today’s increasingly multicultural and multilingual classrooms, the need for effective strategies to support English Language Learners (ELLs) has never been greater. In partnership with Vanderbilt University and talented Spanish-speaking authors, ReadWorks has released 65 new Spanish-English paired texts to bring together key areas of research to support teachers of English Language Learners. This offers a unique approach to fostering a more inclusive and effective educational environment by leveraging students' existing language skills to enhance their English reading comprehension. By integrating Spanish-language passages with corresponding English-language texts and comprehension questions, these resources build on the linguistic assets of Spanish-speaking students, making the process of learning English more accessible and effective.

ReadWorks Spanish-English paired texts have three components:

A Spanish-language passage
An English-language passage
A comprehension question set for the English passage

Spanish Version of the Spanish-English Paired Text of the same topic The School-Year.

English Version of the Spanish-English Paired Text of the same topic The School-Year.

ReadWorks Spanish-English Paired Texts stand out from other ELL resources because they are curated with students in mind:

Human Audio Support: Variation in language ability is common among speakers of all languages. Therefore, each passage includes human audio that can be used as a support.
Culturally Relevant Content: Many of the Spanish passages are authored by heritage speakers from diverse backgrounds, just like ELLs themselves. This ensures that the passages stay closer to language varieties that students are familiar with, rather than advanced varieties that can create additional barriers.

ReadWorks Spanish-English Paired Texts help teachers bring ELLs into classroom conversations without taking additional time out of their lessons or planning a separate lesson for them. Teachers can assign the English-language passage(s) to English-proficient students and the Spanish-English Paired Texts to ELLs. These paired texts support oral language development by equipping all students in a classroom with background knowledge on a topic regardless of differences in language proficiency.

Learn more about how to harness ReadWorks for ELL students at this August webinar!

Bridging Languages: Harnessing Spanish-English Paired Texts for ELL Success
Tuesday, August 20, 2024, 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET

This webinar is ideal for new and returning ReadWorks users with ELL students. Learn how to use ReadWorks new Spanish-English Paired Texts to build background knowledge and increase reading comprehension. Celebrate your new knowledge with a certificate of completion sent directly to your email address!

Register Here