Level 2
Beginning
Level 3
Developing
Level 4
Expanding
Level 5
Bridging
 Preview and review in student’s
first language
Teacher Can Do’s for Reading
 Preview and review in student’s
first language
 Activate prior knowledge and
build background
 Pre-teach content-related
terms using simple picture
books
 Use adapted text that
incorporates general contentrelated words and illustrations
 Allow drawing as a form of
demonstrating comprehension
of adapted text
 Ask who, what, where, when
questions
 Explain environmental print
 Make picture and bilingual
dictionaries and technology
available
 Activate prior knowledge and
build background
 Pre-teach specific content terms
 Provide visual cues, teacher/
peer assistance , adapted text of
unfamiliar topics
 Ask questions of information
explicitly found in text
 Make English dictionaries
available
 Teach reading strategies
 Make bilingual dictionaries and
technology available
 Activate prior knowledge and
build background
 Pre-teach specific and some
technical content area terms
 Provide visual cues, adapted
text and teacher/peer
assistance with abstract reading
assignments
 Teach reading strategies
 Make technology available
 Activate prior knowledge and
build background
 Pre-teach technical and abstract
content area terms
 Provide minimal visual and
linguistic supports
 Teach reading strategies
 Make technology available
 Allow students to label, copy
and list
 Allow drawing and use of native
language to express their
thoughts on familiar topics
 Allow student to dictate story
or thought process in their
native language while teacher
or peer that knows student’s
native language write it down
 Provide simple graphic
organizers as a prewriting/drafting tool for
organizing ideas
 Provide short, simple sentence
starters and word bank of
general content-related words
 Make word walls and/or
personal word books available
that include basic sight words
and general content-related
words
 Allow writing on familiar and
 Allow writing on familiar and
motivating topics
some complex grade level
writing assignments of high
 Provide compound sentence
interest topics
stems with past, present and
future tenses and word bank of  Allow abstract writing tasks
specific content terms which
with linguistic support
include cognates
 Provide graphic organizers as a
 Provide graphic organizers as a
pre-writing/drafting tool for
pre-writing/drafting tool for
organizing ideas of unfamiliar
organizing ideas
topics
 Make word walls and/or
 Make word walls and/or
personal word books available
personal word books available
of specific content words
of specific and technical
content words
 Provide complex grade level
writing assignments of high
interest topics
 Allow abstract writing tasks with
minimal linguist support
 Provide graphic organizers as a
pre-writing/drafting tool for
organizing ideas of abstract
topics
 Make word walls and/or
personal word books available
of technical and abstract
content words
 Activate prior knowledge and
build background
 Pre-teach general content words
 Use adapted text that
incorporates content-related
words and illustrations
 Allow drawing as a form of
demonstrating comprehension
of adapted text
 Ask who, what, where, when
questions
 Provide visual cues and
teacher/peer assistance
 Make bilingual dictionaries and
technology available
 Allow drawing and use of
native language to express
thoughts on familiar topics
 Allow student to dictate story
or thought process while
teacher writes it down
 Provide simple graphic
organizers as a prewriting/drafting tool for
organizing ideas
 Provide short sentence stems
with present tense verbs and
word bank of general content
words
 Make word walls and/or
personal word books available
of general content-related
words
Linguistic Accommodations
Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved. The Learning Buzz, LLC
Level 6-Reaching
Level 1
Entering
Teacher Can Do’s for Writing
Linguistic Accommodations for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students
Level 1
Entering
Level 2
Beginning
Level 3
Developing
Level 4
Expanding
Level 5
Bridging
 Allow same language peer and
native language support
 Pre-teach content-related
words prior to discussions
 Use visuals and have students
point to pictures or act out
vocabulary
 Use gestures, movement, point
and model to scaffold
instruction
 Speak slowly using simple
language but use correct
English wording
 Ask yes/no questions
 Use cognates
 Allow same language peer and
native language support
 Pre-teach general content
words prior to discussions
 Model clear instructions of
academic tasks using visuals and
real objects
 Use simplified language, visuals,
slower speech and cues
 Ask questions that can be
answered in short phrases or
with a yes/no
 Use cognates
 Use gestures, movement, point
and show to demonstrate
understanding
 Allow same language peer and
native language support when
appropriate
 Pre-teach specific content terms
prior to discussions
 Model clear instructions of
academic tasks using visuals and
real objects
 Use a combination of simplified
and complex language
accompanied by visuals , slower
speech and verbal cues for
material that is unfamiliar
 Pre-teach specific and some
technical content area terms
 Model clear instructions using
some visuals
 Use complex language
accompanied by visuals , slower
speech and verbal cues when
material is unfamiliar and
complex
 Pre-teach technical and abstract
content area terms
 Model clear instructions
 Use complex language
accompanied by visuals and
verbal cues when material is
complex and abstract
 Respect students’ silent period
 Allow extra wait time
 Allow one word answers
 Allow students to contribute to
class discussions in their first
language and have a peer that
understands the native
language restate the answer in
English
 Provide short sentence stems
and word bank of general
content-related terms
 Respond positively to students
efforts to speak English and
repeat back what they said by
modeling correct grammar and
vocabulary
 Model pronunciation of
academic terms
 Allow students to participate in
activities that promote student
to student interaction
 Allow wait time for students to
respond to questions
 Model a phrase and have the
student repeat it
 Provide short sentence stems
with present tense verbs and
word bank of general content
words
 Ask students to point to
pictures and say the new word
 Avoid excessive error correction
but reinforce learning by
modeling correct language
usage
 Allow students to participate in
activities that promote student
to student interaction and
discussions
 Allow wait time for students to
respond to questions
 Provide simple sentence stems
with past, present and future
tenses and word bank of
specific content terms which
include cognates
 Ask students to elaborate on
one word responses
 Allow students to participate in
activities that promote student
to student interaction,
discussions
 Allow sufficient wait time to
respond to questions of
unfamiliar topics
 Provide more elaborate
sentence stems that
incorporate complex
grammatical structures
 Provide a word bank of specific
and some technical contentarea terms
 Ask students to elaborate on
other students responses
 Have students paraphrase and
summarize ideas presented by
teacher or other students
 Allow students to participate in
activities that promote student
to student interaction and
discussions
 Allow wait time to respond to
questions of abstract topics
 Provide a variety of compound
and complex sentence starters
to discuss and give examples of
abstract content-based ideas
 Allow students to participate in
activities that promote student
to student interaction,
discussion and elaboration
Linguistic Accommodations
Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved. The Learning Buzz, LLC
Level 6-Reaching
Teacher Can Do’s for Speaking
Teacher Can Do’s for Listening
Linguistic Accommodations for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students
Linguistic Accommodations for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students
Linguistic Accommodations
Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved. The Learning Buzz, LLC