Access to Academics

Book excerpt: Access to Academics: Planning Instruction for K-12 Classrooms with ELLs takes a different look at language than most other books - it addresses it as something students must use constantly, in a variety of school venues and in different ways depending on the context. The book shows language as vital to content access and thereby academic achievement, but, more importantly, it also provides step-by-step instructions explaining how to help students acquire the language they need. Although the main emphasis is on English language learners (ELLs), the term "diverse learners" used throughout also encompasses the great variety in any classroom of student backgrounds, abilities, needs, and interests.