Accelerated Language Learning (ALL) with the Lit Six (grades 6-8)

Book excerpt: “It’s a new day! We’ve learned language acquisition in school isn’t linear and rote, but rather, dynamic, meaningful, and collaborative. Multilingual learners thrive through the production of oral and written language.” —Dr. Nancy Akhavan Are you ready to teach multilingual learners with instruction that reflects current English Language Development (ELD) standards? Language acquisition expert Dr. Nancy Akhavan provides a flexible resource that delivers what students need most—experiences that teach language skills through intellectually engaging texts, tasks, and lively communication with peers. This dynamic curriculum offers five units based on a writing performance task that aligns to commonly taught genres and key reading skills. The research-backed instructional framework maximizes students’ participation through a series of listening, speaking, and writing activities. Book Review 1: "Nancy Akhavan has brought together a set of carefully designed lessons that address the specific language-acquisition needs of English Language Learners. Each 30 minute lesson is designed to help multilingual learners acquire English through content, which supports lesson planning and delivery. Dr. Akhavan’s work ensures success by demystifying the process of teaching and learning." Cinnamon Scheufele Executive Director, Curriculum and Instruction Lindsay Unified School District, Lindsay, CA Book Review 2: "As a teacher educator, this curriculum is exactly what I wished I had to give my early career teachers - who needed structure, scaffolding, and support in fine-tuning their instruction. The unit design - with the foundations, pave the way, lead the way, and assess - serve as the foundation upon which each lesson rests. The lessons are laser focused to standards and learning outcomes, and the assessment perfectly aligns. I enthusiastically support this curriculum, which has the potential to promote significant changes in the literacy trajectories for students and districts." Molly Ness VP, Academic Content Learning Ally