How Being a Reader Supports English Learners (EL)

A Powerful D-ELD Component

What the D-ELD Component Offers

• 30 additional minutes of daily language instruction aligned with Being a Reader read-alouds and lessons
• Flexible implementation, led by classroom teachers or support staff (ESL, ELL, and MLL educators)
• Digital-only D-ELD Teacher’s Manuals, aligned with the core instruction Teacher’s Manuals and available through the Learning Portal
• Print set of grade-level Language Notebooks for student use

---

Instructional Design

D-ELD lessons are research-based, language-rich, and intentionally designed to deepen students’ understanding of how English works.

Using the same grade-level texts as Being a Reader, instruction is tightly connected to core literacy learning, allowing students to immediately apply new language skills in meaningful contexts.

Each lesson follows a structured 30-minute format that supports:

• Active engagement
• Guided practice
• Real-world language use

---

Instructional Focus Areas

The following instructional priorities focus on the language skills, structures, and strategies students need to access and engage with academic content. Instruction is aligned to English Language Development standards and supports students in developing proficiency through meaningful interaction, targeted scaffolds, and differentiated support. The components provide a structured approach to fostering language growth across listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Meaning Making

Students:

• Build knowledge about texts
• Strengthen comprehension
• Engage in collaborative, interactive reading and writing activities

These experiences support both deep understanding and active participation.

---

Language Development

Students develop academic language through:

• Interactive vocabulary routines
• Word play and language exploration
• Sentence unpacking
• Collaborative text reconstruction

These activities help students analyze and use language with precision.

---

Effective Expression

Students expand their communication skills through:

• Structured discussions
• Writing activities
• Presentations and performances
• Dramatic play

This focus supports both oral and written expression in authentic contexts.

---

Content Knowledge

Students work with the same informational and literary texts used in core lessons, allowing them to:

• Deepen understanding of content
• Examine academic language closely
• Make meaningful connections across instruction

---

Foundational Skills

Students strengthen foundational literacy through:

• Choral, paired, and scaffolded reading
• Oral retelling and fluency practice
• Vocabulary and language analysis routines

These activities reinforce:

• Phonics
• Print awareness
• Morphology
• Reading fluency and automaticity