2025 Iowa Adult Education and Literacy Summer Conference

ESL students’ home languages are considered linguistic assets that teachers can build upon. But, what happens when students have limited literacy in their home language due to war, poverty, refugee status, etc.? These literacy students are sometimes referred to as SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) and often require additional support, as they often do not have foundational literacy skills to transfer from one language to another.
 
In this session, we will learn about the unique needs of literacy learners and how their educational backgrounds impact language acquisition. We will also consider ways that ESL teachers can provide instructional scaffolds and supports to accommodate literacy students.  While examples from Cambridge Ventures curriculum will be given, all attendees– regardless of which curriculum they use -- will be given practical, easy-to-implement strategies to better reach and teach this population.