In this essential book from ELL-expert Paul Boyd-Batstone, you’ll find out how to teach reading while keeping in mind the unique needs of English language learners. You’ll learn best practices and differentiated strategies for each domain of the Common Core Foundational Reading Skills, including print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency.

Topics covered include:

• Ideas for using contextual support to help ELLs climb the staircase of complexity;
• How to teach print concepts, such as noting word separation and using punctuation;
• Strategies for teaching phonological awareness, including distinguishing vowel sounds and blending sounds;
• Ways to teach phonics and word recognition using informational and literary texts; and
• Exemplary ideas for teaching fluency, such as through poetry, drama, and digital media.

The book is filled with ready-to-use activities and complete lesson plans that address selected CCSS performance tasks at each grade level. These lesson plans demonstrate how to differentiate instruction based on your ELLs’ reading level. The book also includes performance-level descriptors, rubrics, and templates, available for free download from our website at