E13 - Rooted in Language: Designing Literacy Instruction for Multilingual Classrooms
Valentina Gonzalez is an accomplished teacher, educator, author, and national speaker with more than 25 years of experience dedicated to supporting multilingual learners and the educators who serve them. She has served as a classroom teacher, district facilitator for multilingual programs, professional development specialist, and educational consultant. She is widely recognized for designing and leading research-based, actionable professional learning that advances literacy, honors students’ cultural and linguistic identities, and promotes meaningful language development. Through her writing, coaching, consulting, and advocacy, she continues to elevate equitable, culturally responsive instruction for multilingual learners.
In this episode, Valentina Gonzalez shares how her personal journey as an immigrant and language learner shaped her commitment to multilingual education. The conversation explores how decoding, language comprehension, and English language development must grow together rather than in isolation. Valentina reframes scaffolds as bridges to independence, challenges the idea that language is an add-on to literacy, and offers practical ways teachers can embed intentional language development into everyday instruction while honoring students’ home languages as assets.
Key Takeaways:
- Learning to read is both a code-based and a language process. Separating literacy and language instruction can create barriers for multilingual learners.
- Home languages are assets that shape identity, culture, and learning. Teachers do not need to speak students' languages to honor and leverage them in instruction.
- Teaching through a language lens moves students toward independence and equity.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Welcome to Literacy Across Languages!
(01:32) Meet Valentina Gonzalez
(08:26) Literacy as a Code-Based and Language-Based Process
(11:24) Reading and Writing with English Learners
(15:16) Viewing Literacy through a Language Lens
(19:07) Scaffolds as a Bridge to Literacy
(24:29) Maintaining, Loving, and Leveraging Language
(31:16) Planning Literacy Instruction with a Language Lens
(33:55) One Key Takeaway for Anyone Working with Multilingual Learners
(35:30) The Joy and Privilege of Teaching Multilingual Children
(38:33) Takeaways for Teaching
Episode Resources:
- Want to learn more about Valentina’s work? Check out her website!
- Read Valentina's co-authored book, Reading and Writing with English Learners, for a closer look at teaching literacy through a language lens.
- Reflect on your WHY with Welcome to Teaching Multilingual Learners , a book by Valentina, Nancy Frey, and Doug Fisher that explores research-based strategies for supporting language-diverse students.
Stay Connected:
- Visit us at literacyacrosslanguages.com.
- Email us with questions or episode suggestions at literacyacrosslanguages@gmail.com.
- Follow Mary and Katherine on LinkedIn.
- Like, subscribe, and share this episode with fellow educators, or share a review to help others find us!
Keywords: multilingual learners, literacy instruction, language development, decoding, language comprehension, English language development, ELA and ELD alignment, integrated instruction, oral rehearsal, sentence frames, shared writing, gradual release of responsibility, scaffolding, asset-based pedagogy, home language, linguistic identity, translanguaging, academic language, vocabulary development, phonics instruction, equitable literacy, culturally responsive teaching