Abstract
In US schools, multilingual learners (MLs) are expected to meet the same rigorous disciplinary standards as their English-speaking peers while also developing proficiency in English. This article demonstrates how sustained reading, as part of the Teaching and Learning Cycle, can support MLs' access to disciplinary literacy through the explicit attention to language features. Grounded on the Language-based Approach to Content Instruction (LACI), the article presents a classroom vignette from a 5th-grade social studies lesson in which MLs dissected a mentor text. The lesson illustrates how code-breaking within sustained reading makes disciplinary language visible, helping students notice the linguistic choices common to a social studies textual genre. By integrating content and language instruction, sustained reading provides the opportunity for MLs to understand the content as well as the language functions within the text. Finally, we argue that this approach offers both pedagogical and professional learning value as it advances academic language development for MLs while also supporting metalinguistic knowledge for teachers. Identifying the linguistic demands of disciplinary texts fosters more equitable access to content-area learning.
Recommended Citation
J.B.M. Costa, P., de Oliveira, L. C., & Love, M. (2026). Sustained Reading: Multilingual Learners Exploring the Language of a Text. Journal of English Learner Education. (19)2.
Retrieved from https://stars.library.ucf.edu/jele/vol19/iss2/2
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons
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