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Differentiating with WIDA's CAN DO Descriptors

One challenge is for classroom teachers to know how they can best strategically support the identified Multilingual Learners in their class. Statistically speaking, ALL teachers will teach one or more  multilingual students throughout their careers. You can make a difference in the life and language of your multilingual learner- and there are many tools that have been developed to support you!

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Using the Can Do Descriptors to Inform your Instructional Planning

There are many steps in the process towards selecting academic language accommodations and supports for specific proficiency levels. As you explore ways to accommodate and support your language learners, the best place to start is to have a conversation with your cooperating teacher or colleagues. Because there are many steps and context is key to responsive differentiation for students needing academic language supports, here is an example created for you to help walk you through the process, which becomes easier with practice and familiarity with your individual students, subject specific content and standards, and grade-level or context. 

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If this step is not easy for you, consider what language students will need to succeed and create "an anchor chart" for yourself or to share with students that demonstrates what may success look or sound like in practice or what may be the most important or relevant expectations related to student success. For a short explanation of anchor charts, download the one-page PDF found HERE.

Step Three: Consider Consult what your students "Can Do"

Refer to WIDA's "Can Do" descriptors, linked for you in 6.5b Academic Language Objective: WIDA Resources - Teaching Multilingual Learners of this handbook. Search for the grade level band, SWRL language modality, and level related to your student(s).

Here is the WIDA Can Do Descriptor matrix that I would need to consult for our fictional student, Tuaha, based on his grade-level: 

Based on my lesson's objectives and my example student, Tuaha, I am going to select discourse as academic language my focus. I do this because Tuaha has higher scores in the areas of Reading and Writing, but he could easily get lost in the extended narrative provided by the guest speaker as I see when I check what Tuaha "Can Do" in that are using the level 2 descriptor below:

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