Future in Focus: Rethinking the Science of Reading for Multilingual Early Learners
The futures of multilingual learners are bright with possibilities, yet the story of how children become literate, and in which language(s), remains unfinished. Here at the ALMA Initiative at the University of Notre Dame, we dream of a future where parents and teachers view multilingualism as a superpower and students’ early literacy formation builds on what they already know and can do.
In our previous blog post (Building Strong Foundations: What We Still Need to Learn About Young Multilingual Readers and Writers), we believe (and research supports) that multilingual early literacy is pivotal to building a love for reading and writing, setting the stage for future academic success. What follows is a deep dive into three key tenets that unlock multilingual early literacy and establish a bright future for these learners: fostering oral language development, building background knowledge, and bridging phonemic awareness between students’ home languages and English.
How often have we heard a colleague rant in the teachers’ lounge (over the broken Keurig) about how much extra planning they have to do to help their English learners meet grade level standards? Or perhaps our colleague is worrying that their students will get confused by the different letter sounds in their home language and English. In order to master English, parents (and sometimes teachers) can fall into the trap of thinking that English intensive instruction is the best path to student success. Or maybe a parent emails expressing the fear that their child is falling behind their peers in their literacy development and wants your advice as an educator. What if we view these “problems” as possibilities instead?
Given the demographic imperative and opportunity, we invite you to imagine with us an educational environment where students’ home languages and cultures are valued for their own sake, and become bridges to English literacy.
Literacy Acquisition for Multilingual Learners
For multilingual learners, literacy is not simply the acquisition of a single code; it is the integration of multiple linguistic systems, each carrying its own phonological, semantic, and cultural structure. As Aponte (2024) observes, “Science of Reading doesn’t mean we take a universal approach to teaching reading. Schools need to make sure the right curriculum is chosen for bilingual children and that all teachers are trained to understand bilingualism and biliteracy.”
Within the field of education, there is a great deal of consensus, and a healthy dose of controversy, over how young children learn to read in English, let alone in their home language(s). The five core components of the Science of Reading - phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension - form the foundation of many reading curricula and teacher-preparation programs. Yet for English Learners (ELs) and Emergent Bilinguals (EBs), these five pillars alone are insufficient. Goldenberg (2022) argues that “the five components identified by the National Reading Panel are not sufficient for EL/EB students,” because they “pay insufficient attention to the role language plays in literacy acquisition.”
The Science of Reading, then, must not be abandoned - it must be expanded for our multilingual learners. As the Reading League Summit Joint Statement (2023) notes, “it must be acknowledged that there is much more scientific research conducted with monolingual English-speaking children and that the studies that have included EL/EB students are discussed as an ‘after-thought’ or not referenced at all.” The result is a body of research that, while powerful, does not fully capture the linguistic complexity or cognitive advantages of multilingual development.
Expanding our understanding of the science behind reading instruction means embracing the linguistic richness and cognitive advantages of students’ multilingual development. Recent scholarship and practice point toward three additional pillars essential for multilingual readers: oral language development, background knowledge, and bridging phonemic awareness skills between students’ home language(s) and English, with targeted attention to phonetic similarities and differences between languages (Colorado Department of Education, 2025; New America, 2024). These components, long acknowledged in bilingual education research, are increasingly recognized as critical extensions of the SoR framework. As de Jong (2024) succinctly states, “Everything in reading depends on the knowledge of spoken language.” Oral language proficiency provides the bridge between phonological decoding and comprehension, and without a strong base in spoken vocabulary, syntax, and discourse structures; decoding alone will not yield meaning.
Additionally, the types of texts included in reading instruction need to be expanded to be more inclusive and representative of student demographics. Research demonstrates that when students encounter texts that reflect their language(s), culture(s), and lived experiences, they are more likely to construct positive reading identities and sustain motivation over time (Bishop, 1990). Broadening the lens of the Science of Reading can move educators beyond the “reading wars” and towards a more inclusive and affirming vision of what it means to be a strong reader.
Oral Language Development
For ELs, oral language development requires intentionality. Educators must not only teach phonemes and print patterns, but also provide structured opportunities for listening, speaking, and meaning-making. Strategies such as word and sound walls (Panjiatian & Siahaan, 2024), think-alouds (NCTE, 2017), and chants (Cedeño & Santos, 2021) make linguistic processes visible and participatory. For example, a sound wall can help students distinguish between phonemes that may not exist in their home language, while chants reinforce pronunciation, rhythm, and academic vocabulary in a low-stress, joyful context. As Mehta et al. (2005) and Pennington et al. (2019) emphasize, “The more children know about spoken language, the better equipped they are to succeed in reading and writing.” Oral language and literacy develop in tandem; one cannot thrive without the other.
Accessing and Building Background Knowledge
The second missing pillar, background knowledge, is equally vital. Comprehension depends not only on decoding skill, but on a reader’s ability to connect new information with prior understanding. As Wexler (2019) writes, “The more knowledge a child starts with, the more likely she is to acquire yet more knowledge. She’ll read more and understand and retain information better, because knowledge, like Velcro, sticks best to other related knowledge.” For multilingual learners, background knowledge encompasses far more than academic vocabulary; it includes cultural schema, lived experiences, and the “funds of knowledge” that students bring from home (Reading League Summit, 2023). Effective instruction draws upon these assets rather than replacing them.
Practical classroom strategies such as previewing texts (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2017), connecting new content to students’ home language(s) (Wang & Xiang, 2016), and using visuals and realia reference points (Dang & Chung, 2023) honor multilingual learners’ cognitive and cultural strengths. These practices do more than scaffold comprehension; they affirm identity. They remind students that the knowledge they bring to school is not a deficit to correct, but a foundation to build strong futures.
Phonemic Awareness & Phonics for Multilingual Learners
Learning to read begins with the ears. For young, multilingual learners the ability to auditorily identify and manipulate sounds (phonemes) in both their home language and their target language is one of the greatest predictors of reading success (Luft Baker et al., 2011). A strong foundation of phonemic awareness that intentionally bridges between students’ home and target languages makes it easier for them to sound out and blend when they read and write (Colorado Department of Education, 2025). For instance, learners need to be able to distinguish between the short /e/ [ɛ] in bed and long /e/ [eɪ] in me, as well as the sounds /e/ makes when paired. These can be taught via comparison and contrast with the single sound /e/ makes in Spanish, as in elefante. We highly recommend using visual sound walls that include images of mouth and tongue placement for the target language (English) in all settings, and for the partner language in dual language contexts (for e.g., Spanish).
When multilingual students develop strong phonemic awareness foundations, the transition to phonics is relatively painless. However, teachers need to explicitly draw students’ attention to the similarities and differences between the languages via bridging lessons. For some examples of the similarities and differences between the most commonly spoken home languages other than English in the United States, check out our series of comparative linguistic analyses. While these cover more than phonemic awareness and phonics, they provide a teacher-friendly overview of key linguistic aspects.
In sum, by intentionally developing phonemic awareness in a children’s home language(s), they will be more likely to efficiently and successfully bridge to English language phonemic awareness and phonics.
A Look Forward
When educators integrate oral language development, background knowledge, phonemic awareness in students’ home language(s) and English, the Science of Reading becomes more inclusive, equitable, and reflective of linguistic reality. As one teacher put it during the Reading League Summit (2023), literacy instruction for English learners must ensure that “students are not simply decoding, or attempting to decode, words that they do not understand.”
Ultimately, a reimagined Science of Reading recognizes multilingualism as a profound cognitive and cultural asset. It calls on educators to view bilingual students not through the lens of what they lack, but through the strengths they possess: pattern recognition across languages, flexible cognition, and deep funds of knowledge. In this expanded, multilingual view, the Science of Reading is not static; it is evolving. In that evolution lies a powerful truth: multilingualism is not a barrier to literacy, it is, indeed, a superpower.
References
Aponte, M. (2024). Science of Reading and bilingual learners: Aligning curriculum and teacher training for biliteracy success. Journal of Bilingual Education and Literacy Studies, 12(1), 45–53.
Bishop, R. S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6(3), ix–xi.
Cedeño, M., & Santos, J. (2021). Building academic vocabulary and fluency through chants. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and ELT, 9(2), 33–42.
Dang, H., & Chung, P. (2023). Using visuals to support concept understanding in multilingual classrooms. Journal of Visual Literacy and Education, 17(3), 21–30.
de Jong, E. (2024). Foundations of oral language in bilingual reading development. Bilingual Research Journal, 47(2), 112–126.
Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. J. (2017). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Goldenberg, C. (2022). Beyond the five pillars: Expanding the Science of Reading for English learners. Educational Researcher, 51(6), 403–412.
Luft Baker, D., Stoolmiller, M., Good III, R.H. & Baker, S.K. (2011) Effect of Reading Comprehension on Passage Fluency in Spanish and English for Second-Grade English Learners, School Psychology Review, (40)3, 331-351.
Mehta, P., & Pennington, B. (2005). Language knowledge and its relation to reading comprehension. Scientific Studies of Reading, 9(1), 63–80.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). (2017). Think-alouds as a tool for reading comprehension and metacognition. Urbana, IL: NCTE Publications.
New America. (2024). Expanding the Science of Reading: Oral language and background knowledge as essential components. Washington, DC: New America Foundation, Education Policy Program.
Panjiatian, A., & Siahaan, D. (2024). Word walls and sound walls for multilingual classrooms. TESOL Quarterly, 58(1), 77–91.
Pennington, B., et al. (2019). Spoken language knowledge as a foundation for reading success. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 32(5), 1073–1090.
Reading League Summit. (2023). Joint statement on the Science of Reading and English learners. Syracuse, NY: The Reading League.
Wang, L., & Xiang, Y. (2016). Language transfer and literacy connections in bilingual education. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 19(4), 422–437.
Wexler, N. (2019). Knowledge matters: Restoring wonder and wisdom to the classroom. New York, NY: Avery/Penguin Random House.
