Meeting the Literacy Development Needs of Adolescent English Language Learners Through Content Area Learning (Part 1): Focus on Motivation and Engagement

This article reviews research concerning literacy engagement and motivation of adolescent ELL students as well as native speakers in content-area classrooms. Instructional principals such as the "scaffolding" method and activation of students' prior knowledge are explored, as well as importance of content relevance and choice in student-centered learning. Additionally, the article provides guidelines for research-based professional development that would adequately prepare content area teachers to support the literacy development of all secondary students.