Creating Curriculum Cartographers

Students learning English as a second language are using the ESL teacher's curriculum and instruction as their primary means for becoming privileged bilinguals. However, teachers are being provided textbooks with little direction as to how to build an inclusive curriculum plan that supports their English language learners in meeting their goals. As ELLs, students' goals include reaching a certain level of proficiency in English, but more importantly, they also aim to maintain an equivalent proficiency in their primary languages as they strive for bilingualism. Teachers are often unwilling or unable to incorporate ELLs into their class curriculum, and therefore do not honor students' heritage languages. This leads to first language loss and ultimately limited English proficiency and bilingualism. The purpose of this project is to support teachers in meeting the many needs of their classroom through effective curriculum planning. A more comprehensive ESL curriculum includes students as resources and honors their L1 because it supports English language development.