Scaffolded Writing

Scaffolded Writing: A Bridge, Not a Barrier

Structured Language Supports Emergent Bilingual Writers Every time students are asked to write, we assume they know how to begin. But for many learners, especially Emergent Bilinguals, that assumption becomes the very reason they don’t complete the assignment at all. When students shut down instead of putting forth the effort necessary to complete a writing task, their frustration becomes evident. While many teachers focus on their motivation and accountability, a crucial instructional question is often overlooked: Do students have the language tools they need to sta

Digital Multimodal Composition, Infographics

Why Students Should Analyze Infographics Before Creating Them

The Problem: Jumping Straight to Creation Imagine asking students to write a persuasive essay without ever reading one or trying to solve quadratic equations without seeing examples first. It sounds ridiculous, right? Yet many of us do this with infographics all the time without considering that another step may be necessary. The solution is simple: start with analysis, not creation. In my recent post titled, How I Design Infographics for Multimodal Learning Projects in Canva, I shared how infographics support student learning by functioning as instructional tools and a

Canva, Digital Multimodal Composition

Canva for Emergent Bilinguals: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Multimodal Assignments

Why Canva Works As educators, we're constantly seeking ways to support our emergent bilingual students in demonstrating their understanding while navigating language barriers. Canva offers a powerful solution by enabling students to express their knowledge through multiple modes of communication: visual, textual, audio, and design elements. Canva is a free graphic design platform that enables users to create many different types of genres. This guide will walk you through creating assignments that leverage Canva's features to support language development while maintain