Assignment 2: Linguistic Feature Analysis & Literacy Support Plan (25 points)
Task: Students will select a grade-level text (K–12) and conduct a linguistic feature analysis to identify elements that may challenge multilingual learners (e.g., morphology, syntax, academic vocabulary, discourse structures). Then, they will design a specific literacy support plan that integrates reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Examples by Discipline
State what discipline you will be completing for the assignment.
Teaching
Analyze the text for linguistic and academic demands, which means breaking down what a student must understand, process, and produce in order to successfully read, discuss, or write about that text. It’s a core skill in TESOL, sheltered instruction, and content‑area teaching because it helps you anticipate where multilingual learners may need scaffolding.
Design instructional supports such as:
Vocabulary pre‑teaching Sentence frames and language objectives Guided reading scaffolds Think‑alouds and modeling Structured partner talk Graphic organizers for comprehension The plan should show how a teacher would explicitly teach the language needed to access the text.
Speech‑Language Pathology
Identify phonological, morphological, syntactic, or semantic features that may affect comprehension or production. Develop supports such as:
Explicit teaching of complex syntax Oral language scaffolds Structured practice with academic vocabulary Modeling and repetition Visual supports for language structures School Counseling
Adapt text‑based social–emotional learning (SEL) materials for multilingual learners. Include strategies such as:
Pre‑teaching key SEL vocabulary Visuals and scenarios to support comprehension Guided discussion prompts Role‑play activities Sentence starters for expressing emotions or perspectives School Psychology
Analyze cognitive load and language demands in academic tasks. Propose instructional supports such as:
Chunking complex text Think‑aloud modeling Graphic organizers for processing information Structured peer interaction Scaffolds for academic language use Submit a 4–5 page analysis plus a literacy support plan with instructional strategies. A literacy support plan outlines the specific language supports, scaffolds, and instructional strategies students will need to successfully read, write, speak, and understand the content in a lesson.
It answers three questions:
What language will students need? Where will they struggle? What supports will I provide so they can succeed? How much for a 4-5 page reading plan?