As the adult English language learner population continues to grow, many adult literacy and family literacy programs are experiencing new or rapidly expanding ELL populations and are not fully equipped with resources to serve families learning English. This is particularly true for many faith-based and community-based providers in rural areas, as well as other small, locally funded projects. Many of these providers lack experienced staff trained to work with adult English language learners, and lack both resources and infrastructures.

In response to this need, the Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners was developed. This Toolkit provides needed support and serves as a resource to adult education and family literacy instructors who are new to serving English language learner adults and families. The Toolkit provides a variety of materials to help practitioners begin to meet the language and literacy development needs of the ELL students they serve through the following components: responses to Frequently Asked Questions; a first-day orientation guide; lesson plans; and research-to-practice papers on critical topics.

The Toolkit has been made possible by a grant from the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), U.S. Department of Education, through DTI Associates, and is a collaborative effort of the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) and the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL).                                          

A free, self-paced, online course to support the Toolkit is available on Verizon Literacy Campus. The course, Working with English Language Learners, is designed to enable instructors and volunteers to create a lesson plan that both meets the needs of their English language learners and also matches these needs with appropriate instructional strategies that accommodate cultural differences. Find out more...

To download the Toolkit in English in its entirety,  click here.

If you choose this option, you will need to download and print the Student Performance Levels and NRS file separately.

To download Section III in Spanish in its entirety, click here.

To download individual sections, click on one of the links below.

• Practitioner Toolkit Title Page
• Table of Contents & Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Frequently Asked Questions

Part I: Background Information

• Background Information Title Page
• Adult Non-Native English Speakers in the United States
• Program Types and Challenges

Part II: Activity Packets

• Activity Packets Title Page
• Orientation for New English Language Learners
• Needs Assessment and Learner Self-Evaluation
• Lesson Planning
• Activities to Promote Interaction and Communication
• Activities to Promote Reading Development

Part III: Parent Education in Family Literacy Programs (Part III is also available in Spanish. See below.)

• Parent Education in Family Literacy Programs Title Page
• Parent Education Overview
• Parent Education Instructional Strategies
• Parent Education Activities
• Sample Parent Education Lessons
• Literacy Activities in the Home

Parte III: Educación para el padre en programa de alfabetismo familiar (bajar)

• Educación para el padre en programa de alfabetismo familiar
• Vista general a la Educación para los padres
• Estrategias de enseñanza en la educación para el padre
• Actividades de Educación para el padre
• Muestras de lecciones de educación para el padre
• Actividades de lectoescritura para realizar en casa

Part IV: Topics in Adult ESL Education and Family Literacy

• Topics in Adult ESL Title Page
• Preparing for Permanent Residency and Citizenship
• English Language and Literacy Learning: Research to Practice
• Assessing Adult English Language Learners
• English Language Assessment Instruments for Adults Learning English
• Student Performance Levels, NRS
• Spanish Language Assessment Instruments for Adult Spanish Speakers Learning English
• Adult English Language Learners and Learning Disabilities
• Addressing the Needs of Specific Groups of Learners
• Helping Adult English Language Learners Transition into Other Educational Programs

Part V: Resources

• Resources Title Page
• Parent Education Resources
• Adult ESL Resources