Our Context and the Interdisciplinary Biliteracy Sequence
From May 2024 to May 2025, we partnered with a school district along the Texas-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley as it shifted toward a more cohesive and strategic approach to bilingual language development. In this district, bilingual programs are common and include children growing up speaking Spanish or Spanish and English. The district also includes children from English-only speaking homes.
To address the unique needs of their setting, the early childhood and bilingual education directors assembled a leadership team of five lead preschool teachers across the district who teach multilingual preschoolers effectively. Two instructional strategists, one specializing in early childhood and the other in bilingual education, also joined the team.
Central to this approach was integrating a three-phase instructional framework called the interdisciplinary biliteracy sequence into everyday practice. This framework is designed to strengthen vocabulary, bilingualism, and early biliteracy through inquiry-based learning( phase 1), shared writing( phase 2), and interactive read alouds( phase 3). The sequence ties together with thematic learning centers, ensuring that instruction remains integrated, purposeful, and grounded.
We found that this sequence helps educators
› Tailor their practices to multilingual learners › Create engaging, culturally sustaining, and language-rich activities
› Promote purposeful and playful learning experiences that are academically meaningful and responsive to children’ s cultural and linguistic needs
› Rediscover enthusiasm for teaching by focusing on creativity, cultural relevance, and child engagement
For more information about the sequence, see The Essentials: Supporting Dual Language Learners in Diverse Environments in Preschool and Kindergarten, by Iliana Alanís and colleagues, as well as“ Teaching and Learning in the Outdoors: Nature as a Springboard for Biliteracy Development,” by Maria G. Arreguín and Rica Ramírez in the Summer 2025 issue of Young Children.
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