Teaching Young Dual Language Learners to Be Writers: Rethinking Writing Instruction through the Lens of Identity

Although young dual language students (DLLs) learn to write and use language expressively in ways that differ from monolingual English speakers, these differences are rarely addressed in curricula and instruction. In particular, despite a recent shift in attention to how identities shape literacy practices and motivations, common frameworks for understanding identity have been used only in a limited way with regard to young children and DLLs. This article reports relevant theory and research on the writing identities of young DLLs that informed an elementary-level instructional framework that supports the language acquisition and writing development of DLLs, including positive self-identification with writing.