Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association

Abstract:

As the population of immigrant children and young adults increases throughout the United States, many experts have advocated for the establishment of courses designed specifically for speakers of languages other than English (LOTE) to maintain their proficiency and build literacy. But for various reasons many LOTE speakers end up in secondary and university courses designed to teach their home languages to second language (L2) learners, classrooms where too often their linguistic needs are not met. This paper proposes a set of guidelines for effectively teaching heritage language learners (HLLs) enrolled in L2 classrooms. Among the recommendations are the use of differentiated instruction, the use of varied levels of input during class and the creation of a portfolio of extra materials that includes readings at the appropriate level for HLLs. Also presented are strategies for using activities that sometimes bring heritage learners together in pairs or groups and sometimes pair them with L2 learners, depending upon the academic goals and the levels of the students.