Reading Crash Course · Practice Case · Kindergarten

Meet Camila.

Camila is learning English at school. She already knows a lot—in another language too. What does that change about how we interpret her reading?

Language Difference ≠ Reading Disability

Case progress

0%

Start with what she brings

Camila is not starting from zero.

Camila is in kindergarten. Spanish is the language she uses most often with her family. She entered school with rich oral language in Spanish, knows many songs and stories, and loves explaining things she has built or drawn.

Her English is growing quickly. She understands many classroom routines, uses short English sentences with peers, and participates more every week.

Learning English changes what a child can show you in English. It does not erase what the child already knows.

Decision 1

Camila gives short answers in English. What can you conclude?

Her language comprehension is weak. Her English production is still developing; you need additional evidence before drawing conclusions about her overall language knowledge or comprehension. She is probably not ready for literacy instruction.

Clue 1 · Same Child, Different Language

The picture changes when someone speaks Spanish with her.

Task	In English	In Spanish
Retell a familiar story	Short phrases	Detailed sequence with causes and character motives
Explain her drawing	“Dog. Park. Run.”	Detailed explanation with complete sentences
Answer “why” questions	Often points or gives one word	Explains reasoning clearly

Interpret the Evidence

What is the most defensible conclusion?

Camila has a comprehension problem because her English answers are short. Camila demonstrates strong conceptual and narrative language in Spanish; her English expressive language is still developing. Spanish is interfering with learning and should be reduced.

Clue 2 · Beginning Literacy

Now look at print and sounds.

Camila recognizes many uppercase letters and several lowercase letters. She is learning English letter-sound correspondences.

Task	Camila's response
Identify first sound in sun	/s/ ✓
Blend /m/ /ă/ /p/	map ✓ after one repeat
Segment sit	/s/ /i/ /t/ ✓
Read map	Works through sounds and reads it ✓
English word ship	Unsure of the meaning after decoding

The Trap

Camila can decode ship but does not know what it means. What is the best interpretation?

Her decoding must be weak because comprehension failed. She may have successfully decoded the word while still learning its English meaning; word reading and English vocabulary are separate questions. She should stop phonics until her English vocabulary is complete.

Two things can grow together

Teach the code—and build English language.

Word reading

Camila needs explicit instruction in how English print represents speech, just like other beginning readers.

English vocabulary + language

She also needs meaningful opportunities to learn the English words, sentence structures, and discourse used in the texts she reads.

Home-language knowledge

Concepts and knowledge developed in Spanish can support learning and comprehension in English.

Cross-language connections

Where helpful, teachers can notice similarities and differences across languages rather than pretending only English exists.

Choose the Better Response

Camila decodes insect but does not recognize the English word. What would help most?

Mark the whole response wrong and reteach every letter sound. Acknowledge the successful decoding, connect insect to meaning with a picture/example and, if useful, to the Spanish cognate insecto. Avoid science vocabulary until her English is more advanced.

Be careful with “low” scores

English-language assessment can underestimate what Camila knows.

A low English vocabulary, oral-language, or comprehension score may partly reflect English development. That does not mean ignore the score. It means interpret it in context.

Ask about language exposure, opportunities to learn, performance in the home language when possible, response to high-quality instruction, and whether the difficulty appears across languages or primarily in English.

Difference or Difficulty?

When should you become more concerned about a possible reading difficulty?

Whenever Camila makes an English grammar error. When difficulties with core reading processes are persistent despite appropriate instruction and cannot be explained well by English development or limited opportunity to learn—especially when related difficulties are evident across languages or tasks. Never. Multilingual learners cannot have reading disabilities.

Clue 3 · Watch Her Learn

Response to instruction gives you more evidence.

Over several weeks, Camila receives explicit phonics instruction, daily interactive read-alouds, vocabulary support, partner talk, visuals, and opportunities to use both English and Spanish as resources.

She begins applying taught letter-sound patterns to unfamiliar words. Her English explanations grow longer, and she starts using newly taught words in conversation.

What Counts as Progress?

Which pattern is most informative?

Camila now speaks only English at school. She transfers taught decoding patterns to new words and uses expanding English vocabulary and language to understand and discuss increasingly complex ideas. She stops using Spanish during literacy activities.

Expectation Check

Which classroom response is strongest?

Give Camila easier ideas until her English catches up. Maintain rich, age-appropriate content while providing language supports, explicit literacy instruction, visuals, discussion, modeling, and opportunities to connect new English to what she already knows. Focus entirely on English conversation and postpone reading instruction.

A defensible plan for Camila

What might happen next?

Assess broadly

Interpret English results alongside language history, classroom evidence, home-language performance when available, and opportunity to learn.

Teach literacy explicitly

Provide systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, spelling, and connected reading as needed.

Build English through content

Teach useful vocabulary, sentence structures, discussion routines, and oral language inside meaningful reading and knowledge building.

Use all of her resources

Allow knowledge, language, cognates, family experiences, visuals, gesture, peers, and home-language connections to support learning.

Most importantly, keep updating the hypothesis as Camila learns. Do not explain every difficulty by English development—and do not explain English development as a disability.

Keep Learning

Go deeper into multilingual literacy.

IES / WWC · Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners → WIDA · Early Years Resources for Multilingual Children → Head Start · Dual Language Learners →

The Camila Rule

Do not mistake learning English for not knowing.

Camila's English tells you what she can currently show you in English. It does not tell you the full extent of her language, knowledge, or thinking.

Teach the code. Build English. Use what she already knows. Keep the intellectual ceiling high.

Return toPractice Cases All ModulesReading Crash Course Practice AgainRestart Camila's Case ↑