Often times, we as educations see labels as “things we have to do” and then they un-intentionally become barriers to great teaching and learning. This is often the case in Project Based Learning (PBL). Teachers might say, we can’t do PBL because we are doing ____ (insert program name). In working with schools, we focus the majority of our time not on project design but implementation of strategies that are good for all learners. In this post, we are going to examine how one school is supporting Multi-Language Learners (MLL’s) using using GLAD strategies.
This past month, I had the privilege of working alongside the talented educators at Katherine Smith Elementary as we explored how GLAD strategies can be intentionally mapped across a project to support Multi-Language Learners (MLLs). What stood out in this work was the way teachers committed to making content accessible while also advancing academic language development in their project implementation.
Building Clarity Through Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
We began by grounding our project planning with clarity by using Learning Intentions and Success Criteria. For MLLs (and all learners), clarity is critical: they need to know not only what they are learning but also what success looks like. Teachers worked to articulate both content and language goals, creating dual pathways for students to demonstrate understanding.
Layering GLAD Strategies Across a Project
The real power and connections for teachers came when we were mapping when and how GLAD strategies would be introduced during the week. Instead of seeing them as isolated activities, we positioned them as scaffolds that directly support the Success Criteria. An important step for staff was to align the strategies that they used the most along the levels of complexity of surface, deep and transfer.
Surface Learning (Building Background & Vocabulary)
Teachers used Pictorial Input Charts, Cognitive Content Dictionaries, and Sentence Patterning Charts early in the project. These strategies anchored key concepts with visuals, repetition, and structured language, providing MLLs with accessible entry points into complex topics.
Deep Learning (Processing & Synthesizing)
As students moved into inquiry, we layered in Process Grids and Expert Groups. These collaborative structures pushed students to analyze and compare information, building not only content knowledge but also the academic language of explanation, comparison, and justification.
Transfer Learning (Applying Language in New Contexts)
Toward the culmination of the project, strategies like Oral Presentation Scaffolds and Writer’s Workshop with GLAD supports allowed MLLs to apply their new knowledge in authentic ways. Here, students weren’t just practicing language they were using language to share ideas, persuade, and explain in real-world contexts.
What This Looked Like for Students
One moment that stuck with me came during a project presentation. A group of MLL students confidently used academic vocabulary from their Process Grids while explaining their findings. It was clear the scaffolds weren’t crutches, they were stepping stones. The students had internalized the language structures and were using them to communicate complex ideas.
Why This Matters for Students
At Katherine Smith, the intentional alignment of GLAD strategies with project outcomes and language goals created a learning environment where MLLs can thrive. Rather than separating “language support” from “content learning,” the teachers wove them together, showing students that language is a tool for thinking, collaborating, and creating.
This work is a powerful reminder: when we are deliberate in how we stack and map strategies across a project, we don’t just support MLLs in “catching up” we empower them to lead with their voices and ideas.
Conclusion
When we talk about supporting multilingual learners, it’s easy to slip into an “either/or” mindset, either we’re doing PBL or we’re using strategies for MLL success. But effective teaching is never about choosing one tool over another. Strategies don’t compete with PBL; they strengthen it. Every instructional move we make, scaffolds, routines, talk structures, vocabulary supports, modeling, expands our toolbox and makes learning more accessible, equitable, and rigorous.
The strategies highlighted here represent just one category of supports that help multilingual learners thrive in a project-based environment. There are many more. A well-rounded classroom draws from a wide bank of techniques to ensure all students have the access points they need to engage deeply with content and demonstrate their learning.
That’s the heart of the Re-Envisioning Rigor series, practical, high-impact routines intentionally designed to support all learners in the day-to-day implementation of PBL. When we build classrooms that balance student voice, scaffolding, inquiry, and academic rigor, multilingual learners don’t just participate, they contribute, lead, create, and succeed.
In PBL, strategies aren’t add-ons. They’re the foundation of powerful learning.
