For example: A 9th grade class that is planning to read Romeo and Juliet. 

Yet the standard says, be able to identify conflict or characteristics of the characters  that lead to conflict. So if our goal is to be able to read and identify conflict, than we can pull out certain passages where we know there is an example of conflict and do a read-aloud with your group to help them be able to identify the area of conflict.

It is all about balance. Determine what is the most important thing students need to get out of the assignments and how can you provide the supports to help them achieve those goals.

Use the student’s strengths in listening to support reading

Reading aloud with frequent stops to discuss and clarify is very helpful. With so many audiobooks available, that is another great resource to offer a modified version of the text for your English learners.   

Make your lesson as visual as possible

Consider ways students can express the lesson of the text in a visual manner. One example is I had my 9th grade students create paper dolls for each of the main characters and be able to act out particular scenes to show their understanding of the concepts.

Use short excepts

Short excerpts can come from the text or graphic novels, Cliff Notes, etc. to teach the same skills that you may find in the original text format.

Use interactive writing whenever you can

It helps a student to be able to read their own writing.

Final comment

The more you can expose the students to grade level text the more they will pick up. However, you can support them using the suggestions above while they strengthen their proficiency levels.