Routines to Build Essential Digital Literacy Skills in ESL Classrooms

Planning opportunities for beginning level ESL learners to build basic computer skills doesn’t have to be complex! These resources were created to support instructors to integrate computer skills into beginning level (and above!) ESL instruction. 

Please note, the Google Slides linked in this document require A Gmail account to access and modify the resources. 

What is included? 

• A Short Teacher Guide: Instructions and guidance on including basic digital literacy skill building routines in an ESL classroom to help learners develop basic computer skills. The teacher guide is the place to grab the links to the rubrics, lessons, and application and extension activities. 

• Digital Literacy Routines: Easy-to-use, customizable lessons built in Google Slides. Lessons are designed to be implemented as routines—to be used over and over again.  Repetition helps learners to build the essential skills of digital resilience and digital literacy.

• Digital Skill Rubrics: Rubrics are included to use before and after instruction to identify the digital skills learners need to build and skills they have mastered.  

All routines include:  

• Teacher instructions in the slide notes. These follow an I do (model by the instructor), we do (practice together), you do (opportunity for learners to model their mastery of the skill) model.  

• Built in checks for understanding 

• Visuals to model the skill.

How do the resources support standards and scaffold to other curricula?  

The Northstar Digital Literacy standards, College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) and Transition Integration Framework (TIF) skills are identified for each topic. Skills identified in the rubrics and lessons are linked to ideas for application and extension activities through Literacy Minnesota’s English Unlocked ESL curriculum and Northstar Standards & Northstar learning resources. This is to support sites who are using those curricula, or who would like to. However, having subscriber access to Northstar or English Unlocked are not necessary to use the routines. 

We invite you to watch this 15 minute Introduction Video to learn more about building digital literacy into instruction, the materials included in this resource, and ways instructors can use these resources. 

Literacy Minnesota welcomes your feedback! Please feel free to complete this Google Form after using or reviewing the resources and/or please reach out to Northstar Curriculum Manager, Leah Hauge at lhauge@literacymn.org.