Diverse learners: A teacher must understand how students differ in their approaches to learning and create instructional opportunities that are adapted to students with diverse backgrounds and exceptionalities (Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice, standard 3).

This is a video of a first grade literacy lesson for English as a Second Language students.  Research documents the positive effects of non-fiction study on ESL students' academic achievement.  At the beginning of the lesson, subject-specific vocabulary about the solar system was defined and discussed to advance ESL students' understanding.  Additional pictures and diagrams aide ESL students in acquiring knowledge.

The essential literacy strategy being taught is instructing students to know that non-fiction texts communicate facts and information.