Language of Identity, Language of Access

Grow students’ linguistic capital AND value their home language

In Language of Identity, Language of Access, authors Michelle Benegas and Natalia Benjamin highlight the urgent need for a revolution in language education that validates home languages and dialects while equipping students with the linguistic tools for social mobility. Their original LILA framework rejects the socially constructed hierarchy of languages and provides students with a broader linguistic repertoire.

This accessible and teacher-friendly guide presents an overview of this liberatory approach to language and literacy, an exploration of linguistically sustaining and expanding instruction, and practical guidance on designing lessons that attend to the language of identity and the language of access. Additional recurring features include:

• Voces provide real-life teacher experiences from the classroom


• Reflecciónes encourage educators to consider how principles and ideas relate to current practice and promote translanguaging


• Practical applications of theories (PATs) provide conceptual frameworks and lesson plans on various topics and activities.


• End of Chapter Conversaciónes encourage dialogue and enable educators to implement concepts in their classrooms.

Offering a fresh perspective on academic language as a means to access power and social capital, Language of Identity, Language of Access is a guide for ALL educators committed to linguistically sustaining pedagogies and empowering students with linguistic capital for social mobility.