Materials Development

This list of resources was shared at the UBS-SIL International Mother Language Day Webinar 2024.  Social & Emotional Learning

You can access the PowerPoint presentation for the Webinar HERE. 

This manual is designed to accompany workshops that focus on producing language development materials based on the cultural themes chosen by a given community for their education program.  Producing Culturally Relevant Language Development Teaching Materials Manual and Handouts 

An accompanying YouTube video can be watched here. 

Guidance Notes on the Production of Reading Materials - This guidance note focuses on straightforward, standard approaches that World Bank teams and clients can use to increase the usefulness and durability and decrease the costs of books in education programs. 

Guidance Note on the Productions of Reading Books - This guidebook was created for the Read@Home project to help writers, illustrators, and designers create books for young children to share with their families at home. 

Materials Guidance - The purpose of this manual is to provide practical guidance on the identification and selection of quality children’s reading materials for home use, and the identification or design of accompanying materials for caregivers to support children’s learning. 

Guidance Note: Technical Specifications for the Production of Reading Books - This guide explains standard technical specifications for the most common types of textbooks and teaching and learning materials. 

Copyright Guide - This guide details the importance of copyright and the legal conventions that exist across the world to protect the creation of books, including the books funded by The World Bank. 

Additional Read@Home Resources can be found here.

Book 1: Activities for early grades of Mother Tongue (L1)-Based Multilingual Education Programs  (2010)

• A collection of activities for early grade teachers in Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education classrooms. The bulk of the activities focus on Language Education in L1 and L2. Also included are activities for the following subject areas: Art, Environment, Family and Community, Government, Health and Safety, Heritage Culture, Mathematics, and Science.

Book 2: Activities to build students’ confidence in using their first language (L1) in school (2017)

• A collection of activities to help young students build confidence in using oral first language (L1) for communication and for learning in school. The activities in this resource book are adapted from materials that I developed as a consultant for MTB MLE programs in Asia, Africa and the Pacific.   

Book3: Activities to introduce students to reading and writing their first language (L1) (2017)

• A collection of activities to introduce students to reading and writing in their L1 using a 2-track approach. The activities in this resource book are adapted from materials that I developed as a consultant for MTB MLE programs in Asia, Africa and the Pacific.  

Book 4: Activities to help students build fluency in hearing, speaking, reading and writing their first language (L1) (2017)

• A collection of activities to help students build fluency and confidence in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing their L1. The activities in this resource book are adapted from materials that I developed as a consultant for MTB MLE programs in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. 

This book contains administrative and curriculum materials that can be used to establish and operate playschool programs for indigenous communities. The book covers pre-reading, pre-writing and readiness skills.  

Heritage Language Playschool For Indigenous Minorities

Supplemental Materials

Curriculum Activities

This library of resources, compiled by Dr. Patricia M. Davis, provides information and lesson material for literacy specialists and for teacher trainers of adult literacy and mother tongue-based multilingual educations (MTB-MLE) programs. The documents encompass sixteen broad topics which cover most aspects of mother tongue literacy education. Links and references to additional materials such as books, published articles, videos, and internet articles are also provided for anyone wishing to do further research.  

Lessons and Resources for Literacy and MLE Trainers

Capacitación para especialistas en educación multilingüe-multicultural

Defining features of mother tongue-based multilingual educations (MTB-MLE) curriculum and principles to guide the curriculum development process.  Curriculum development for MTB-MLE: Basic features (2018)

Templates in this document can be used for developing MTB-MLE curriculum in your programs. The outcomes and indicators were compiled from curriculum development workshops and other training events in Africa, Asia and the Pacific.  Resource for developing MTB-MLE curriculum and teaching/learning materials (2018)

Lessons learned relating to curriculum development for MTB-MLE, with photos from programs in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific.  MTB-MLE: What have we learned about best practices in developing strong programs? (2017)

Developing curriculum, teaching, and learning materials for MTB-MLE (français).  La planification et élaboration du curriculum et du matériel pédagogique pour l’EML (2011)

Participants’ list of most important things to communicate to groups planning for MTB-MLE.  Curriculum and materials development for MTB-MLE: Recommendations from course participants (2010)

Questions to consider before beginning curriculum and instructional materials development for MTB-MLE.  Questions to guide planning of MTB-MLE curriculum and instructional materials (2007)

Steps to developing the primer used in the Accuracy Track of the Two-Track method.  Guide to developing an Alphabet Learning Book (primer) to introduce L1 literacy using the Two-Track methodn (2019)

Description with photos of each part of the 2-Track Method’s “Meaning Time”, including the stages of emergent writing that young children go through as they achieve fluency.  "Meaning Time" in the 2-Track Method (2019)

Steps to developing a guide for helping students “bridge” between L1 and L2 literacy when both languages use the same script.  Guide to developing a transfer/transition primer (2019)

PowerPoint presentation with suggestions for developing teaching plans and materials that use L1 and L2 as languages of instruction in middle to upper primary grades.  L1 and L2 as languages of instruction in middle and upper grades (2012)

Important points to consider when developing teaching and learning materials for MTB-MLE programs. (français)  Développement des matériels d'enseignement et d'apprentissage de l’EML (pour travailler avec l'équipe responsable du programme) (2008)

The activities in this book help young students achieve Grade 1 mathematic competencies. Developed for 

the Liberian Languages and English Multilingual Education program.  Grade 1 Math Activity Book for LIBTRALO in Liberia

Short reusable pre-reading and pre-writing book for children.  Getting ready to read and write

Stage 1 Big Book story for young children.  I Wonder Where the Water Is

Stage 1 Big Book story, originally developed for children in the Highlands of  Papua New Guinea.

The man and the snake (English)
L’Homme et le serpent (français)

Guidelines for translating and adapting storybooks.  Translating & Adapting Storybooks

Steps for Adapting Books.  Adapting a Book

This book shares ideas and effective practices used to teach good writing.  Writing good books

The process of creating Stage 1 stories for children who are learning to read in their first language (L1).  Writing a Stage 1 story

Suggestions for planning, developing, illustrating, editing, translating and evaluating graded reading materials for mother tongue-based multilingual educations programs.  Resource For Developing Graded Reading Materials

Primer construction manual and teacher trainer's guide.  Trainer's Guide for the Multi-Strategy Economy Model 

Manuel du formateur pour l’usage de la Forme d’Alphabétisation Multi-stratégie Économique (FAME) (français)