Literacy Activities to Prepare MLL Students for an Art Museum Visit

This article describes how I prepared newcomer Yemeni students to visit, understand, and learn from museums while also strengthening their English language development and cultural identity. Many students had limited English proficiency; however, they brought rich personal, family, and cultural knowledge into the classroom. To build on those strengths, I used literacy-based activities before, during, and after museum visits. These activities included shared and independent reading with e-books, pre-assessment charts, vocabulary development, guided discussions, reflective writing, collage-making, and student-led decision-making. Each strategy helped students practice English in meaningful ways while connecting museum content to memory, immigration, history, culture, and identity. The article focuses on slowing down instruction, allowing time for reflection, and listening to students’ stories. It also shows how museum preparation can become more than a field-trip routine. It can create space for multilingual learners to share what they know, ask questions, build confidence, and experience a stronger sense of belonging.