The first months of school must form a supportive linguistic, academic, social, and emotional foundation for students at beginning levels of English. Educators must value who students are, what they bring to each lesson, and how they learn. Effective second language development instruction to develop the beginning levels of English proficiency requires four essential features. Jeff Zwiers explains the four instructional elements necessary to equip newcomer students with the foundational "building blocks" needed to succeed in school and have a fulfilling life.