Multilingual learners bring valuable perspectives to a novel like The Betrothed, especially students who speak Italian or another Romance language at home. At the same time, the dense prose, historical references, and long sentences of the translated text can be demanding for students still developing academic English. Grading their essays fairly means distinguishing between challenges with language and challenges with interpretation, and providing supports that allow them to show what they understand.

A useful starting point is to separate the rubric criteria into content and language categories. Content criteria address thesis, evidence, and analysis, while language criteria address grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure. Weighting content more heavily recognizes that a student with an insightful argument about Don Abbondio's fear deserves credit even if their sentences contain errors that reflect the process of learning English.

Scaffolds can make a significant difference before students begin writing. Sentence frames such as in this passage, the narrator suggests that, which shows can help students organize their analysis. Graphic organizers that connect a claim, a quotation, and an explanation make the structure of a paragraph visible. These supports do not lower expectations; they give students tools to meet them.

Accessing a Difficult Text

Comprehension is a prerequisite for analysis, and The Betrothed can be difficult even for fluent readers. Teachers might provide chapter summaries, character lists, or a glossary of terms like bravi, gride, and lazzaretto. Pairing the reading with short excerpts in the student's home language, where available, can also aid understanding. The goal is to ensure that students can engage with the ideas, not just decode the words.

• Provide a glossary of historical and cultural terms before reading begins
• Offer sentence frames for introducing quotations and explaining evidence
• Allow students to plan or brainstorm in their home language
• Give feedback on one or two language patterns at a time rather than every error
• Recognize and value insights drawn from students' own linguistic and cultural experiences

Giving Feedback That Builds Language and Analysis

Feedback for multilingual learners works best when it is selective. Correcting every grammatical error can overwhelm a student and obscure the larger ideas. Instead, identify patterns that most affect clarity, such as verb tense or article use, and address those. Pair language comments with content feedback so that students receive guidance on both dimensions without feeling that their ideas are secondary.

Modeling is also valuable. Showing a student how a sentence could be rewritten, with an explanation of the change, helps them see patterns they can apply elsewhere. A comment such as try combining these two sentences with because to show how Renzo's anger leads to his decision gives a concrete tool for developing more connected writing. Over time, such guidance contributes to both language growth and analytical depth.

Using Technology Thoughtfully

AI feedback tools can offer multilingual learners additional support, especially for immediate suggestions on structure and clarity. A platform such as GraideMind can be set up to focus on rubric criteria like thesis and evidence while keeping language comments gentle and limited. Teachers should review the output to ensure that it is encouraging and appropriately targeted, since tone matters when working with students who may already feel self-conscious about their writing.

Students should also understand how to use such tools appropriately. Teachers can explain that the feedback is meant to guide revision, not to replace their own ideas. Encouraging students to explain in their own words why they accepted or rejected a suggestion reinforces ownership of the writing and helps them develop the metalinguistic awareness that supports long-term language growth.

Valuing Cultural and Linguistic Perspectives

Multilingual students often notice aspects of the novel that others miss. A student familiar with another language may recognize cognates or idioms that hint at the original Italian, or may draw connections between the novel's treatment of family obligation and their own culture. Teachers can invite these observations and treat them as strengths, which enriches class discussion and validates students' experiences.

Allowing flexibility in how students demonstrate understanding can also be beneficial. Options such as oral presentations, annotated passages, or short reflective writing can complement the formal essay and provide a fuller picture of comprehension. Recognizing multiple ways of showing learning leads to more equitable assessment and gives all students a chance to engage meaningfully with Manzoni's complex and rewarding novel.