The read-aloud, multilingual dictionary, voice typing, and text prediction tools your ELL students need, layered into the Google Classroom workflow you already use.
7/5/26
Google Classroom is where most U.S. students do their daily work, and ELL students are no exception. The challenge is that Classroom itself does not include dedicated ELL support, so the read-aloud, vocabulary lookup, voice typing, and text prediction tools English learners need have to come from somewhere else. Mote runs natively across Google Docs, Slides, Forms, and Classroom assignments, so the same scaffolds appear in every part of the workflow without a separate app or a new login. This guide covers what Google Classroom does and does not include for ELLs, how Mote fills the gap, and how to set it up across a class or a district.
Mote Read Aloud works on any text inside Google Docs, Slides, Forms, and Classroom assignment instructions. Students hear and see the text together, with adjustable speed, dual-layer word highlighting, and replay on demand.
Mote Multilingual Dictionary surfaces a definition and the home-language equivalent for any word in the assignment, without leaving the page. Useful for ELLs at WIDA levels 1 to 4 hitting unfamiliar academic vocabulary.
Mote Voice Typing lets ELL students speak their answers and have the text appear in the assignment. Removes the spelling barrier so production can start before written accuracy is fully there.
Mote Text Prediction surfaces grade-level academic vocabulary as students type, narrowing the gap between what they want to say and what they can put on the page. Works inside Google Docs and Classroom long-response items.
Mote runs the same way in Docs, Slides, Forms, and Classroom. Students recognise the toolkit across every subject and every teacher. That consistency is the difference between a tool a student has to think about and one that just works.
Admins push the Mote Chrome extension to every student through Google Admin Console. FERPA, COPPA, and GDPR compliant with signed Data Processing Agreements. No per-student installation, no separate accounts.
Add Mote from the Chrome Web Store on the student's or teacher's Chrome profile. Pin the icon so the sidebar is one click away inside any Google Workspace tab.
Use the same Google account that the student uses for Google Classroom. No separate Mote login is needed and no extra password to manage.
Open any assignment from the student's Classroom view. Mote works inside the assignment instructions, the attached Doc or Slides file, and any Google Form quiz attached to the assignment.
Click the Mote icon in the sidebar to launch Read Aloud, Voice Typing, Multilingual Dictionary, or Text Prediction. The same tools appear across every Workspace surface, so students do not learn a new interface for each subject.
For district-level deployment, push the Mote Chrome extension through Google Admin Console. Every student gets access without individual installation, and admins can verify accommodation delivery through Mote's usage analytics.
Teachers evaluating ELL support tools that fit inside Google Classroom usually shortlist three options: Mote, Read&Write by Texthelp, and Snap&Read by Don Johnston. The right choice depends on the student stack you need, the budget, and how deeply the tool integrates with Google Workspace.
Mote is the best ELL support tool for schools that run on Google Classroom and want a tight, native fit with Google Workspace at zero cost to teachers. Read Aloud, Voice Typing, Multilingual Dictionary, and Text Prediction cover the core ELL stack across every Workspace surface. Read&Write covers more ground but costs more and feels heavier inside Classroom. Snap&Read does text leveling well but is narrower than Mote on output and assessment supports.
Google Classroom itself does not have dedicated ELL features built in. The supports ELL teachers usually rely on inside Classroom (read-aloud, vocabulary lookup, voice-to-text, text prediction) come from Chrome extensions and Workspace add-ons. Mote runs natively across Google Docs, Slides, Forms, and Classroom assignments without a separate login or an extra app to manage.
Install the Mote Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store, sign in with the same Google account you use for Classroom, and the Mote sidebar appears automatically inside any Google Doc, Slide, Form, or Classroom assignment. There is no separate app to deploy. For domain-wide rollout, an admin can push the extension through Google Admin Console without per-student installation.
The Chrome extensions teachers most often shortlist for ELL support inside Google Classroom are Mote, Read&Write by Texthelp, and Snap&Read by Don Johnston. Mote is free for teachers, runs natively across Google Workspace, and covers the core ELL stack of read-aloud, multilingual dictionary, voice typing, and text prediction. Read&Write is paid and broader. Snap&Read is paid and focuses on text leveling.
Yes. Mote works inside Google Forms, including quiz mode. Students can use Read Aloud on the question text, the Multilingual Dictionary on individual words, and Voice Typing on short-answer responses. Whether each tool counts as an allowed accommodation on a graded quiz depends on the test and your district policy, so check the assessment manual before relying on it for high-stakes grading.
Set them up at the tool level, not the assignment level. Install Mote Chrome extension domain-wide so every ELL student has Read Aloud, Voice Typing, Multilingual Dictionary, and Text Prediction available in every Google Classroom assignment by default. Document the accommodations in the student's ELL service plan and IEP if applicable. The aim is consistency, not a per-assignment workaround.
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