This article provides a critical review of popular models for literacy pedagogy with regard for the needs of low-literacy refugee-background students. We argue that in a context of high linguistic diversity there is a need to re-evaluate teaching practices and curriculum in a way that is more responsive to difference and which pays closer attention to insights from second language acquisition research. The first part of the paper presents the distinctive needs of a cohort of high needs ESL learners in Australia, and the second examines the potential and limits of a number of literacy teaching frameworks. Our conclusion is that if the needs of high needs ESL learners are to be adequately met by all teachers of literacy then a greater emphasis needs to be placed in these frameworks on second language processes and teaching practices. (Contains 1 table.)