In this article, I draw on theories of generativity and multiliteracies pedagogy, as well as research on youths' language and literacy practices and development that are framed by a multiliteracies lens, to outline approaches to literacy education that draw upon, as well as strengthen, students' existing language, literacy, and cultural repertoires while assisting youths' development of new knowledge and capabilities that are advantageous to living and learning in diverse societies. These approaches involve students and teachers investigating the language and literacy practices in students' lives; and reading, composing, and analyzing multicultural, multilingual, and multimodal texts.