161 3.1 HERITAGE LEARNERS Gláucia Silva University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Ivian Destro Boruchowski Florida International University A heritage language (HL) can be described as a non-dominant language that is used in immigrant communities. Here, we follow Valdés’s (2001) definition of heritage language learners (HLLs): individuals who were raised in an environment where a minority language was spoken, and who speak or at least understand that language, and are bilinguals to some degree. Since they have been exposed to the HL from a very young age but have often been schooled only (or mainly) in the majority language, HLLs may already understand the HL in its informal spoken register, but may not know how to read and/or write it. In spite of the wide variation in HL proficiency, HLLs tend to be more comfortable with their listening skills than speaking (though many do speak their HL). They also tend to feel more at ease with informal rather than with formal registers. Although there may be HLLs who are somewhat proficient HL readers, most find it difficult to write in the heritage language (Carreira & Kagan, 2011). Furthermore, HLLs may or may not be familiar with pragmatic constraints in their heritage language (Santos & Silva, 2008). Given this brief (and admittedly broad) description of HLLs, it seems clear that their learning needs tend towards formal registers and written language. While HLLs may not describe much difficulty with listening skills (Santos & Silva, 2015), foreign language learners (FLLs), in contrast, tend to struggle to comprehend spoken registers, especially in the beginning of their studies. On the other hand, FLLs may feel more comfortable than HLLs with certain practices in the foreign language classroom. For example, common approaches to grammar involve listing rules and naming structures such as verb forms. Since HLLs already tend to produce several of those structures, memorizing rules or naming the structures may be of little help to them (Parodi, 2008; Schwarzer & Petrón, 2005). It is true that HLLs of Portuguese may display some similarities with FLLs in regards to language use, such as failing to distinguish between indicative and subjunctive moods (Amaral, Cunha & Silva, 2011). However, despite possible similarities with FLLs, HLLs exhibit specific needs and would profit from teaching approaches geared toward those needs. In what follows, we discuss the teaching of Portuguese to teenage/adult HLLs, including classroom practices, materials, assessment, and program development. We also discuss what instructors can do when HLLs and FLLs have to share the same classroom. Furthermore, we offer considerations on teaching Portuguese to young heritage learners, also including practices,