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English Language Proficiency Standards - these are important to include in the language objectives when lesson planning and for determining which language domains are begin addressed with the lesson.

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Proficiency Level Descriptors - these are important to refer to when monitoring the progress of the English learners. They also serve as reminders of what students can do at each level of proficiency within each domain of language.

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This gives practical ways in which we can in corporate the family into the students education.

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Family and Community Engagement Resources - TNTP

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Join TNTP in transforming education. We lead in research, policy, and consulting for American public education.

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Allows for the connections of ELL families and others to learn from each other.

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Multilingual families can be powerful partners on behalf of their children. Yet what these partnerships look like will be unique to each school setting and community — and may require some “thinking outside of the box.” This section includes some key tips and recommended resources from our sister si…

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shows the importance oof attending meetings to change policies.

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I began my teaching career in 1997 as a mainstream, 3rd grade teacher at a suburban public school near Houston, Texas. Our school had one teacher designated to serve English language learners (ELLs) through a pull-out setting. I understood my job as teaching students the general education curriculum while she taught my ELLs the English language. I never knew exactly what my students did when they were with the ESL teacher; nor was I sure whether she knew what they were doing when they were with me.

Fast forward to the present and my current activities-working with teachers across the U.S. to strengthen their knowledge and skillset for serving students who are learning English as an additional language. From this vantage point, I can see that my early years as a teacher did not provide a great structure for teaching content or language and that all educators need to know how to serve all students.

The problem is that English learning specialists may be preaching to the choir. We gather on Facebook groups, Instagram, or on Twitter to share information with one another. But we need to spread this mission to our educator friends-those who may not see themselves as ELL specialists yet need to know more about teaching students who are learning English as an additional language. We have to become advocates for English language learners. Here's how:

Learn all that you can about the laws and policies concerning ELLs in your state.

How we serve English language learners is mandated by federal law. From that, states build their own laws and policies. Knowing these laws will help you to serve students and teachers. Educators need to understand these important considerations:

Attend meetings that involve English language learners.

While attending PLCs, RTI meetings, etc. use your knowledge about laws and policies regarding ELLs to advocate for students' rights. Be a voice for students during such meetings and share these rights with families of ELLs. One way to connect with ELLs families when there is a language barrier in the messages you send home is through Talking Points , a free app that translates messages into senders home languages.

Volunteer to present strategies that support ELLs.

English language learners spend most of their day in classrooms with mainstream teachers who may or may not be certified to teach ELLs. Either way, ongoing professional development on strategies that support language and content acquisition will help teachers understand how to leverage language to maximize academic growth. Ask your administrator if you can present at a professional learning meeting. Select research-based strategies that are powerful for all students but necessary for ELLs. Even if you share an article or facilitate a book study, your teachers will benefit.

Plan with grade-level teachers.

Regular grade-level planning is the best way to make an impact on instruction. You can support mainstream teachers on the spot with accommodations and scaffolds that meet the needs of their students. If weekly planning is not possible, try long-term planning on a monthly basis. Virtual planning also becomes a feasible option when meeting in real time is impossible. Some teachers use shared lesson-planning templates on Google Drive or other sharable platforms. Planning together is a great opportunity to sneak in small bits of professional learning, too. It can provide a casual space for educators to share teaching techniques that improve student achievement.

Seek professional learning opportunities within and outside your district.

Several years ago, I worked as a professional development specialist in a suburban district with a large ELLs population. We offered to send ESL and content teachers to a Title III symposium for two days to learn about research-based information that would help them serve English language learners. Many coteachers attended together and were able to build relationships while learning as a team. When we only train EL specialists on strategies, we limit the potential for their use and for student gains. , , , your local TESOL affiliate, and ASCD offer opportunities for in-person PD.

For no-cost, virtual PD, access these resources:

<LINK URL="https://sites.google.com/view/virtuel/home?authuser=0" LINKTARGET="_blank">VirtuEL</LINK> (a free, online conference for teachers of English language learners)

Podcasts (<LINK URL="https://anchor.fm/highest-aspirations" LINKTARGET="_blank">Highest Aspirations</LINK> by Ellevation or <LINK URL="http://voiced.ca/the-boosting-achievement-esl-podcast-with-carol-salva/" LINKTARGET="_blank">Boosting Achievement</LINK> with Carol Salva)

Twitter (EL leaders to follow: <LINK URL="http://www.twitter.com/LarryFerlazzo" LINKTARGET="_blank">@LarryFerlazzo</LINK>, <LINK URL="http://www.twitter.com/TanELLclassroom" LINKTARGET="_blank">@TanELLclassroom</LINK>, <LINK URL="http://www.twitter.com/emilyfranESL" LINKTARGET="_blank">@emilyfranESL</LINK>, <LINK URL="http://www.twitter.com/MsSalvac" LINKTARGET="_blank">@MsSalvac</LINK>, <LINK URL="http://www.twitter.com/Toppel_ELD" LINKTARGET="_blank">@Toppel_ELD</LINK>)

Online Book Studies like #ELLChat_BkClub (to learn more about this, visit <LINK URL="http://ellchatbkclub.blogspot.com" LINKTARGET="_blank">ellchatbkclub.blogspot.com</LINK>)

Facebook Groups such as Advocating for ELLs, Leading ELLs, Colorin Colorado's ELL Educator Group

Consider sending out an email regularly to spotlight an instructional method that supports ELLs. One colleague created a Padlet with resources (all tied to ELLs instruction) that he's curated. He shares this with content teachers in his district. Another ELL specialist creates a Smore page where she regularly highlights three instructional strategies that teachers can access in either 1, 5, or 15 minutes.

Build a team and momentum.

No matter your role, you can gather a team to support ELL students. Every educator (along with the parents) that works with the students on your campus is a part of their success. The team has a higher success rate when each member recognizes that we can't do it alone. A team can also provide the structure to make this work ongoing. What is regularly discussed and revisited is remembered. We have to bring ELLs and the instructional methods that are most powerful to the forefront, not just at the beginning of the school year and then again at testing season, but all throughout the year.

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Be an Advocate for English Language Learners

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I began my teaching career in 1997 as a mainstream, 3rd grade teacher at a suburban public school near Houston, Texas. Our school had one teacher designated to serve English language learners (ELLs) through a pull-out setting. I understood my job as teaching students the general education curriculum while she taught my ELLs the English language.

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introducing strategies for the students like visual aids etc.

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English Language Learners (ELLs, ELs ELDs) face a variety of challenges in the mainstream classroom. Along with social and cultural differences, ELLs may also struggle with the language used in the classroom. This academic language can be difficult for ELLs to grasp and can pose a stumbling block when it comes to classroom success.

"Mastery of academic language is arguably the single most important determinant of academic success for individual students," says David Francis in Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners: Research-Based Recommendations For Instruction and Academic Interventions. "Unfortunately, ELLs often lack the academic language necessary for success in school. This lack of proficiency in academic language affects ELLs' ability to comprehend and analyze texts in middle and high school, limits their ability to write and express themselves effectively, and can hinder their acquisition of academic content in all academic areas."

So what can mainstream teachers do to help ELLs master academic language? First, it's important to understand the key components of academic language. Linguist Jim Cummins distinguished between two different types of language: Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP).

Recognizing the differences between these elements of second language acquisition will help you develop effective strategies for teaching academic language to ELLs.

Understanding BICS

Cummins classifies Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) as the language system that a person uses in everyday, informal types of communication. The language used for BICS is typically cognitively undemanding and developed largely through social interactions.

This type of language is typically developed well before students become proficient in academic language; English learners can become proficient in BICS as quickly as a year. BICS is predominantly oral and uses Tier 1 vocabulary.

For this reason, it is important not to judge students' language proficiency on their speaking abilities alone. Students with a high level of BICS might be able to hold a conversation about a familiar topic or converse well in high-context situations. However, they may not have the linguistic sophistication to engage in academic discussions without the intentional development of academic language.

Understanding CALP

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) measures mastery of the rigorous, intellectual vocabulary of content areas, which Cummins states is a key distinction from BICS. Academic language refers to the language needed by students to conquer classroom tasks, from understanding basic content vocabulary and directions to navigating advanced textbooks.

"To me, academic language is when teachers use keywords and important content area concepts when working with ELs," says Dara Schmick, an ESL teacher at Rutherford Elementary School and the Elementary ESL Department Chair for the Central Dauphin School District in Harrisburg, PA. "It is important for teachers to speak to students in a way that promotes language in every aspect of their school day."

Mastering academic language is critical to the academic success of ELLs. Cummins theorized that the development of CALP can take from four to seven years, independent of other factors such as language proficiency level, age and time of arrival in a school setting, degree of academic language proficiency in the student's first language, and the level of in-school language support.

How Can You Help Students Achieve Academic Language Mastery?

Successful understanding of academic language requires a partnership between mainstream teachers and ESL teachers, Schmick says, noting, "Teachers need to all be on the same page so that the academic language is comprehensive."

Working together, mainstream and ESL teachers can help ensure English Language Learners have success when it comes to conquering academic language.

"Some mainstream teachers have the skills and strategies to work with ELs and can use these with all of their students," Schmick says. "However, there are times when teachers are unsure of how to work with these students."

If you're teaching ELLs in your classroom, consider these tips for teaching academic language:

Introduce and reinforce academic language regularly.

It's important to preview text and identify words that might be new to students, says ELLs specialist Kristina Robertson on Colorin Colorado!, a bilingual site for educators and families of English Language Learners. She suggests writing words and phrases on the board and having students write them on index cards. She also recommends using visuals, acting, or synonyms to help students understand the meaning of a word. "Reinforce the newly learned language by asking the students to draw it, act it out, or use it in an appropriate sentence," she says.

Provide opportunities for review.

Consider creating a "word wall" of academic language terms so that students can refer to what they've learned throughout the year. Students can also use journals or word logs to reference academic vocabulary that they've learned throughout the year

Use academic language throughout all content areas.

"As the classroom teacher, it's important to integrate academic language into your daily classroom practice," says teacher Marine Freibrun on Minds-in-bloom.com. "Use the words in your objectives for other lessons, use the words in classroom discussions, and ask students to use them in their writing across disciplines. I also use academic language tickets to have students practice their words after lessons have been taught. I use them for tickets out, as morning work, or as independent practice. Just because you teach the lesson, doesn't mean you or your students are done with the word. It's important to continue the practice throughout the year."

Use resources for support.

Mainstream teachers should feel comfortable relying on other teachers or resources to help ELLs in their classrooms.

"It is imperative that mainstream teachers continue to use professional development opportunities in order to enhance the necessary skills needed to work with ELs," Schmick says. "If this is not possible for them, they can also use their ESL teacher as a resource for their own classroom. ESL teachers are there to not only help ELs succeed but to help classroom teachers with the challenges of educating ELs."

Resources such as Continental's TEAM Toolkits: Teaching ELs for Academic Language Mastery can be useful go-to supports when it comes to academic language and ELLs. The kits feature structured activities in listening, reading, writing, and speaking to help English learners develop grade-level academic language skills.

Academic language is an essential component of education and is critical for success in school-and it poses unique challenges for English language learners. By intentionally developing academic language for your ELLs, you will support their academic success.

Looking for more ESL/ELD/ELL resources for your classroom? Check out Continental's wide variety of instructional materials for K-12 students.
This blog was originally published on September 13, 2017. It was updated on October 19, 2022.

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Strategies for Teaching Academic Language to ELLs | Continental

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It's important for mainstream teachers to know the basics of academic language and develop strategies for teaching academic language to ELLs.

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helps to learn vocabulary and prounouncation and listening skills, for all ages and can be used at home.

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Duolingo is the world's most popular way to learn a language. It's 100% free, fun and science-based. Practice online on duolingo.com or on the apps!

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has quizzes to help with grammer for learners

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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how to find and identify EBs and GT students

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how to identify ELL and SPED students in order better help them

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seeing barriers in the identification and multiple resources on this page for services

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Gifted English Language Learners | GT Equity

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Texas is a wonderfully diverse state where more than 30 languages are spoken. Approximately 34% of Texas residents speak a language other than English. Of that group, 85% speak Spanish. A linguistically diverse gifted student is a child or youth who has the characteristics of gifted students with the potential for high achievement, whose primary language is one other than English, and whose English language skills are such that the student has difficulty performing ordinary classwork in English.

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full of instructional statedegies and not just how to recognize them

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English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies

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Students fail in school for a variety of reasons. In some cases, their academic difficulties can be directly attributed to deficiencies in the teaching and learning environment. For example, students with limited English may fail because they do not have access to effective bilingual or English as a second language (ESL) instruction. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may have difficulty if instruction presumes middle-class experiences. Other students may have learning difficulties stemming from linguistic or cultural differences. These difficulties may become more serious over time if instruction is not modified to address the students’ specific needs. Unless these students receive appropriate intervention, they will continue to struggle, and the gap between their achievement and that of their peers will widen over time.Still other students need specialized instruction because of specific learning disabilities. The over representation of English language learners in special education classes (Yates & Ortiz, 1998) suggests that educators have difficulty distinguishing students who truly have learning disabilities from students who are failing for other reasons, such as limited English. Students learning English are disadvantaged by a scarcity of appropriate assessment instruments and a lack of personnel trained to conduct linguistically and culturally relevant educational assessments (Valdes & Figueroa, 1996). English language learners who need special education services are further disadvantaged by the shortage of special educators who are trained to address their language- and disability-related needs simultaneously.Improving the academic performance of students from non-English backgrounds requires a focus on the prevention of failure and on early intervention for struggling learners. This digest presents a framework for meeting the needs of these students in general education and suggests ways to operationalize prevention and early intervention to ensure that students meet their academic potential.Prevention of school failurePrevention of failure among English language learners involves two critical elements: the creation of educational environments that are conducive to their academic success and the use of instructional strategies known to be effective with these students (Ortiz, 1997; Ortiz & Wilkinson, 1991). Preventing school failure begins with the creation of school climates that foster academic success and empower students (Cummins, 1989). Such environments reflect a philosophy that all students can learn and that educators are responsible for helping them learn. Positive school environments are characterized by strong administrative leadership; high expectations for student achievement; challenging, appropriate curricula and instruction; a safe and orderly environment; ongoing, systematic evaluation of student progress; and shared decision-making among ESL teachers, general education teachers, administrators, and parents. Several other factors are critical to the success of English language learners, including the following: (1) a shared knowledge base among educators about effective ways to work with students learning English, (2) recognition of the importance of the students’ native language, (3) collaborative school and community relationships, (4) academically rich programs that integrate basic skill instruction with the teaching of higher order skills in both the native language and in English, and (5) effective instruction.A shared knowledge baseTeachers must share a common philosophy and knowledge base relative to the education of students learning English. They should be knowledgeable about all of the following areas: second language acquisition; the relationship of native language proficiency to the development of English; assessment of proficiency in the native language and English; sociocultural influences on learning; effective first and second language instruction; informal assessment strategies that can be used to monitor progress, particularly in language and literacy development; and effective strategies for working with culturally and linguistically diverse families and communities.Recognition of the students’ native languageLanguage programs must have the support of principals, teachers, parents, and the community. School staff should understand that native language instruction provides the foundation for achieving high levels of English proficiency (Cummins, 1994; Krashen, 1991; Thomas & Collier, 1997). Language development should be the shared responsibility of all teachers, not only those in bilingual and ESL classes.Collaborative school-community relationshipsParents of students learning English must be viewed as capable advocates for their children and as valuable resources in school improvement efforts (Cummins, 1994). By being involved with the families and communities of English learners, educators come to understand the social, linguistic, and cultural contexts in which the children are being raised (Ortiz, 1997). Thus, educators learn to respect cultural differences in child-rearing practices and in how parents choose to be involved in their children’s education (Garcia & Dominguez, 1997).Academically rich programsStudents learning English must have opportunities to learn advanced skills in comprehension, reasoning, and composition and have access to curricula and instruction that integrate basic skill development with higher order thinking and problem solving (Ortiz, & Wilkinson, 1991).Effective instructionStudents must have access to high-quality instruction designed to help them meet high expectations. Teachers should employ strategies known to be effective with English learners, such as drawing on their prior knowledge; providing opportunities to review previously learned concepts and teaching them to employ those concepts; organizing themes or strands that connect the curriculum across subject areas; and providing individual guidance, assistance, and support to fill gaps in background knowledge.Early intervention for struggling learnersMost learning problems can be prevented if students are in positive school and classroom contexts that accommodate individual differences. However, even in the most positive environments, some students still experience difficulties. For these students, early intervention strategies must be implemented as soon as learning problems are noted. Early intervention means that “supplementary instructional services are provided early in students’ schooling, and that they are intense enough to bring at-risk students quickly to a level at which they can profit from high-quality classroom instruction” (Madden, Slavin, Karweit, Dolan, & Wasik, 1991, p. 594).The intent of early intervention is to create general education support systems for struggling learners as a way to improve academic performance and to reduce inappropriate special education referrals. Examples of early intervention include clinical teaching, peer and expert consultation, teacher assistance teams, and alternative programs such as those that offer tutorial or remedial instruction in the context of general education.Clinical teachingClinical teaching is carefully sequenced. First, teachers teach skills, subjects, or concepts; then they re-teach using different strategies or approaches for the benefit of students who fail to meet expected performance levels after initial instruction; finally, they use informal assessment strategies to identify the possible causes of failure (Ortiz, 1997; Ortiz & Wilkinson, 1991). Teachers conduct curriculum-based assessment to monitor student progress and use the data from these assessments to plan and modify instruction.Peer or expert consultationPeers or experts work collaboratively with general education teachers to address students’ learning problems and to implement recommendations for intervention (Fuchs, Fuchs, Bahr, Fernstrom, & Stecker, 1990). For example, teachers can share instructional resources, observe each other’s classrooms, and offer suggestions for improving instruction or managing behavior. ESL teachers can help general education teachers by demonstrating strategies to integrate English learners in mainstream classrooms. In schools with positive climates, faculty function as a community and share the goal of helping students and each other, regardless of the labels students have been given or the programs or classrooms to which teachers and students are assigned.Teacher assistance teams (TATs)TATs can help teachers resolve problems they routinely encounter in their classrooms (Chalfant & Pysh, 1981). These teams, comprised of four to six general education teachers and the teacher who requests assistance, design interventions to help struggling learners. Team members work to reach a consensus about the nature of a student’s problem; determine priorities for intervention; help the classroom teacher to select strategies or approaches to solve the problem; assign responsibility for carrying out the recommendations; and establish a follow-up plan to monitor progress. The classroom teacher then implements the plan, and follow-up meetings are held to review progress toward resolution of the problem.Alternative programs and servicesGeneral education, not special education, should be primarily responsible for the education of students with special learning needs that cannot be attributed to disabilities, such as migrant students who may miss critical instruction over the course of the year or immigrant children why may arrive in U.S. schools with limited prior education. General education alternatives may include one-on-one tutoring, family and support groups, family counseling, and the range of services supported by federal Title I funds. Such support should be supplemental to and not a replacement for general education instruction.Referral to special educationWhen prevention and early intervention strategies fail to resolve learning difficulties, referral to special education is warranted. The responsibilities of special education referral committees are similar to those of TATs. The primary difference is that referral committees include a variety of specialists, such as principals, special education teachers, and assessment personnel. These specialists bring their expertise to bear on the problem, especially in areas related to assessment, diagnosis, and specialized instruction.Decisions of the referral committee are formed by data gathered through the prevention, early intervention, and referral processes. The recommendation that a student receive a comprehensive individual assessment to determine whether special education services are needed indicates the following: (1) the child is in a positive school climate; (2) the teacher has used instructional strategies known to be effective for English learners; (3) neither clinical teaching nor interventions recommended by the TAT resolved the problem; and (4) other general education alternatives also proved unsuccessful. If students continue to struggle in spite of these efforts to individualize instruction and to accommodate their learning characteristics, they most likely have a learning disability (Ortiz, 1997).ConclusionEarly intervention for English learners who are having difficulty in school is first and foremost the responsibility of general education professionals. If school climates are not supportive and if instruction is not tailored to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students in general education, these students have little chance of succeeding. Interventions that focus solely on remediating students’ learning and behavior problems will yield limited results.The anticipated outcomes of problem-prevention strategies and early intervention include the following: a reduction in the number of students perceived to be at risk by general education teachers because of teachers’ increased ability to accommodate the naturally occurring diversity of skills and characteristics of students in their classes, reduction in the number of students inappropriately referred to remedial or special education programs, reduction in the number of students inaccurately identified as having a disability, and improved student outcomes in both general and special education.

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exit ticket quick and easy for the end of the class

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formative assessment resources - Google Search

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Checking for understanding is good for both students and teachers. We’ve rounded up a variety of digital tools to help you do it. By Vicki Davis.

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can make your own quizzes can be fun competition and learning for the students.

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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has many summative resources and how to improve and give students feedback through grading.

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Top 12 Summative Assessment Technology Tools | EssayGrader

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Improve your assessment process with these summative assessment technology tools. Find out how to effectively assess student learning outcomes.

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making presentation and not tests and things that lower stress levels for students.

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All Posts

When gauging student learning, two approaches likely come to mind: a formative or summative assessment.

Fortunately, feeling pressure to choose one or the other isn't necessary. These two types of learning assessment actually serve different and necessary purposes.

Definitions: What's the difference between formative and summative assessment?

Formative assessment occurs regularly throughout a unit, chapter, or term to help track not only how student learning is improving, but how your teaching can, too.

According to a WestEd article, teachers love using various formative assessments because they help meet students' individual learning needs and foster an environment for ongoing feedback.

Take one-minute papers, for example. Giving your students a solo writing task about today's lesson can help you see how well students understand new content.

Catching these struggles or learning gaps immediately is better than finding out during a summative assessment.

Such an assessment could include:

In-lesson polls

Partner quizzes

Self-evaluations

Ed-tech games

One-minute papers

Visuals (e.g., diagrams, charts or maps) to demonstrate learning

Exit tickets

So, what is a summative assessment?
Credit: Alberto G.
It occurs at the end of a unit, chapter, or term and is most commonly associated with final projects, standardized tests, or district benchmarks.

Typically heavily weighted and graded, it evaluates what a student has learned and how much they understand.

There are various types of summative assessment. Here are some common examples of summative assessment in practice:

End-of-unit test

End-of-chapter test

Achievement tests

Standardized tests

Final projects or portfolios

Teachers and administrators use the final result to assess student progress, and to evaluate schools and districts. For teachers, this could mean changing how you teach a certain unit or chapter. For administrators, this data could help clarify which programs (if any) require tweaking or removal.

The differences between formative and summative assessment

While we just defined the two, there are five key differences between formative and summative assessments requiring a more in-depth explanation.
Formative assessment:

1. Occurs through a chapter or unit

2. Improves how students learn

3. Covers small content areas

4. Monitors how students are learning

5. Focuses on the process of student learning

Summative assessment:

1. Occurs at the end of a chapter or unit

2. Evaluates what students learn

3. Covers complete content areas

4. Assigns a grade to students' understanding

5. Emphasizes the product of student learning

During vs after

Teachers use formative assessment at many points during a unit or chapter to help guide student learning.

Summative assessment comes in after completing a content area to gauge student understanding.

Improving vs evaluating

If anyone knows how much the learning process is a constant work in progress, it's you! This is why formative assessment is so helpful - it won't always guarantee students understand concepts, but it will improve how they learn.

Summative assessment, on the other hand, simply evaluates what they've learned. In her book, Balanced Assessment: From Formative to Summative, renowned educator Kay Burke writes, "The only feedback comes in the form of a letter grade, percentage grade, pass/fail grade, or label such as 'exceeds standards' or 'needs improvement.'"

Little vs large

Let's say chapter one in the math textbook has three subchapters (i.e., 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3). A teacher conducting formative assessments will assign mini tasks or assignments throughout each individual content area.

Whereas, if you'd like an idea of how your class understood the complete chapter, you'd give them a test covering a large content area including all three parts.

Monitoring vs grading

Formative assessment is extremely effective as a means to monitor individual students' learning styles. It helps catch problems early, giving you more time to address and adapt to different problem areas.

Summative assessments are used to evaluate and grade students' overall understanding of what you've taught. Think report card comments: did students achieve the learning goal(s) you set for them or not?

Process vs product

"It's not about the destination; it's about the journey"? This age-old saying sums up formative and summative assessments fairly accurately.

The former focuses on the process of student learning. You'll use it to identify areas of strength and weakness among your students - and to make necessary changes to accommodate their learning needs.

The latter emphasizes the product of student learning. To discover the product's "value", you can ask yourself questions, such as: At the end of an instructional unit, did the student's grade exceed the class standard, or pass according to a district's benchmark?

In other words, formative methods are an assessment for learning whereas summative ones are an assessment of learning.

Now that you've got a more thorough understanding of these evaluations, let's dive into the love-hate relationship teachers like yourself may have with summative assessments.

Perceived disadvantages of summative assessment

The pros are plenty. However, before getting to that list, let's outline some of its perceived cons. Summative assessment may:

1) Offer minimal room for creativity

Rigid and strict assignments or tests can lead to a regurgitation of information. Some students may be able to rewrite facts from one page to another, but others need to understand the "why" before giving an answer.

2) Not accurately reflect learning

"Teaching to the test" refers to educators who dedicate more time teaching lessons that will be emphasized on district-specific tests.

A survey conducted by Harvard's Carnegie-Knight Task Force on the Future of Journalism asked teachers whether or not "preparing students to pass mandated standardized tests" affects their teaching.

A significant 60% said it either "dictates most of" or "substantially affects" their teaching. While this can result in higher scores, curriculum distortion can prevent students from learning other foundational subject areas.

3) Ignore (and miss) timely learning needs

Because summative assessment occurs at the end of units or terms, teachers can fail to identify and remedy students' knowledge gaps or misconceptions as they arise.

Unfortunately, by this point, there's often little or no time to rectify a student's mark, which can affect them in subsequent units or grades.

4) Result in a lack of motivation

The University of London's Evidence for Policy and Practice conducted a 19-study systematic review of the impact summative assessment and tests have on students' motivation for learning.

Contrary to popular belief, researchers found a correlation between students who scored poorly on national curriculum tests and experienced lower self-esteem, and an unwillingness to put more effort into future test prep. Beforehand, interestingly, "there was no correlation between self-esteem and achievement."

For some students, summative assessment can sometimes be seen as 'high stakes' testing due to the pressure on them to perform well. That said, 'low-stakes' assessments can also be used in the form of quizzes or practice tests.

5) Be inauthentic

Summative assessment has received criticism for its perceived inaccuracy in providing a full and balanced measure of student learning.

Consider this, for example: Your student, who's a hands-on, auditory learner, has a math test today. It comes in a traditional paper format as well as a computer program format, which reads the questions aloud for students.

Chances are the student will opt for the latter test format. What's more, this student's test results will likely be higher and more accurate.

The reality is that curricula - let alone standardized tests - typically don't allow for this kind of accommodation. This is the exact reason educators and advocates such as Chuck Hitchcock, Anne Meyer, David Rose, and Richard Jackson believe:

6) Be biased

Depending on a school district's demographic, summative assessment - including standardized tests - can present biases if a group of students is unfairly graded based on their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or social class.

In his presentation at Kansas State University, emeritus professor in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, Dr. W. James Popham, explained summative assessment bias:

Importance and benefits of summative assessment

Overall, these are valid points raised against summative assessment. However, it does offer fantastic benefits for teachers and students alike!

Summative assessment can:

1) Motivate students to study and pay closer attention

Although we mentioned lack of motivation above, this isn't true for every student. In fact, you've probably encountered numerous students for whom summative assessments are an incredible source of motivation to put more effort into their studies.

For example, final exams are a common type of summative assessment that students may encounter at the end of a semester or school year. This pivotal moment gives students a milestone to achieve and a chance to demonstrate their knowledge.

In May 2017, the College Board released a statement about whether coaching truly boosts test scores:

2) Allow students to apply what they've learned

It's one thing to memorize multiplication tables (which is a good skill), but another to apply those skills in math word problems or real-world examples.

Summative assessments - excluding, for example, multiple choice tests - help you see which students can retain and apply what they've learned.

3) Help identify gaps in student learning

Before moving on to a new unit, it's vital to make sure students are keeping up. Naturally, some will be ahead while others will lag behind. In either case, giving them a summative assessment will provide you with a general overview of where your class stands as a whole.

Let's say your class just wrote a test on multiplication and division. If all students scored high on multiplication but one quarter of students scored low on division, you'll know to focus more on teaching division to those students moving forward.

4) Help identify possible teaching gaps
Credit: woodleywonderworks
In addition to identifying student learning gaps, summative assessment can help target where your teaching style or lesson plans may have missed the mark.

Have you ever been grading tests before, to your horror, realizing almost none of your students hit the benchmark you hoped for? When this happens, the low grades are not necessarily related to study time.

For example, you may need to adjust your teaching methods by:

Including/excluding word problems

Incorporating more visual components

Innovative summative assessments (we list some below!)

5) Give teachers valuable insights
Credit: Kevin Jarrett
Summative assessments can highlight what worked and what didn't throughout the school year. Once you pinpoint how, where and what lessons need tweaking, making informed adjustments for next year becomes easier.

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes... and, for teachers, new students year after year. So although old students may miss out on changes you've made to your lessons, new ones get to reap the benefits.

This not only improves your skills as an educator, but will ensure a more enriching educational experience for generations of students to come.

6) Contribute positively to learning outcomes

Certain summative assessments also provide valuable data at district, national, and global levels. Depending on average test scores, this can determine whether or not certain schools receive funding, programs stay or go, curriculum changes occur, and more. Burke writes:

The seven aims of summative assessment

Dr. Nancy P. Gallavan, a professor of teacher education at the University of Central Arkansas, believes teachers can use performance-based summative assessments at any grade level.

However, in an article for Corwin, she suggests crafting yours with seven aims in mind:

1. Accompanied with appropriate time and task management

2. Achievable as in-class activities and out-of-class assignments

3. Active involvement in planning, preparation, and performance

4. Applicable to academic standards and expectations

5. Appropriate to your students' learning styles, needs, and interests

6. Attractive to your students on an individual and group level

7. Authentic to curricular content and context

Ideally, the assessment method should also measure a student's performance accurately against the learning objectives set at the beginning of the course.

Keeping these goals in mind, here's a list of innovative ways to conduct summative assessments in your classroom!

Summative assessment examples: 9 ways to make test time fun

If you want to switch things up this summative assessment season, keep reading. While you can't change what's on standardized tests, you can create activities to ensure your students are exhibiting and applying their understanding and skills to end-of-chapter or -unit assessments. In a refreshing way.

Why not give them the opportunity to express their understanding in ways that apply to different learning styles?
Note: As a general guideline, students should incorporate recognition and recall, logic and reasoning, as well as skills and application that cover major concepts and practices (including content areas you emphasized in your lessons).
1) One, two, three... action!

Write a script and create a short play, movie, or song about a concept or strategy of your choosing.

This video from Science Rap Academy is a great - and advanced - example of students who created a song about how blue-eyed children can come from two brown-eyed parents:

2) TXT MSG

Using a tool such as iPhone Fake Text Generator, have students craft a mock text message conversation conveying a complex concept from the unit, or each chapter of that unit.

Students could create a back-and-forth conversation between two historical figures about a world event, or two friends helping each other with complex math concepts.

3) Podcast

Have your students create a five to 10-minute podcast episode about core concepts from each unit. This is an exciting option because it can become an ongoing project.

Individually or in groups, specific students can be in charge of each end-of-chapter or -unit podcast. If your students have a cumulative test towards the end of the year or term, the podcast can even function as a study tool they created together.
Credit :Brad Flickinger
You can use online tools such as Record MP3 Online or Vocaroo to get your class started!

4) Infographic

Creating a detailed infographic for a final project is an effective way for students to reinforce what they've learned. They can cover definitions, key facts, statistics, research, how-to info, graphics, etc.

You can even put up the most impressive infographics in your classroom. Over time, you'll have an arsenal of in-depth, visually-appealing infographics students can use when studying for chapter or unit tests.

5) Compare and contrast

Venn diagrams are an old - yet effective - tool perfect for visualizing just about anything! Whether you teach history or social studies, English or math, or something in between, Venn diagrams can help certain learners visualize the relationship between different things.

For example, they can compare book characters, locations around the world, scientific concepts, and more just like the examples below:

6) Living museum

This creative summative assessment is similar to one, two, three... action! Individuals will plan and prepare an exhibit (concept) in the Living Museum (classroom). Let's say the unit your class just completed covered five core concepts.

Five students will set up around the classroom while the teacher walks from exhibit to exhibit. Upon reaching the first student, the teacher will push an imaginary button, bringing the exhibit "to life." The student will do a two to three-minute presentation; afterwards, the teacher will move on to the next one.

7) Ed-Tech games

Now more than ever, students are growing up saturated with smartphones, tablets, and video games. That's why educators should show students how to use technology in the classroom effectively and productively.

More and more educators are bringing digital tools into the learning process. Pew Research Center surveyed 2,462 teachers and reported that digital technologies have helped in teaching their middle and high school students.

Some of the findings were quite eye-opening:

80% report using the internet at least weekly to help them create lesson plans

84% report using the internet at least weekly to find content that will engage students

69% say the internet has a "major impact on their ability to share ideas with other teachers

80% report getting email alerts or updates at least weekly that allow them to follow developments in their field

92% say the internet has a "major impact" on their ability to access content, resources, and materials for their teaching

67% say the internet has a "major impact" on their ability to interact with parents and 57% say it has had such an impact on enabling their interaction with students

To make the most of EdTech, find a tool that actually engages your students in learning and gives you the insightful data and reports you need to adjust your instruction

With Prodigy Math, you can:

Start using Prodigy

8) Shark Tank/Dragon's Den

Yes, just like the reality TV show! You can show an episode or two to your class or get them to watch the show at home. Next, have students pitch a product or invention that can help change the world outside of school for the better.

This innovative summative assessment is one that'll definitely require some more thought and creativity. But it's important that, as educators, we help students realize they can have a huge positive impact on the world in which they live.

9) Free choice

If a student chooses to come up with their own summative assessment, you'll need to vet it first. It'll likely take some collaboration to arrive at something sufficient.

However, giving students the freedom to explore content areas that interest them most could surprise you. Sometimes, it's during those projects they form a newfound passion and are wildly successful in completing the task.

We're sure there are countless other innovative summative assessment ideas out there, but we hope this list gets your creative juices flowing.

With the exclusion of standardized state and national tests, one of the greatest misconceptions about summative assessments is that they're all about paper and pencil. Our hope in creating this list was to help you see how fun and engaging summative assessments can truly be.

10) Group projects

Group projects aren't just a fun way to break the monotony, but a dynamic and interactive form of summative assessment. Here's why:

Collaborative learning: Group projects encourage students to work as a team, fostering their communication and collaboration skills. They learn to listen, negotiate, and empathize, which are crucial skills in and beyond the classroom.

Promotes critical thinking: When students interact with each other, they get to explore different perspectives. They challenge each other's understanding, leading to stimulating debates and problem-solving sessions that boost critical thinking.

In-depth assessment: Group projects offer teachers a unique lens to evaluate both individual performances and group dynamics. It's like getting a sneak peek into their world - you get to see how they perform under different circumstances and how they interact with each other.

Catering to different learning styles: Given the interactive nature of group projects, they can cater to different learning styles - auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Every student gets a chance to shine!

However, it's important to set clear instructions and criteria to ensure fairness. Remember, it's not just about the final product - it's about the process too.

Some interesting examples of group projects include:

Create a Mini Documentary: Students could work together to research a historical event and create a mini documentary presenting their findings.

Plan a Community Service Project: This could involve identifying a problem in the local community and creating a detailed plan to address it.

Design a Mobile App: For a more tech-focused project, students could identify a problem and design an app that solves it.

Summative assessment strategies for keeping tests clear and fair
Credit: woodleywonderworks
In addition to using the summative assessment examples above to accommodate your students' learning styles, these tips and strategies should also help:

Use a rubric - Rubrics help set a standard for how your class should perform on a test or assignment. They outline test length, how in-depth it will be, and what you require of them to achieve the highest possible grades.

Design clear, effective questions - When designing tests, do your best to use language, phrases, and examples similar to those used during lessons. This'll help keep your tests aligned with the material you've covered.

Try blind grading - Most teachers prefer knowing whose tests they're grading. But if you want to provide wholly unbiased grades and feedback, try blind grading. You can request your students write their names on the bottom of the last test page or the back.

Assess comprehensiveness - Make sure the broad, overarching connections you're hoping students can make are reasonable and fluid. For example, if the test covers measurement, geometry and spatial sense, you should avoid including questions about patterning and algebra.

Create a final test after, not before, teaching the lessons - Don't put the horse before the carriage. Plans can change and student learning can demand different emphases from year to year. If you have a test outline, perfect! But expect to embrace and make some changes from time to time.

Make it real-world relevant - How many times have you heard students ask, "When am I going to use this in real life?" Far too often students assume math, for example, is irrelevant to their lives and write it off as a subject they don't need. When crafting test questions, use culturally-relevant word problems to illustrate a subject's true relevance.

Enter the Balanced Assessment Model

Throughout your teaching career, you'll spend a lot of time with formative and summative assessments. While some teachers emphasize one over the other, it's vital to recognize the extent to which they're interconnected.

In the book Classroom Assessment for Student Learning, Richard Stiggins, one of the first educators to advocate for the concept of assessment for learning, proposes something called "a balanced assessment system that takes advantage of assessment of learning and assessment for learning."

If you use both effectively, they inform one another and "assessment becomes more than just an index of school success. It also serves as the cause of that success."

In fact, Stiggins argues teachers should view these two types of assessment as "in sync."

Conclusion: Going beyond the test

Implementing these innovative summative assessment examples should engage your students in new and exciting ways.

What's more, they'll have the opportunity to express and apply what they've learned in creative ways that solidify student learning.

So, what do you think - are you ready to try out these summative assessment ideas? Prodigy is a game-based learning platform teachers use to keep their students engaged.

Sign up for a free teacher account and set an Assessment today!

Such an assessment could include:
Credit: Alberto G.

Formative assessment: Summative assessment:

Repeated practice tests reinforce the low self-image of the lower-achieving students... When test scores are a source or pride and the community, pressure is brought to bear on the school for high scores.

Similarly, parents bring pressure on their children when the result has consequences for attendance at high social status schools. For many students, this increases their anxiety, even though they recognize their parents as being supportive.

Curriculum matters and 'fixing' the one-size-fits-all, inflexible curriculum will occupy both special and general educators well into the future... Students with diverse learning needs are not 'the problem'; barriers in the curriculum itself are the root of the difficulty.

This doesn't necessarily mean that if minority students are outperformed on a summative test by majority students that the test is biased against that minority. It may instead indicate that the minority students have not been provided with the appropriate instruction...

An example of content bias against girls would be one in which students are asked to compare the weights of several objects, including a football. Since girls are less likely to have handled a football, they might find the item more difficult than boys, even though they have mastered the concept measured by the item.

Summative assessment can:

Data shows studying for the SAT for 20 hours on free Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy is associated with an average score gain of 115 points, nearly double the average score gain compared to students who don't use Khan Academy. Out of nearly 250,000 test-takers studied, more than 16,000 gained 200 points or more between the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT...

In addition to the 115-point average score increase associated with 20 hours of practice, shorter practice periods also correlate with meaningful score gains. For example, 6 to 8 hours of practice on Official SAT Practice is associated with an average 90-point increase.

Credit: woodleywonderworks Credit: Kevin Jarrett

Summative assessments also provide the public and policymakers with a sense of the results of their investment in education and give educators a forum for proving whether instruction works - or does not work.

Credit :Brad Flickinger

Tip: Teaching math from 1st to 8th grade? Use Prodigy!

With Prodigy Math, you can:

Deliver engaging assessments: Prodigy's game-based approach makes assessments fun for students.

Spot and solve learning gaps: See which students need more support at the touch of a button.

Reduce test anxiety: Prodigy has been shown to build math confidence.

Plus, it's all available to educators at no cost. See how it works below!👇

Start using Prodigy

Credit: woodleywonderworks

They can even be the exact same thing - only the purpose and the timing of the assessment determine its label. Formative assessments provide the training wheels that allow students to practice and gain confidence while riding their bikes around the enclosed school parking lot.

Once the training wheels come off, the students face their summative assessment as they ride off into the sunset on only two wheels, prepared to navigate the twists and turns of the road to arrive safely at their final destination.

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10 Summative Assessment Examples to Try This School Year

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All Posts When gauging student learning, two approaches likely come to mind: a formative or summative assessment. Fortunately, feeling pressure to choose one or the other isn't necessary. These two types of learning assessment actually serve different and necessary purposes.

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Using Timelines to Enhance Comprehension

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going to a more inquiry based learning allows for there to be limited barriers.

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Follow FizzicsEd Articles:

There are a variety of science teaching methods you can draw upon when helping students understand their world.
Whilst there are several approaches to try, the most important thing to keep in mind is that our role as science educators is to help students understand how the scientific method actually works and why science impacts upon their own lives.

Things to keep in mind when considering a science teaching method

Group dynamics.
Who works well with who? Who can handle cooperative group situations and who needs time to work by themselves?

Student ability.
This is not simply about science understanding, this also about their ability to undertake the work with the materials at hand.

Timeframe.
Is the teaching method likely to be successful given how long it takes to get students on task and the anticipated outcomes?

Context.
How does the scientific concept relate to their lives?

Content.
Which teaching method will help the students best understand the lesson material?

Methods for teaching science

All science teaching methods come down to either teacher-centred or student-centred instruction. Both types of instruction have their place, however in practice have very different dynamics in the classroom.

Lecture (teacher-centred)

In this approach, it is the teacher that is the focus. Students either passively take notes or ask questions through the teacher's presentation. Handy for large groups of students or for when you need to get through a large body of information. The key to this lesson style is to keep it lively by inserting graphics, video snippets, animations, science demonstrations, audio grabs or guest appearances via video conference. To help increase the engagement during a lecture, try incorporating student polling using Poll Everywhere, Plickers, Quizizz or Kahoot. The advantage of getting active student feedback is that this formative assessmen t can help shape your lecture and future lessons to fit the student's needs.

Hands-on activities (student-centred)

Break out the experiment materials! Whether the students work in small groups or by themselves, the lesson has a clear question that students need to find an answer to with the teacher acting as a facilitator. There are a few variations here;

Students follow an experimental procedure with a clear set of instructions and scaffold for their scientific report.

Students explore the materials themselves to design and test their own fair experiment, keeping variable testing in mind. This version is better for students who already have a clear understanding of the scientific method and are now ready for independent thinking

Station-based rotations. Here the students rotate around the classroom to explore a variety of hands-on materials that all cover an aspect of your lesson topic. The trick here is to ensure that there is enough time for the students to complete each activity and that there are no bottlenecks in terms of access to resources or one particular activity taking too long to complete. A fun way to link all the stations together to pull together a scenario such as a forensics investigation; some students will enjoy the role-play!

You can find over 150 free science experiments here

Project Based learning (student-centred)

This teaching method draws on the hands-on nature of the activities above and extends this to involve students in a deep dive into a given topic. Time is the key here, as students will be engaged over an extended period of time in researching their topic, designing their experiment or model, writing a scientific report or creating a poster and presenting their findings in a short talk. When planning this in your scope and sequence, consider access to resources both within and beyond your school and how the students might be able to involve the community in their research or as an audience for the final presentation at a school science fair. Often part of inquiry-based instruction, the outputs of Project Based Learning (PBL) can include several of the following as a major work;

The outcome doesn't necessarily have to be informal too; try emulating the entrepreneurial show Shark Tank and have students compete for a prize in a pitchfest!

Peer-led team learning (student-centred)

Peer-led team learning (PLTL) is about empowering the students to teach other students. Often employed in undergraduate studies, this approach also works in schools where it is most effective when connecting older students with younger students. Alternatively, PLTL can also be used when pairing students with a high subject aptitude with students needing help. Guidance is important here as you need to ensure that what is being covered is correct and safely performed. With supervision, this approach can be effective for students to learn leadership skills and can create a positive atmosphere around scholarship.

Flipped learning (student-centred)

Flipped learning has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. The idea is that the instructional content is given to the students outside of normal school time, with the intention that students can then come to school with deeper questions for teacher clarification. you can present this content via a series of videos, articles and books to read, podcasts to listen to, investigating a problem and so on. There is much debate on how to best implement this in the classroom; in essence, you need to consider how your students will respond to flipped learning and how you can motivate them to trial it. A handy app to use with this is Flipgrid, whereby you can record a very short video question to your class and the students then respond to you with their answers via video as well.

Differentiation (student-centred)

Differentiation is all about ensuring that students of all levels can be involved in your lesson. You may want to create worksheets with different tasks or levels of difficulty, perhaps have a variety of activities for students to choose from or create a variety of job roles for students when running PBL. Of course, with differentiation comes a time requirement to prepare the lesson, however it can help with students being more on task as they can choose tasks that they can achieve. You can differentiate tasks as both extension activities as well as design activities for students who need more support.

It's up to you!

Without a doubt, the list of teaching methods above is just a brief overview of what you can try in your classroom. In reality, there are many ways to teach science and you might find that you'll blend methods together and change on the fly depending on how your students are responding. No matter what, it's not just about the technology but more about the pedagogy. Have a chat with your fellow teachers or reach out to others via Twitter on the myriad of professional learning networks for advice. As always if you've got any thoughts on the above or advice, pop it in the comments below or get in touch!

Further enrichment ideas

Create a science festival at your school to showcase these different teaching methods. You can also enrich this day with a science show, workshop or STEM activity!

Happy teaching,
Ben Newsome

Read more

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There are a variety of science teaching methods you can draw upon when helping students understand their world.
Whilst there are several approaches to try, the most important thing to keep in mind is that our role as science educators is to help students understand how the scientific method actually works and why science impacts upon their own lives.

Things to keep in mind when considering a science teaching method

Group dynamics.
Who works well with who? Who can handle cooperative group situations and who needs time to work by themselves?

Student ability.
This is not simply about science understanding, this also about their ability to undertake the work with the materials at hand.

Timeframe.
Is the teaching method likely to be successful given how long it takes to get students on task and the anticipated outcomes?

Context.
How does the scientific concept relate to their lives?

Content.
Which teaching method will help the students best understand the lesson material?

Methods for teaching science

All science teaching methods come down to either teacher-centred or student-centred instruction. Both types of instruction have their place, however in practice have very different dynamics in the classroom.

Lecture (teacher-centred)

In this approach, it is the teacher that is the focus. Students either passively take notes or ask questions through the teacher's presentation. Handy for large groups of students or for when you need to get through a large body of information. The key to this lesson style is to keep it lively by inserting graphics, video snippets, animations, science demonstrations, audio grabs or guest appearances via video conference. To help increase the engagement during a lecture, try incorporating student polling using Poll Everywhere, Plickers, Quizizz or Kahoot. The advantage of getting active student feedback is that this formative assessmen t can help shape your lecture and future lessons to fit the student's needs.

Hands-on activities (student-centred)

Break out the experiment materials! Whether the students work in small groups or by themselves, the lesson has a clear question that students need to find an answer to with the teacher acting as a facilitator. There are a few variations here;

Students follow an experimental procedure with a clear set of instructions and scaffold for their scientific report.

Students explore the materials themselves to design and test their own fair experiment, keeping variable testing in mind. This version is better for students who already have a clear understanding of the scientific method and are now ready for independent thinking

Station-based rotations. Here the students rotate around the classroom to explore a variety of hands-on materials that all cover an aspect of your lesson topic. The trick here is to ensure that there is enough time for the students to complete each activity and that there are no bottlenecks in terms of access to resources or one particular activity taking too long to complete. A fun way to link all the stations together to pull together a scenario such as a forensics investigation; some students will enjoy the role-play!

You can find over 150 free science experiments here

Project Based learning (student-centred)

This teaching method draws on the hands-on nature of the activities above and extends this to involve students in a deep dive into a given topic. Time is the key here, as students will be engaged over an extended period of time in researching their topic, designing their experiment or model, writing a scientific report or creating a poster and presenting their findings in a short talk. When planning this in your scope and sequence, consider access to resources both within and beyond your school and how the students might be able to involve the community in their research or as an audience for the final presentation at a school science fair. Often part of inquiry-based instruction, the outputs of Project Based Learning (PBL) can include several of the following as a major work;

The outcome doesn't necessarily have to be informal too; try emulating the entrepreneurial show Shark Tank and have students compete for a prize in a pitchfest!

Peer-led team learning (student-centred)

Peer-led team learning (PLTL) is about empowering the students to teach other students. Often employed in undergraduate studies, this approach also works in schools where it is most effective when connecting older students with younger students. Alternatively, PLTL can also be used when pairing students with a high subject aptitude with students needing help. Guidance is important here as you need to ensure that what is being covered is correct and safely performed. With supervision, this approach can be effective for students to learn leadership skills and can create a positive atmosphere around scholarship.

Flipped learning (student-centred)

Flipped learning has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. The idea is that the instructional content is given to the students outside of normal school time, with the intention that students can then come to school with deeper questions for teacher clarification. you can present this content via a series of videos, articles and books to read, podcasts to listen to, investigating a problem and so on. There is much debate on how to best implement this in the classroom; in essence, you need to consider how your students will respond to flipped learning and how you can motivate them to trial it. A handy app to use with this is Flipgrid, whereby you can record a very short video question to your class and the students then respond to you with their answers via video as well.

Differentiation (student-centred)

Differentiation is all about ensuring that students of all levels can be involved in your lesson. You may want to create worksheets with different tasks or levels of difficulty, perhaps have a variety of activities for students to choose from or create a variety of job roles for students when running PBL. Of course, with differentiation comes a time requirement to prepare the lesson, however it can help with students being more on task as they can choose tasks that they can achieve. You can differentiate tasks as both extension activities as well as design activities for students who need more support.

It's up to you!

Without a doubt, the list of teaching methods above is just a brief overview of what you can try in your classroom. In reality, there are many ways to teach science and you might find that you'll blend methods together and change on the fly depending on how your students are responding. No matter what, it's not just about the technology but more about the pedagogy. Have a chat with your fellow teachers or reach out to others via Twitter on the myriad of professional learning networks for advice. As always if you've got any thoughts on the above or advice, pop it in the comments below or get in touch!

Further enrichment ideas

Create a science festival at your school to showcase these different teaching methods. You can also enrich this day with a science show, workshop or STEM activity!

Happy teaching,
Ben Newsome

Read more

Fizzics Education curated a thoughtful and hands-on experience for the children, incorporating practical, skill-based learning activities and followed by a science presentation at the end of the event involving liquid nitrogen. This was delivered safely and effectively, capturing both the children and the parents for the duration of the presentation.
-Macquarie Bank - Family Fun Day

Fizzics Education ran a show today at our school and it was wonderful. He was a great facilitator and the show was age appropriate and well done.
-Mount Zion Early learning centre - Little Science Big Fun

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-Caulfield Grammar School - Big Science Big Fun

Thanks so much for presenting at our school on Monday. Our students enjoyed the show.
-Greenvale Primary School - Big Science Big Fun

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There are a variety of science teaching methods you can draw upon when helping students understand their world. We look at common methods we've seen teachers using in classrooms to help students understand how the scientific method actually works and why science impacts upon their own lives.

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making science culturally relevant to the students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This guest blog post was written by my friend Becca over at Science Rocks! She is a terrific teacher with a lot of experience working with ELL students in her science classroom and I collaborated with her in writing this post. I think her ideas are full of fantastic tips for teachers who teach English Language Learners.
If you've been teaching for a while, chances are you have had some ELL (English language learner) students in your classroom. I've known many teachers that have panicked and asked me "how can I teach them science if they don't speak English?" I think many teachers tend to think they need to dumb down the content for these students. They aren't dumb! Your job is to make the content accessible. It's been my experience that ELL students are amazingly hard workers and are a blast to work with. My friend Bethany Lau over at Science with Mrs. Lau and I have created a list of best-practice tips for working with ELL students. We also have some helpful resources to share with you!

Tip #1: Get them talking! A quiet classroom is not conducive to learning a new language. Many students are scared to speak out loud in English, especially in front of the entire class. To help build their confidence, try small group discussions first. To ensure that every student has spoken to his or her group, give each student something color-coded (I use colored popsicle sticks from the dollar store). When a student speaks, they place their popsicle stick in the center of the table. It is easy as a teacher to walk around and monitor who is speaking and who isn't. Make it a requirement that each student has to speak at least twice during group discussions.

Tip #2: SLOW down when you are talking, and use nonverbal cues. This is much easier to do when you have all your ELL students together in one class, but when they are mixed with native English speakers we often don't realize how fast we are talking. It is really difficult for ELL students to process when you are speaking a mile a minute. So take a deep breath, slow down, and use your hands and other nonverbal gestures. Don't be afraid to act things out! Yes they will giggle, and yes they will love it.

Tip #3: Build vocabulary. When you teach new words, always make your students repeat the word out loud after you say it. And if they aren't loud, make them do it again. If you have a word wall in your classroom, go down the list frequently and make your students say them with you. To help students remember the definitions, discuss prefixes and suffixes to help them decode meanings.

Find fun ways for students to practice those new words. Instead of doing vocabulary worksheets, do vocabulary games instead! Bingo is an awesome way to review vocabulary words before a test. Create a bingo card from a free online bingo-card maker such as http://osric.com/bingo-card-generator/. Type in the words you want your students to learn and print a class set. Instead of calling out the words, say the definition and the students need to cover up the correct word. If they get a bingo, they need to say the words out loud in order to win a prize.

Tip #4: Utilize pictures. I used to try and translate parts of my power points into Spanish before the lesson thinking I was doing my students a favor.

I quickly realized that:

1. Google translate is frequently wrong

2. Many of my students could speak fluent Spanish but couldn't read it.

3. Even if they could read most of it, they didn't know the content specific terms in Spanish. Why would I want my students to learn the word "homeostasis" in Spanish AND English? Let's just stick with English.

Instead of translating, stick with visual pictures. Pictures are understood in all languages. Include them as much as possible in your lessons and power points. Make students draw pictures in their notes. Include pictures in all your articles you want students to read. A great pre-reading activity is to have students look at the pictures and captions in an article before they read the body paragraphs. Have them guess what the article is about based on the pictures and discuss with their neighbors (get those popsicle sticks back out). If you have a word wall in your classroom, make sure it includes pictures too! The more they see a picture associated with a new word, the more likely they will remember what it means.

Tip #5: Learn about their language and culture, and include it in your lessons when applicable. Students will have more buy-in to your lessons when they feel like their language and culture is valued. If you can connect their language to the content, chances are they will remember it better. For example, students use the term "liga" in Spanish to mean rubber band or hair elastic. When teaching "ligaments," discuss how they are stretchy unlike tendons. Students won't forget!

Tip #6: Use Manipulatives! Sometimes students need help learning how to structure their writing into logical paragraphs (even native English speakers need this too!) If you have sample paragraphs for them to learn from, you can print separate sentences out on separate lines, and cut them into strips. Then you can mix the sentences up and have students order them in how they should logically appear in a sentence! You can also do this for other parts of a lab report, like the procedure section or even the proper labels for a graph!

You could create your own writing structure manipulatives, or you can check out Bethany Lau's Lab Report Writing Activity Bundle found here. She has a set of activities with manipulative for each and every part of the lab report with a lot of examples for students to learn from.

Tip #7: Get them writing as much as possible. Data shows that when students take the state language proficiency tests, they struggle the most with writing. Find ways to get students writing on a daily basis. This could work in many different formats- just find one that works for you. Daily bellwork is a great place to start, as well as having students keep writing journals.

What should you have them write about? Check out these writing prompts from Science Rocks' store!

These were designed to be used before new concepts are taught, and allows the teacher to assess prior knowledge and check for misconceptions. When students are first learning English, allow them to write in their native language if they are able to and plug in English words that they know. Throughout the year as their language improves, you will see their writing transform from fragmented to fluid sentences.

Another great writing strategy for ELL students are sentence frames. For students still learning how to write a complete sentence, give them half the sentence first and have them fill in the blanks. For example, a hypothesis on a lab report for an ELL student could look like this: "If I change ___________, then I think ___________ will happen, because __________.

Tip #8: Model. And then model some more. As science teachers we tend to think of "modeling" as meaning "I'll show them how to do a lab before it's their turn." Modeling applies to so much more than labs.

1. Model reading strategies. As you read through articles out loud, stop and discuss. What was the main idea? What did you highlight and why?

2. Model writing strategies. When you assign those writing prompts, work through one with them first. Show them what a quality answer would look like.

3. Model behaviors. Many students will enter your classroom from different backgrounds. Behaviors that may have been acceptable where they grew up may not be acceptable in your classroom. If you want them to give a verbal presentation with eye contact, show them what a good presentation looks like first.

4. Model word pronunciation. Sometimes if students are nervous to say things in English, I have them teach me how to say the phrase in their native language first. Once they have giggled at my horrible pronunciation, they aren't so embarrassed to pronounce things in English.

Tip #9: Modify. Yes, one more thing to add to your to-do list. But it can honestly be as simple as cutting down the number of questions for them to complete, or adding pictures to an assessment. One of my favorite websites to find nonfiction science articles on is newsela.com. Not only is it free to use, but once you find an article you can change the lexile! That means all your students can be reading the same article but at a reading level that is assessable to them.

Tip #10: Use formative assessment frequently, and celebrate gains. It's important to check in with ELL students often. Many of them will take notes, smile, and nod during class, but only understood 20% of what was discussed. Exit tickets and note summaries are great ways to check in and see where they need help and what they have mastered. Make your exit tickets specific. Don't just say, "One thing I still need help with is..." but instead ask them to answer a specific question related to the lesson. This will help you group them by mastery and focus on the students that really need your help. Once they have mastered a new concept or learned new vocabulary, don't forget to celebrate! Let them know you are proud of them, and they will work harder in the future. If students feel like their hard work is recognized and celebrated, they will continue to work hard!

We'd love to hear stories from you about what helps your ELL students! Let us know in the comments!

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Ten Tips for Teaching ELL Science - Science and Math with Mrs. Lau

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This guest blog post was written by my friend Becca over at Science Rocks! She is a terrific teacher with a lot of experience working with ELL students in her science classroom and I collaborated with her in writing this post. I think her ideas are full of fantastic tips for teachers who teach English Language [...]

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scaffolds of math word walls can be used in many subjects as well.

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Adding a math word wall to my classroom completely changed how my students access our math vocabulary and the concepts we learn in class. Our math word walls are covered in examples and visuals that show the math concepts in action along with the vocabulary words we cover in class. My students refer to our walls during independent work, giving them greater independence and confidence, and when a student has a question during a lesson, I am able to get him or her back on track faster by pointing to the reminders on our walls.

From math vocabulary reminders to greater student independence to making the room an inviting place to learn, there are so many positives to adding a visual math word wall to any classroom.

In this post I want to highlight 5 reasons I believe so strongly in math word walls, especially ones that show examples and concepts in context, and why have them in my classroom. I'll also include photos of the pdf math word walls I've made covering grades 5, 6, 7 and 8 and Algebra, Geometry and Algebra 2.

Reason #1: Greater student independence

You're at the board in the middle of an amazing lesson when a hand goes up. The good thing? It's not to go to the bathroom. The bad? It is about a concept not at all related to your awesome lesson.

Students are forever asking questions that have nothing to do with what is currently happening. A lot of times these questions are long-held misconceptions or misunderstandings. Magic happens when those confusions are ironed out. Those are the "lightbulb moments" we all live for as teachers.
With references on the walls, students can independently access the information that is clogging up their thinking so that they can get back to the current topic. The boost in confidence this gives students is reason enough for a word wall.

Reason #2: Keeping the class on track

This one is the teacher version of reason #1. Word walls help keep the class on track. When I am able to point to a reminder on the wall and quickly get that one student over that speed bump, class runs so much more smoothly. I believe in answering all questions, especially those " you should have learned this 3 years ago" questions.

It is an honor to have students ask questions that are not on grade-level and I never, ever, ever use "should" in my teaching. Asking these questions means that they trust me with their insecurities and this means so much to me. That being said, random math questions increase the possibility that the rest of the class will start snapchatting. Math word walls help me move faster through these questions so that my class stays on track.

Reason #3: An inviting classroom

In Broken Window Theory, the idea is that a small thing like a building's broken window sends a loud message that the building is not being cared for. The theory states that people will then break more windows because what does it even matter anyway?

When a building is cared for, people know it. When we put even a little effort into making our classrooms warm and inviting, it sends a powerful unspoken message that we care about our students and their learning. It also sends the same message to parents. A principal once gave me some advice about parents. He said, "Parents just want to know that you like their kid." Now as a mom, I completely get it.

Reason #4: Connections to previous topics

Many of my students in Algebra 2 don't automatically remember what the x value at a y-intercept is or how to find the slope of a line. Even though Algebra 1 is not taught in my classroom at all during the day, I have Algebra 1 references on my wall.

Over and over again I go to that wall to point to the vocabulary my students had seen 2 years earlier. By having those reminders there, more difficult Algebra 2 topics are more accessible. When one of my students forgets what a zero is, I can point to our linear graph's x-intercept and make the connection. Breaking hard problems down into easier examples is also a useful skill, especially during dreaded standardized tests.

Reason #5: Low floor, high ceiling

Math can be super intimidating for some kids, and those are the same kids who may not always feel comfortable asking questions. Math word walls create a classroom environment with a "low floor, high ceiling" where all kids can enter and then grow.

I 'm reading this amazing book called Mathematical Mindsets written by Jo Boaler that puts into words everything I want to be as a teacher. To be quite honest, between work, family and exhaustion, it's the first book I have read in probably 5 years. That is embarrassing to type, and at the same time I am so thankful my first book back is this book. I'm an exceptionally slow reader, which makes me think about my students with diagnosed and undiagnosed reading disabilities. If it's hard for me to read, how must it be for them?

I make sure to make word walls accessible for all with visual references that are not too wordy. This allows kids with learning disabilities, English Language Learners and kids who are afraid of math to enter into the conversation.

I combined all of the math word wall references in this post (and a lot more) into this
math word walls bundle .

Math word walls:

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fun math teaching ideas and activities for middle school and high school

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math pennants and free reference sheets.

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5 Ways Math Word Walls Have Changed My Teaching

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Adding a math word wall to my classroom completely changed how my students access our math vocabulary and the concepts we learn in class. Our math word walls are covered in examples and visuals that show the math concepts in action along with the vocabulary words we cover in class.

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teaching in many different ways to help students who may not comprehend it the first time.

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Teaching Strategies That Engage Different Learning Styles | Continental

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Mastering teaching strategies for different learning styles will help you reach each student and allow them to excel.

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website that help develop objectives for different ages and levels

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Ellevation: ML Program Management Tools for K-12

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The introduction of new standards for English Language Learners has resulted in an increase in rigor and a focus on academic language. With this shift, language service models that isolate language objectives from content, such as pull-out or ESL classes, are becoming less common as school districts refocus on language instruction that is embedded within high-quality, well-scaffolded content instruction.

When creating content-based language instruction, educators must develop unit and lesson content that allows ELs to access the same rigorous, standards-based, grade-level content. In particular, educators need to develop content-based language objectives, which clarify how students will develop language within content instruction.

Alison Balter, an EL leader from Lawrence Public Schools in Massachusetts, worked with Jordan Meranus to share effective strategies that she uses to develop language objectives and integrate them into lessons and units. Below we have outlined some of these key strategies.

What are language objectives?

Language objectives clarify how language instruction is integrated with content, and specifically identify:

1. The way ELL students will use language objectives to engage with the content of the lesson and accomplish the content objectives

2. The specific components of academic language (vocabulary, language structures, etc.) that students will need to learn to accomplish the language objectives

With advanced planning, language objectives help to identify the scaffolds that teachers must have ready to support differentiated instruction for their ELs.

How do I create language objectives?

When creating language objectives you should begin by clarifying and identifying the following:

Content objective - identify the content objective that you plan to supplement with language objectives. While you may not create a language objective for every content objective, Alison recommends that you identify the "power objectives", or essential objectives, within a broader unit and use those to create language objectives.

Knowledge of ELL Student Levels - build an understanding of students' language proficiency levels so that you know how to adjust the language objectives, differentiate instruction, and apply accommodations for multilingual learners.

Domain - identify the domain (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) that you plan to focus on. It often helps to think about what you are asking students to do (e.g., a debate-focused content objective would lend itself to a Speaking language objective).

Next, you will use this key information to craft a language objective composed of the following three components:

1. Language function - the purpose of the language or linguistic processes required in conveying a message, which includes a verb or action that describes what a student should do (e.g., identify, interpret, evaluate, describe)

2. Support - identifies the supports and scaffolds (sensory, graphic, interactive) that the students will need (e.g., vocabulary sheets, visuals, etc.)

3. Link to Content - the link to the content topic

Within this structure you will be able to adjust the language function and supports to match students' different language proficiency levels.

Content Objectives

SWBAT solve word problems involving unit rates

SWBAT justify their decisions based on unit rates in real-life scenarios (e.g., choosing which car to buy based on gas mileage in miles/gallon)

Language Objective -Levels 4-5
Create multiple paragraphs analyzing the effect of figurative language in a poem.

* Support was not provided, as most of the advanced students in this group were working at grade level.

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Crafting Language Objectives for English Language Learners (ELLs)

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The introduction of new standards for English Language Learners has resulted in an increase in rigor and a focus on academic language. With this shift, language service models that isolate language objectives from content, such as pull-out or ESL classes, are becoming less common as school districts refocus on language instruction that is embedded within high-quality, well-scaffolded content instruction.

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may cost money but it does support other teachers and you can post as well.

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Browse writing language objectives resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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emphasizes conversation as a way to learn academic language

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ALL for all: Reviving academic language in classroom conversation - McREL International

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Academic language learning helps all students—both native speakers and ELL students—present ideas, explain their reasoning, argue from evidence, critique reasoning, and ask questions while using the vocabulary and syntax they need to thrive and flourish in school and in their careers.

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Uses listening as a way to learn academic language

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Listenwise | Listening Comprehension Matters

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Using Podcasts to Teach Academic Language | Listenwise

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Teach academic language skills using Listenwise podcasts to build vocabulary and background knowledge with English language learners and all students.

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skills and strategies for teachers and students.

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Participate Learning Dual Language Mastery Program - Participate Learning

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Level up your dual language offering through our Dual Language Mastery Program for administrators and dual language educators.

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using books and language and conversations to share culture

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Inclusive Practices in Multilingual Classrooms

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Making connections to the culture of the students you serve can reap great rewards!

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ways to implement the pull out program

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emergent bilingual learning