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As a science teacher working with English Language Learners (ELLs), I've sometimes found that developing and implementing language goals for ELL students can be clunky and confining. The focus on traditionally written language goals inserts a certain resistance into my lessons. The goals revolve around a teacher-led agenda that is often unrelated to the organic and student-centered process of sense-making, and they interfere with, rather than foster, the authentic discourse I need my students to engage in during science.

Language goals are developed ahead of time, so they cannot respond to the authentic in-the-moment goals the students themselves have for their own language. For example, one of my students claimed that lightning is responsible for the leaves changing colors and dropping in the fall, and he needed his classmates to understand and respond to his idea. My language goal for this student, "Students can use 'and' and 'but' to join two smaller ideas when summarizing science ideas", interfered with - rather than supported - the student-centered process of sense-making that was underway. The goal did not support growth through my student's own in-the-moment need for language.

When faced with this obstacle, I realized that perhaps I needed to look at the question of language goals (also called language objectives) a little differently. One approach that came to mind was the concept of learning in three dimensions.

Both the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) view science learning as developing in three dimensions, one of which (scientific and engineering practices) is very language-intensive. Because language is necessary for successful engagement in the scientific practices, a focus on these practices provides opportunities for students to develop the scientific practices and language simultaneously.

It is helpful to frame this connection with these guiding questions:

Do traditional language goals for ELLs interfere with student agency when participating in science?

How can three-dimensional learning shift our thinking around science learning and language goals?

Before I explain how I applied this model to my student's claim that lightning changes the color of the leaves, I will provide some background on three-dimensional learning.

Three-Dimensional Learning

The Framework for K-12 Science Education, which guided the development of NGSS, moved away from focusing on isolated facts and procedures in science education. Together, these documents articulate a three-dimensional model and comprehensive approach. Three-dimensional learning is a continuous interweaving of three elements that develops simultaneously over time: scientific and engineering core ideas, practices, and crosscutting concepts.

As such, none of the dimensions works in isolation; they must be leveraged in concert for the purpose of constructing knowledge in the science classroom. Three-dimensional learning engages students deeply in not only the important ideas of science and engineering but in the doing of science. It is this focus on the doing of science that presents a new opportunity to help students develop the language of science.

Disciplinary core ideas

Core ideas are the big ideas in science, similar to what we have traditionally referred to as science content. In three-dimensional learning, the students develop these core ideas as they engage in the practices. For example, students develop the idea of erosion by being immersed in observing the effects of water flow on the land. This is a marked contrast to the traditional way of starting a unit by presenting the scientific idea and then using practices (investigating, developing models) to confirm the ideas that have already been presented, which has resulted in a narrow body of knowledge that isn't generative. The traditional method has rendered students unable to use those science ideas in a new context.

Crosscutting concepts

Crosscutting concepts refer to a set of lenses (patterns, cause and effect, systems, and systems models) that scientists use implicitly and that students must be taught explicitly. Like the core ideas of science, these concepts must also be developed within the context of sense-making. A student who can use the crosscutting concept can apply the lens of cause and effect to explain a host of phenomena, from explaining the sustainability of an ecosystem for native species of insects, to developing a molecular model of the release of energy during a chemical reaction.

Scientific practices: "Doing" Science

The in the Framework and the NGSS mirror the practices scientists use in their careers, and play a central role in what it means to know and do science. Across the grades, students engage in the practices in increasingly sophisticated ways. The practices position students to collaboratively make sense of the natural world in every grade. Will students be exploring the evidence to develop a claim about what is happening? Or will they look for patterns in the data?

Whatever the practice, students will be engaging in it together, questioning, asking for clarification, building off each other's ideas and revising these ideas based on their shared sense-making. The science and engineering practices frame the doing of science as a collaborative, discourse-rich activity that positions students as co-constructors of scientific understanding of the natural world. The practices provide teachers a rich opportunity to support students' language development, particularly in four of the practices that I discuss in more detail in my article Next Generation Science Standards: Offering Equitable Opportunities for ELLs to Engage in Science.

Using language in three-dimensional learning

When students engage in the scientific practices to develop a collaborative, evidence-based explanation of a phenomenon, they use language to:

examine ideas about natural phenomena

make their ideas understood

analyze, dispute, refine and build off each other's ideas

The collaborative exploration of phenomena and the shared development of ideas becomes a powerful engine that drives language development.

If we frame science education as facilitating students' co-constructed understanding of the natural world, it becomes clear that engagement in the language-intensive practices is a critical part of doing science. Most importantly, this engagement in collaborative sense-making helps students develop both their science understanding and their language. How can we leverage this opportunity for language development - and what does this look like in the classroom?

More Authentic Language Learning Goals

The three dimensions of the NGSS support the formation of new rich and authentic science learning goals by combining the three dimensions into one performance goal that defines what student will do. Since these new three-dimensional science learning goals embed language use - driven by and described by the practice - within them, language goals and science learning goals are combined and there is no need for the traditional de-contextualized language goals of the past.

Traditionally, language goals (such as those I described earlier) have been separated from science learning goals, and have tended to reflect the view that science is about acquiring and retelling facts and procedures. But that traditional approach separates the language from its context and from its real and powerful purpose: the collaborative construction of meaning. In contrast, three-dimensional, integrated science + language goals harness the power of the sense-making science practices as the purpose for language use. They harness the power of language for doing science. Here are some examples:

Language goals of the past:
three-dimensional learning goals:

Elementary: Students will use descriptive language to compare land forms.

Elementary: Students will collaboratively develop a model that explains and predicts patterns in the changes to the land caused by wind and rain.

Middle school: Students will use the past tense "_ed" form to describe the molecular change that from solid to liquid form when thermal energy is added.

Middle school: Students will collaboratively construct an explanation of the effect that thermal energy has on how molecules move about relative to each other.

Creating a new language goal

With that background in mind, let's take another look at my student's claim about lightning and leaves. I decided to create an alternative and three-dimensional language goal for my class: Students will collaboratively develop a model that explains and predicts effects that cold weather has on plants and animals' survival.

While working on the science idea of the effect of that cold weather has on plant adaptation and survival, I wanted to focus on building students' abilities for collaborative meaning-making. My students needed to build ideas together, so in order to work on the discourse skills of collaboration among students, I had to figure out a way to ensure that all of my students were invested in communicating - both my ELLs and non-ELL students. (For a more detailed explanation of this step-by-step process, see Seven Steps to Using Next Generation Science Standards with ELLs).

Engaging the students in experiencing natural phenomena

I decided to focus on two trees near the school, a coniferous tree and deciduous tree, that the students knew well. We had taken photos of the trees on the first and fifteenth of each month since August, and each time we had taken a photo, we went to observe the trees and discussed, first as partners and then as a class, the actual trees and photos we took. In class, we wrote about our observations, and placed our written observations on the evidence wall on sentence strips. In this student-centered context, support for students' language use was based on their immediate need, rather than on a pre-conceived scope and sequence of language development. I knew these trees would provide a great starting point for the question of how cold weather impacts plants and animals.

Helping students create a model of what is happening

The next step was for students to create their own model of the phenomena. In the early stage of developing their model, the students worked in groups of three to collaboratively place the tree photos in chronological order. Each student had three photos, and they were not permitted to touch any photos but their own. When the students had arranged the photos in an order they all agreed upon, they had to collaboratively write captions under the photos describing the changes they noticed. One student functioned as the scribe, but was allowed to write only the words provided by other group members. The groups also had a graph they had previously created of changes in temperature and hours of daylight that had occurred in the same space of time. The group could refer to these graphs as they generated ideas about the changes they noted in the trees.

Following the sequencing and captioning of the photos, the students had to collaboratively develop a model to explain why the changes seen in the photos were happening. Because I was focused on supporting students' collaborative meaning-making, I needed to support their ability to discuss ideas together. The learning objectives we discussed and recorded were:

Listening to each other's ideas is hard work. Everyone needs to explain their ideas and listen to others' ideas.

We can tell our own ideas and ask for clarification to make a model to show how and why trees change to survive cold weather.

We started off with these two important student discourse moves: 1) telling and supporting their own idea, and 2) asking for clarification - two of seven important discourse moves that we had identified as part of an NSF project focused on supporting students' discourse engagement in science. Phrases that accomplished those two functions in a variety of ways were written on laminated cards and each student was given a set of these cards (below). When a student struggled to explain his or her idea, we discussed as a class how to persevere together in coming to understand that idea, and which prompts we could use to help us.

As the students discussed how to develop an initial model to explain what was happening to the trees, I walked around the groups. When students used the prompts, I praised their efforts to communicate, and sometimes stopped the class to have the group explain why they chose that prompt and whether it helped them understand each other.

Sometimes students needed to produce a question and the question structure was taught and supported, first for that student and then explicitly for the class. Other times the students searched for a science word or phrase to express their observation, such as bark, water level, temperature, or drop in temperature. This language was supported with the experience itself of seeing, touching, diagramming the trees, along with the use of realia, photos, and diagrams.

Supporting language production

I was particularly interested in supporting language production for my ELLs, and in supporting my non-ELLs in working hard to understand their ELL peers' ideas. To provide practice in this, I structured an activity that paired students in speaking and listening together for sixty seconds. The speaker got to explain his/her thinking, and the listener needed to make sure that he or she understood and could rephrase or repeat the idea that had been expressed.

Groups took turns presenting one element of their model. Students' models were combinations of sketches and text, and served as effective language supports, since students could point to elements of the drawing and could use words that had been chosen and written beforehand.

One group showed a tree being hit by lightning. Khaliff spoke first, pointing out features of the model. "The tree is split down the middle, hit by lightning and then it will be black down here." Axel, a beginning-level ELL, spoke, again pointing to the model, "Lightning cuts the tree. Here leaves are and here leaves are (he showed the broken leaves near the trunk of the tree in the model). They fall because of the lightning." He made the searing sound that lightning may have made when it hit the tree. Axel had learned the cause and effect phrase "because of the" which he had needed when dictating one of the captions.

Aliaya came next, "We think lightning hits the tree and then all the leaves crinkle up, change to yellow and brown, and fall off because the tree is in shock. The leaves will grow back when the tree is cured." Another classmate, Germaine, raised his hand, "I have seen that before, too! Lightning makes the leaves fall off the tree." Another student, Emanuela, said, "But there isn't that much lighting, is there? Almost all the leaves change color and fall off."

I was pleased. The idea had originally come from Axel, and he had expressed his idea of cause and effect well. His group had listened and contributed more to his idea. Axel was acquiring language because he was motivated to express his ideas in science. Emanuela gave us something to consider. As the students learned more about trees and the impacts of sunlight and water on plants, we would collaboratively revise our models to incorporate more evidence.

Teacher's Role in three-dimensional Learning

How does this shift impact the role of the teacher? The teacher's role in combined science and language learning changes from delivering science ideas and teaching some language on the side to guiding students' engagement in the scientific practices by shaping the discussion to promote collaborative meaning-making. This new role includes:

Creating the need to for students to meaningfully interact

Facilitating students' collaborative sense-making: using prompts to clarify & deepen student reasoning and to promote student-to-student idea-focused interactions

Ensuring that every student's ideas are sought and valued

Designing for ELs to be initiators, as well as responders, of meaning-making in groups

Intentionally nurturing and building on student-to-student interactions

Supporting tenacity and perseverance in understanding and sense-making

Modeling complex and precise language when needed and discussing the rationale behind these linguistic choices

Teachers will still model, explain, and support the language needed to develop mastery of the scientific practice, but they will do this in support of students' co-construction of meaning. Teachers will still be identifying student areas for language development and will model and scaffold language so ELLs gain practice and facility in more complex English; but these opportunities will take place within the sense-making discourse.

Closing Thoughts

Language, like science, is a social endeavor. We can combine both language learning and science learning through three-dimensional leaning that describes the doing of science as a collaborative, discourse-rich, activity that positions students to co-construct a scientific understanding of the natural world. This approach presents an opportunity for teachers to take a new look at how we think about the purpose for language in science. By focusing on students' collaborative engagement in science practices, we can leverage the power of sense-making to drive language development, helping students learn how to talk science while they do science.
This work has been supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (EAGER Proposal DRL-1346491).
About the Authors

Emily Miller

Emily Miller, a second- and third-grade ESL and bilingual resource science teacher for the Madison, WI Metropolitan School District, served on the Next Generation Science Standards Elementary Writing Team, as well as the Diversity & Equity Team.

Her other articles for Colorín Colorado include:

Rita MacDonald

Rita MacDonald is an Academic English Language Researcher at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. She has worked extensively in the field of content-language integration, both as a K-12 ESL teacher and as a teacher educator in MATESOL at Saint Michael's College in Vermont. As coordinator of two National Professional Development grants, she has worked to build awareness of discipline-specific language and instructional capacity for content-embedded language instruction for K-12 in-service teachers and has facilitated the integration of Systemic Functional Linguistic theory and pedagogy into pre-service teacher education, resulting in a curriculum being used as a model by other universities, and has published in the fields of teacher collaboration and integrated content-language instruction.

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Rethinking Language Goals in Science with Three-Dimensional Learning

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As a science teacher working with English Language Learners (ELLs), I've sometimes found that developing and implementing language goals for ELL students can be clunky and confining. The focus on traditionally written language goals inserts a certain resistance into my lessons.

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This article helps educators understand the role that academic language plays in their classrooms and in ELL student success.

The article also includes information on social vs. academic language, as well as numerous examples of the different kinds of academic language needed for all students to fully participate in classroom activities and assignments. Additional articles, books, and videos can be found in our Academic Language and ELLs Resource Section.

Academic Language: An Overview

Why is academic language important?

Perhaps you or your colleagues have taught a student, who, like Carlos, gave every sign of being fully "fluent" in English, only to find that the student struggled on more academic kinds of assignments.

Many students, including English language learners (ELLs), have difficulty mastering the kinds of academic language needed to succeed in school, especially if they have never been explicitly taught how to use it. These students include long-term ELLs, students who have attended U.S. schools for much or all of their education but have not yet mastered the language of school.

At the same time, many educators have never learned how to teach academic language since language has traditionally been considered the domain of English as a Second Language (ESL) or English language arts teachers. Yet the use of academic language is more important than ever in preparing students for academic and professional success, particularly in the era of rigorous college- and career-ready standards (such as the Common Core State Standards) that require an increased use of academic language in and across all disciplines.

What is your role?

It may seem daunting at first, but you have an important role to play in supporting your students' academic language development. You do not need an in-depth background in linguistics or ESL methods to do so; rather, you need some guidance and practice in learning how to recognize the role academic language plays in your subject area and classroom, as well as support from colleagues who can guide you in your efforts. Many ESL and bilingual colleagues have extensive experience in identifying students' academic language needs and collaborating with colleagues and will be more than happy to do so if asked!

In this article

To get you started, this article shares three things you need to know about academic language:

The difference between social and academic language

The importance of looking beyond vocabulary

How academic language will be used in your classroom

The article will also share recommended resources for further review. For specific instructional strategies on increasing the use of academic language in your classroom, see these ideas from ELL expert Kristina Robertson, as well as the resources at the end of the article, and check in with your ESL/bilingual colleagues for additional suggestions!

The difference between social and academic language

As the example of Carlos above suggests, teachers may be most familiar with the level of students' social language - the language they hear students using with their friends in the hallways or on the playground. Students typically achieve proficiency in social language long before they have mastered a grade-appropriate level of academic language. As a result, a student's ability to use language in social settings is not necessarily an accurate indicator of their mastery of academic language.

What is academic language?

Academic language is the language of school and it is used in textbooks, essays, assignments, class presentations, and assessments. Academic language is used at all grade levels, although its frequency increases as students get older.

It is also the language of the workplace - for example, the language used to write a business letter as opposed to a casual e-mail to a co-worker.

Examples

One strategy that academic language expert Dr. Robin Scarcella uses to help her college students understand the difference between social and academic language is to provide them with similar sentences or passages that convey the same meaning but that are written in different styles, such as the following:

I like this book more.

This story is more exciting than the first one we read.

Because they were brave.

The soldiers received the medal because of their courage.

If you were to compare other kinds of passages or documents, some examples might include:

A business letter vs. a personal e-mail (noted above)

A newspaper's summary of a research report vs. the actual abstract of the report

A customer review of a book vs. the publisher's description of the book

As your students become more familiar with the differences between social and academic language, it will be easier to identify which is which and what is most appropriate for a certain setting. Kristina Roberston notes in her video clip on our academic language playlist that her students call this "sounding smart" - and they know it when they hear it. When they hear themselves "sounding smart," it is a source of excitement and motivation in the classroom.

Additional resources

To learn more about the distinctions between social and academic language, take a look at the following resources from Colorín Colorado:
Discussion questions:

Have you had any students who were proficient in social language but struggled with academic language?

If so, how did their social and academic language use differ?

Did anything in their language abilities surprise you?

What are some examples that could be used to compare social and academic language in your classroom?

Beyond vocabulary

Many people think of vocabulary first when it comes to academic language. While content-area vocabulary words and terms are certainly an important component, academic language also refers to the words and phrases used to connect these key words and to communicate concepts. Here are two different ways to understand a broader interpretation of academic language.

"Bricks and mortar"

Dr. Cindy Lundgren explains the idea of " bricks and mortar" in our academic language video playlist, where "bricks" are the key vocabulary words and concepts in a sentence, and "mortar" is the language (such as signal words and phrases) holding the bricks together. Here is the example she explains in the video:

Even though bats have wings, they are not birds.

In this sentence, the bricks are the key vocabulary words in bold:

Yet to fully understand the sentence, students must understand the meaning of "even though." Here is a sample definition:

"Even though" means that two items are similar, but they are not the same. In this case, bats and birds both share a similar feature (having wings), but they are not the same animal.

Understanding signal words and phrases is a key step in a student's ability to "unlock" the academic language they encounter, as well as to start using it correctly themselves.

Video: Bricks and mortar in language instruction

Dr. Cindy Lundgren discusses the concept of "bricks and mortar" when thinking about effective vocabulary instruction for ELLs.

TWIPs

Debbie Zacarian and Judie Haynes (2010) also look beyond discrete vocabulary words in their academic language definition, including a range of structures they call TWIPs ( Terms, Words, Idioms, and P hrases). Here are some examples:

Note that, in the second example, the "Declaration" is a single word standing in for the official name of a specific document (the Declaration of Independence). Many textbooks used abbreviated terms in the interest of space, which requires students not only to track the references back to the original term but to build on existing background knowledge about the subject being discussesd. ELLs may need some extra preparation to draw upon or build background knowledge in order to fully understand the academic language being used.

Same Word, Different Meaning

Keep in mind that some key words or terms may have different meanings across disciplines and may be used as different parts of speech in different contexts (i.e., noun vs. verbs):

Lunch table (Social language)
Periodic Table of Elements (Science)
Table of Contents (ELA)
Multiplication tables (Math)
To table (delay) the discussion (Social Studies)

Plot of a story (ELA)
Plot of land (Geography)
Plot ordered pairs on a graph (Math)
To plot a government coup (History)

Branch of government (Social Studies)
Branch of a river (Geography)
To branch out (Idiom)

Your foot (Health)
One foot in length (Math)
Foot in your mouth (Idiom)
Foot of the mountain (Geography)
To foot the bill (Idiom)

As you identify the academic language you will be focusing on in a particular lesson, take a moment to think about whether any of the words or phrases may have another definition so that you can anticipate any possible confusion. You may wish to share your list with your ESL colleagues for input as well.

Cognates

Finally, there is a great tool you can use to bolster academic language for students who speak a language related to English. This is the use of cognates - words that have a similar spelling and meaning in both languages. More than a one third of words in English have a Spanish-language cognate! These often include technical or content-specific words that can help students make a connection between both languages, such as the following:

You can see many more in our list of Spanish-English cognates, and your ESL or bilingual colleagues may be able to think of other related examples as well. Once students know how that a connection exists, they will start noticing more words that are related and they will be able to apply their own existing background knowledge about those words to the vocabulary they encounter. They may need some guidance initially, and we provide some tips on how to use cognates in this Colorín Colorado article to help you get started.

Note: There is such a thing as a false cognate, the most famous one being that embarazada in Spanish is not "embarrassed" - it means "pregnant"! It is not a 100% foolproof strategy - but it is generally a very useful tool.
Discussion questions:

What are examples of key vocabulary words, terms, idioms, and phrases that are useful to know in your subject area?

Can you think of some phrases or signal words that are not content specific but are commonly used in your area (such as "In comparison...")?

Looking at the list of cognates from Colorín Colorado, find 10 words related to your subject area.

Planning for purpose and products

Now that you have some more background on what academic language is, it's time to think about how it is used in your subject area. Academic language is used for a variety of purposes across disciplines:

Students may write a lab report in science class.

Students may orally explain their reasoning in math class.

Students may listen to and compare two famous speeches in history class.

Students may compare a scene from a novel and a movie in an English language arts class.

Domains of language

As you can see in these examples, academic language is used in all four domains of language (reading, writing, speaking, and listening), and all four domains are needed to achieve the above tasks. While the uses of academic language may be more obvious for reading and writing, academic language is also necessary for listening to class discussion, lectures, and debates, as well as delivering speeches, presentations, and oral arguments. Students may need just as much help using academic language in their speaking as in their writing, and they may be at different levels across different domains. Carlos, for example, has strong academic listening and speaking skills, but weaker writing skills.

Students may also need help moving from the word level to the sentence, paragraph, or essay/project level in these sophisticated assignments. The most important thing you can do is to provide examples and model the kinds of language you expect students to use on a regular basis. By doing so, you will help familiarize students with the kinds of academic language needed to succeed in your classroom, as well as the purpose of the language they are using. Our Academic Language booklist and webcast include a number of subject-specific strategies for helping students master the kinds of language needed in different content areas.

This is also another area where ESL/bilingual colleagues can help you; they may have tried and true strategies, graphic organizers, and suggestions for modeling academic language and for helping students transition into more sophisticated assignments. One great example is the process that high school ESL teacher Michelle Lawrence uses to help her students transition from sentences and paragraphs to essays. (See Playlist: Writing Process 2.)

Note: Another helpful tool for communicating expectations about academic language is the use of language objectives , which you can learn more about from Colorín Colorado.
Discussion Questions:

As you consider how academic language is used in your discipline, what kinds of assignments are students expected to produce in your classroom and in higher grades?

What are some examples of academic language that are needed for each of these activities?

How are different language domains used at different steps of the process? (For example, a lab may require spoken language to be used in discussions between partners, and then writing to be used for the final written lab report.)

Based on what you now know about academic language, what kinds of support do you think Carlos needs in his chemistry class?

Do you have any ideas on how Mrs. Wilson can support his written academic language?

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Academic Language and ELLs: What Teachers Need to Know

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This article helps educators understand the role that academic language plays in their classrooms and in ELL student success. The article also includes information on social vs. academic language, as well as numerous examples of the different kinds of academic language needed for all students to fully participate in classroom activities and assignments.

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English Learner Education

The series of videos below are part of the Massachusetts Next Generation ESL Project: Model Curriculum Units (MCUs). Each video showcases excerpts from a lesson from an ESL MCU being implemented in an ESL classroom.

Fulfilling Our Promise: Snapshots of English Learners and their Families

ESL Grade K, ELP Levels 2-3, showcasing MCU: The Language of Addition and Subtraction

ESL Grade 3-5, ELP Levels 2-3, showcasing MCU: The Language of Newspaper Interviewing and Reporting

ESL Grade 6, ELP Levels 1-2, showcasing MCU: Personal Narrative

ESL Grade 9-12, ELP Levels 1-2, showcasing MCU: Exploring Topics in African-American Civil Rights

Last Updated: November 4, 2021

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massachusetts department of elementary and secondary education

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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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The goal of the Massachusetts public K-12 education system is to prepare all students for success after high school. Massachusetts public school students are leading the nation in reading and math and are at the top internationally in reading, science, and math according to the national NAEP and international PISA assessments.

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5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

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5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

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- graphic organizers
- Manipulatives
- Sentence Frames/stems
- Graphs, charts
- Use Desmos.com for graphing equations
- number models/expressions
- using simulations to change variables
- provide calculators and/or computers for data manipulation and analysis
- provide algorithms for solving equations

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Dual language teaching - teachers and students
Examples and non-examples
Scaffolded sentences
Sentence stems/frames
Word Wall
Think, Pair, Share
Hands-on with phenomenon
gesturing
Using visuals/realia
Whole class demo of phenomenon
Authentic/Relevant anchoring phenomenon
Unstructured/structured
hands-on exploration
Access to quality research materials

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-Materials and sentence strips
-Video clips
-Manipulatives
-Visuals and cues/pictures
-Models/Exemplar/teacher models/physical
-Drawings
-KT mapping
-graphic organizer/
preplanning/previewing
-Share out
- Multiple language presentations
-Guiding rubric (visual)

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* Visual Supports
* Graphic Organizers
* Group Work
* Charts/Labels
* Photo Cards
* Drawing a predictions/Results
* Hands on Materials
* White boards (try out space)

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- Phet Simulations
- Graphic organizers to collect and organize data
- show example of table to collect data
- Sentence Stems
- Visuals
- Model data analysis

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- Acting out
- collaboration: partner/group work
- sentence starters and fill in the blanks for linking findings to explanations
- group working time
- native language conversations
- word webs
- first, next, then supports students w/ structure in English
- Only presenting a few KT at a time
- discussion starters/frames
- audible/google speech
- CER Graphic organizer with sentence frames
- physical of words
- graphic organizers

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-phone a friend partner work (experts)
-tools- scales, thermometer, etc
-perspective taking in science writing (ie write a love letter as a flower to rain)
-hand gestures to go with learning new vocab
-various media sources
-discuss strong/not strong evidence and why
-language supports vocab bank/word wall
-graphic organizer
-students talk to each other first before larger discussion/whole group /-pair share turn and talk

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Language Support Ideas

Leveled texts

anchor charts, binders, notes by topic

learning sciences: organization (charts, etc.)

association/connections to trigger idea recall (words in context)

graphic organizers for note taking (fill in note sheets)

word banks, sentence frames/stems

informal (not invasive) teacher check-ins

peer feedback forms for presentations

scripts (fill in the blank) for presentations, presenting lab results

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https://bpsscience.weebly.com/science--engineering-practices-pd--resources.html

Scroll down the page to find the resource created by the STE Dept to support students, families, and teachers.

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Assess

Choosing an Assessment

ACCESS for ELLs

ACCESS Tests

ACCESS for ELLs Online

ACCESS for ELLs Paper

Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs

Preparing for ACCESS Testing

ACCESS Test Practice and Sample Items

ACCESS for ELLs Scores and Reports

Alternate ACCESS for ELLs

Preparing to Administer Alternate ACCESS

Alternate ACCESS Scores and Reports

WIDA Screener

WIDA Screener Online

WIDA Screener Paper

WIDA Screener Paper Score Calculator

WIDA Screener for Kindergarten

WIDA Screener for Kindergarten Score Calculator

Kindergarten W-APT

WIDA MODEL

WIDA MODEL Online

WIDA MODEL Paper

WIDA MODEL for Kindergarten

WIDA MODEL Score Calculator

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1. Resource Library

2. Fostering Active Comprehension: Asking and Answering Questions

WIDA Video Contest Winner

Shadia Salem encourages her first-grade students to engage in authentic inquiry before reading a text. By asking questions about the topic, students’ reading focus is linked to finding answers to their questions. Shadia’s students stay engaged by working in pairs.

Submitted by Shadia Salem, a first grade Transitional Arabic Bilingual Teacher at Dorn Elementary in Hickory Hills, IL.

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Fostering Active Comprehension: Asking and Answering Questions

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Shadia Salem encourages her first-grade students to engage in authentic inquiry before reading a text. By asking questions about the topic, students' reading focus is linked to finding answers to their questions. Shadia's students stay engaged by working in pairs.

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Page not found – Center for Applied Linguistics

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It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try searching?

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December Beauty Trends | Beauty in Real Time | CVS.com

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This December, we explore glamorous looks for the holidays and the New Year with contouring tips and glittery makeup ideas with Beauty in Real time at CVS.

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Thanks for visiting! Right now you're on PHYSICS4KIDS.COM. If you are looking for basic physics information, stay on this site. It's not just physics for kids, it's for everyone. We have information onmotion, heat and thermodynamics, electricity & magnetism, light, and modern physics topics. If you're still not sure what to click, try our site map that lists all of the topics on the site. If you surf and get lost in all of the information, use the search function on the side of the pages.

OKAY! Let's start here...

So you're asking, what isphysics? Everything in the universe has an effect on every other thing. Physicists study those effects. Physics is a science that relates to all other sciences: Chemistry, Biology, Geology, Astronomy, Meteorology, Engineering, etc. If you can name it, chances are physics is involved.

Everything on Earth, everything in our solar system, everything in our galaxy, and everything in the Universe moves and interacts, and forces play a big part in that. Physics studies thoseforces and interactions. Let's get started and look inside the physics of motion called classical mechanics. Go take a look!

That's it for the introduction. Now it is up to you to click and have fun! PHYSICS4KIDS is one of many free science sites developed by the team at the Kapili Islands. You may have also used Chem4Kids, Geography4Kids, Biology4Kids, or Cosmos4Kids. We also have a math activity site called NumberNut.com.

If you're not into graphics like home page image above, use the search tool (powered by Google) that will check our sites for the chemistry information you need. Type in a keyword or phrase and click the search button to get started.

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Physics4Kids.com! The web site that teaches the basics of physics to everyone!

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If you're not into graphics like home page image above,
use the search tool (powered by Google) that will check our sites. Type in a keyword or phrase and click the search button to get started.

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Rader's CHEM4KIDS.COM - Chemistry basics for everyone!

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Chem4Kids.com! The site that teaches the basics of chemistry to everyone! Tutorials on matter, atoms, elements, the periodic table, reactions, and biochemistry.

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If you're not into graphics like home page image above, use the search tool (powered by Google) that will check our sites for the biology information you need. Type in a keyword or phrase and click the search button to get started.

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Rader's BIOLOGY 4 KIDS.COM - Biology basics for everyone!

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Biology4Kids.com! The site that teaches the basics of biology to everyone! Tutorials on cells, plants, microbes, invertebrates, vertebrates, and animal systems.

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Kids learn about science including educational subjects biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, astronomy, environment, genetics, and more. Activities, questions, and experiments for students and teachers.

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Relevant articles that you can change the lexile levels for ELD 1, 2, 3

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Contributors

Description

Science educators in the United States are adapting to a new vision of how students learn science. Children are natural explorers and their observations and intuitions about the world around them are the foundation for science learning. Unfortunately, the way science has been taught in the United States has not always taken advantage of those attributes. Some students who successfully complete their K-12 science classes have not really had the chance to "do" science for themselves in ways that harness their natural curiosity and understanding of the world around them.

The introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards led many states, schools, and districts to change curricula, instruction, and professional development to align with the standards. Therefore existing assessments-whatever their purpose-cannot be used to measure the full range of activities and interactions happening in science classrooms that have adapted to these ideas because they were not designed to do so. Seeing Students Learn Science is meant to help educators improve their understanding of how students learn science and guide the adaptation of their instruction and approach to assessment. It includes examples of innovative assessment formats, ways to embed assessments in engaging classroom activities, and ideas for interpreting and using novel kinds of assessment information. It provides ideas and questions educators can use to reflect on what they can adapt right away and what they can work toward more gradually.

Topics

Suggested Citation

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Seeing Students Learn Science: Integrating Assessment and Instruction in the Classroom. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/23548.

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Publication Info

Videos

Archived Webinar: Classroom Assessment for the NGSS

It includes examples of innovative assessment formats, ways to embed assessments in engaging classroom activities, and ideas for interpreting and using novel kinds of assessment information. Speakers Heidi Schweingruber and Peter McLaren will discuss classroom assessment in science and how the book can help drive professional learning.

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Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

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Seeing Students Learn Science: Integrating Assessment and Instruction in the Classroom

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Science educators in the United States are adapting to a new vision of how students learn science. Children are natural explorers and their observations and intuitions about the world around them are the foundation for science learning. Unfortunately, the way science has been taught in the United States has not always taken advantage of those attributes.

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Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

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Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

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http://www.doe.mass.edu/stem/review.html
http://www.doe.mass.edu/stem/ste/

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WIDA Early English Language Development (EELD) Standards

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WIDA's Standards outline the progression of English language development and exemplify how to teach academic language within the context of content area instruction.

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Report Innovative science instruction boosts academic performance among English learners  EdSource[1]

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"Everyone tells us we need to teach this way, but no one has shown us how. This shows us how!"

~ teacher at NSTA conference in 2014

"For the first time in over 20 years of teaching, I'm confident that my students understand this. They don't need to memorize formulas or math jingles. They really understand the math."

~ a seventh grade Algebra teacher

"When I do my walk-arounds, I see 100% engagement in high-level math discussion. That's never happened before, and it's exciting."

~ principal in a participating school

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"Everyone tells us we need to teach this way, but no one has shown us how. This shows us how!" ~ teacher at NSTA conference in 2014 "For the first time in over 20 years of teaching, I'm confident that my students understand this. They don't need to memorize formulas or math jingles.

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energy rod by be amazing! toys - sensor stick sci-fi tube with flashing led light - safe to touch and handle steam electric current toy – ages 4+

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Energy Rod by Be Amazing! Toys - Sensor Stick Sci-Fi Tube with Flashing LED Light - Safe to Touch and Handle STEAM Electric Current Toy - Ages 4+

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Amazon.com: Energy Rod by Be Amazing! Toys - Sensor Stick Sci-Fi Tube with Flashing LED Light - Safe to Touch and Handle STEAM Electric Current Toy - Ages 4+: Toys & Games

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The page or document you were trying to reach has moved.

Please use the menu navigation, search box or Resource Library to find it here.

Note that the public WIDA website address changed to https://wida.wisc.edu on August 15, 2018. If you have bookmarked any pages or documents from the old website - www.wida.us - please update them.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your interest.

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The page or document you were trying to reach has moved. Please use the menu navigation, search box or Resource Library to find it here. Note that the public WIDA website address changed to https://wida.wisc.edu on August 15, 2018. If you have bookmarked any pages or documents from the old website - www.wida.us - please update them.

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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

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Science Unscrambled: A Framework for K-12 Science Education