Use labels and pictures on each card to help represent concepts as a language support strategy for ELL.

Use label to make it easier for them to explain about the characteristics of the soil.

Use diagram to collect and organize data about different soil types (p. 2).

Use conceptual web to organize and build schema for different soil characteristics (p. 3).

Teacher uses gesture to show the words that she wants to emphasize and help ELL students to understand better. E.g., use hand gestures to show wind and water to students (p. 5).

Let students to draw some answer instead of writing it down to help ELL students that does not have many words choice to use. E.g., The teacher asks students to draw first then explain in writings (p. 6).

Using concrete models such as real soil where students can touch and feel the texture and colors to help them in observing the soil. Make it easier for them to learn about new words in a concrete way.

E.g., Victor and Moustafa group were touching the soil and found a pine needle inside; Moustafa point out the differences of his soil color and connect it to the word ‘organic’ (p. 2).

Collecting concrete samples to help students be engaged and interested in soil and later will integrate it with conceptual web (e.g., Collecting soil in paper cups 3 weeks before and using conceptual web organize and build schema, p. 3).

At the end of the unit, the teacher conducts a museum walk where students can move around to observe their friend’s work (p. 6).

Students will be assigned into groups to help ELL communicate easily since there are several other students that will encourage ELL students to talk and discuss about the soil with small group (p. 2: groupings).

Using Jigsaw to help ELL students communicate or express their thoughts in a smaller group setting (p. 3).

The groups also helpful for students to learn and help each other as they can expand each other’s ideas. E.g., Kaleem expanded on Trinique’s idea (p. 5).

The teacher uses sentence structure to help ELL students apply their findings in a sentence easily. (E.g., ‘This soil came from ___ because ___’ p. 3).

Students use sentence structure that they learned to comment, evaluate, or give feedback to their peers as they are doing museum walk (p. 6).

The teacher uses questions to guide students thorough out the experiment. E.g., ‘how does soil grow?’, ‘does soil comes from rocks?’, ‘how does wind and water change the urban mash soil?’ (pp. 3, and 5)

Begin with simple model and progressing to more difficult model. E.g., starting from soil diagram to build the topographical map (pp. 2, 5).

Allow students to associate their own culture and language to understand the experiment more. E.g., Jesus writes his answer in Spanish instead of English (p. 4).

Invite parents to attend the class where students can share their ongoing experiments. The parents can add or ask questions to them and leading to the cultural relance in their own country context. E.g., compare the rich soil in Laos and the sandy soil in the Midwest (p. 4). The school provides a translator to help parents communicate better (enhance cultural differences in class) and also to show that the school respect and care for ELL students' culture. E.g., provide a school translator to Mrs. Xiong (p. 4).