SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHING SCIENCE VOCABULARY TO ELLS--SUPPORT FOR COMMON CORE SCIENCE STANDARDS

You have ELLs in your science class.  There are only a few of them scattered throughout the room.  How do you decide WHICH words must be expressly taught and WHICH only need to be touched upon?  Going strictly by the content vocabulary words the publisher has identified as IMPORTANT is not the best route to follow since the basic academic vocabulary needed to understand the text might be totally unfamiliar to them.  Teachers need to preview the material to look for academic vocabulary that ELLs will need help with so that they fully participate in activities based on common core.  In a word, science teachers must become English teachers.

EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING SCIENCE VOCABULARY  is a site that offers some excellent teaching tips on addressing this scenario.  Students must hear the word, see it, recognize it when they read it, use it in making scientific arguments, write it in lab reports/research, etc.  If they are new at learning English, they need the support of sentence frames to internalize the vocabulary in context.  These frames can be accessed as needed in any of the language skill areas:  listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  Do this on a regular basis in the class period (or part of the day when science is taught) and students will ALSO grow in their English language skills (big side benefit).

Many strategies are addressed here, but here are some of my favorites:

Graphic organizers where the focus is on building language is number one with me.  See the example.  In it, there is the main word in the center.  From that center point, students add synonyms, definition, picture, and a sentence.  I have even had kids keep them on a binder ring for easy access.  Over time, they build their own content language "dictionary." Have students quiz each other right before quizzes with the weaker student quizzing the stronger one first.  This way the weaker one has an opportunity to review the words before he is tested.

Word parts is an area that can be addressed in many content classes. The more word parts (affixes) a student knows, the richer the student's vocabulary will be.  Science is rich in Latin and Greek affixes.  Take for example -ology (the study of).  Add BIO- and you have biology.  GEO and you have geology.  Build a class list of important affixes on a wall chart and leave it up there for all students to refer to as needed.  Over time, students won't feel the need to check the list as much because they will have internalized it in long term memory.

Keep discussions in the ACTIVE VOICE "The moon controls the tides" as opposed to PASSIVE VOICE "The tide is controlled by the moon."

You have some successful strategies of your own as do your colleagues.  Collaborate on this area.  The more teaching tools at your disposal, the more successful ALL of your students will be in studying science!

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Khan Academy--114 Geometry Videos To Support Your Instruction

If you are looking to develop more review support in your math classes for your ELLs and others, you should take a look at Khan Academy.  It covers all areas of mathematics and science.  The videos are simple to follow and clearly would support a teacher's instruction.  Further, if you have ELLs in your classes, you can find translations in every subject.  Imagine having a newly arrived Mandarin only speaker and offering this site as a tool to access the content of your lesson.  The anxiety level of that ELL would definitely drop since he or she would not be totally in the dark in following your activity.  KHAN LANGUAGES lists all the languages available on the site.

For this post, I pulled out only one subject area--KHAN ACADEMY GEOMETRY.  Within this section are 114 videos all on geometry.  The total viewing time is slightly over 15 hours.  Though the amount of time on each subject component varies, they typically do not exceed 10 minutes more or less.  Access to the site is free and open to anyone.  Since ELLs typically need to jump two hurdles academically--language and content, they would benefit from such online support because it would provide them with additional practice in mastering the content.

Denise
ELL TEACHER PROS

PS  If you use CHROME as your browser, you may have a problem accessing my blog.  What you should do is ENTER the site (ignore the warnings--for some reason it has a problem with WORDPRESS BLOGS---and then bookmark it.  Once bookmarked, the problem is fixed:)

NEED Incredible Supports for Science? Look No More:)

If you have limited resources when it comes to securing quality science video supports for your lessons, you may want to take a look at this site.  Click on TOPICS and you will find a wide range of science topics covering astronomy and space, earth and environment, chemistry, life science, mathematics, physics, medical sciences, engineering, and technology.  No membership is required.  SCIENCE 360

Another awesome feature here is the radio broadcasting segment.  Teachers (and students) can get the free iPhone and Android apps to listen at will.  If your school allows students to bring their smart phones to class, you can have them use them to complete assignments using this site.  Imagine how this might help your ELLs who often need more time to process academic content.  Now, they need only go to the app on their phones to review class material.  On this site are over 100 radio shows and audio podcasts.  Surely, there will be several that address your class content.
SCIENCE 360 RADIO BROADCASTS 

Would you also like to assign reading as part of your homework (or classwork)?  Here you will find news from science magazines, blogs, and news articles.  The readings cover 3-12+.  You need only scan for content and reading/grade level.  Since it is a change from the familiar textbook, students might exhibit a bit of excitement in doing the assignments:)  Further, for optimum use in class, assign small groups to read, review, analyze, and share out their understanding of assigned reading sections.  ELLs will benefit from this type of activity since they would not be navigating the site on their own.  Cooperative group learning communities make content accessible to everyone in the group so everyone is a winner:)  SCIENCE 360 NEWS SERVICE

Hope you enjoy the site. 

Denise


ELL TEACHER PROS

TAKE PHYSICS FROM CLASSROOM TO AMUSEMENT PARKS!

Often times, ELLs approach physics with some fear.  Why?  The language and math components behind physics may pose a challenge since ELLs are trying to learn academically challenging material through a language that is not their home language.  Unless the teacher uses techniques to turn the incomprehensible into the comprehensible, the ELL will struggle and fail. 

One approach to scaffolding such content is by tying new knowledge to known experiences (aka prior knowledge).  Amusement parks have many rides which depend on the laws of physics to keep the rides safe so everyone has a good time.  Probably every student has been on a roller coaster for example.  This common frame of reference is a natural lead-in to the lesson.  A teacher might ask students to share with a partner WHY the construction of the tracks keeps the cars on the tracks and not flying off into the air.  A background in science would not be needed in this opening activity.  It is just an opportunity for students to start thinking.  Corrections to their ideas will come as they progress through the lesson.

PHYSICS IN AMUSEMENT PARKS  is an interactive site on this subject.  Easy to follow descriptions on the topic are on every slide.  Students click on a ride and are taken through all the steps in creating a roller coaster for example.  Later one, students explore how to create one using physics.  All the "work" is in a virtual work area so there is no risk of getting hurt:)

ELLs would also benefit here because they can revisit the site at home on their own time if they need additional time to fully grasp the key points of the lesson.  Since many kids also have smart phones, they can also try the program there as well.

Denise


ELL TEACHER PROS

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Can Physics Be Fun? Sure, With a Little Imagination:)

Often times, ELLs and others shy away from physics because they think it is too difficult. With the right teacher, nothing could be further from the truth. Good teachers think outside the box. Good teachers feel that every student can access the material with the right support or scaffolding. Such teachers build on the familiar so that students feel that they already know something about the topic.


PHYSICS FOR KIDS describes the science in ways that would make it more accessible to ELLs than a textbook since it employs language that is comprehensible. Academic language runs throughout, but the passages are not densely presented in ways that textbooks usually do. Here the focus is on conveying the message without getting lost in the language. Once students get the main idea, they can accomplish the required tasks of any given chapter. This site therefore supplements classroom instruction. Here students will see proof that physics is everywhere and in every science:)

PHYSICS GAMES FOR KIDS here students have several opportunities to "play" with physics. Academic games are a must from time to time because they often times help to clarify student understanding. Pick a concept that students have studied and then with a partner have them work on a game. Once they complete the task successfully, have them explain how they did it. This can be done with a labeled drawing, in a learning log, or a detailed paragraph. Offer them options on expressing their success with the game with the understanding that key academic vocabulary addressed in class must be used in the description of their success.


PHYSICS VIDEOS offers free clips of physics in the real world. This information could easily be included in a lesson since the videos are presented in an experiment like format. For your struggler, such a clip might offer a "eureka" moment (and it is fun).

MORE PHYSICS FOR KIDS more games, videos, and LESSONS (along with quizzes and word searches) bring life to the subject for the non-physicist:) With time and fully accessible intriguing materials, ELLs will build the confidence to actually enjoy the science. Maybe they might be intrigued enough to consider a career in a physics-related field. You never know.

PHYSICS IN THE REAL WORLD offers a look at possible careers in this science. If students can't see beyond the classsroom, they will never know what the future could possibly hold for them with the right degree. Here students will discover real world problems in the area of physics along with solutions. Practical applications present a clearer picture of all that a career in physics has to offer. Students may find out that the solutions that they might dream up are workable!

I hope your students enjoy the post:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Carl Sagan's COSMOS--He Demystified the Universe For All of Us:)

Back in 1980, Dr. Carl Sagan launched this video masterpiece on the origin of the cosmos. He took the intensely academic and made it accessible for the non-scientist. Watching this series was akin to having a blindfold removed on a bright sunny day! It was truly an awesome experience searching through the cosmos from one's living room. The explanations were laymen friendly (but informative) and students from elementary through university were glued by their television sets every week waiting in high anticipation for the next episode.

In your science lesson on the solar system, you might want to include a few clips from the series to provide background knowledge for your ELLs. The visuals usually stimulate prior knowledge for them and that means that your lessons will give you the desired results:)

COSMOS

I hope you enjoy it:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Can Physics Concepts Be Addressed Through Games? Yes, and the Games Are FUN!

For many students in grades 6-12, physics is rarely pictured as a "fun" subject:) It is a course that fascinates a small few while the rest take it to try to compete for entrance to the more competitive colleges or universities. Little do they know that physics shows up on many fields including, but not limited to, construction, civil engineering, demolition, education, etc.

The site, PHYSICS GAMES, provides students with game-like activities which actually provide a small window to physics in the real world. I played the demolition one for about twenty minutes and found that each level of the game became increasingly more complex. As I progressed through the game, I had to pull from math to compute the best angle to plant the explosives at. This might be a great activity to do in pairs. Students could take notes on how they finally managed to destroy the building frame. What placement of the explosives was best to accomplish the task and why? Again, as with any course with ELLs, having them take the time to record what they did is the only way to have them remember what they did and keep track of key vocabulary.

This site would help make academic content more accessible and that boosts confidence for ELLs especially.

Denise:)

ELL TEACHER PROS