A1 Hello! Iâm Karen Nemeth, co-host of #ELLCHAT, author/consultant on ELLs/DLLs in early childhood, and proud to live in Philadelphia Eagles territory!
#ELLCHAT A2 #ELL students have to learn all the vocabulary that their Native Speaker peers do, and all the concepts, without necessarily having the support of understanding all the context and definition words. Parents who are #ELLs themselves may have trouble helping...
A2 A big challenge for early childhood is that many teachers are unsure how to teach science in general, so they are way off track for including ELLs/DLLs #ELLCHAT
A2 So many times I see #preK tchrs trying for âgravityâ or âsolar systemâ that are too abstract for any 4 year old, totally out of reach for different languages! #ELLCHAT
A2 for young children, thereâs so much amazing science in everyday things that all can see and touch -bugs, running water, wheels, ramps, shade/sun, plants, etc etc all good for all languages! #ELLCHAT
A2. I think even beyond difficult content vocabulary, a challenge is that many science teachers and grade level teachers assume that ELLs donât need as many scaffolds in science because itâs often âhands onâ. #ellchat
#ELLCHAT A2 It is also important to remember that families may be sharing cultural or religious beliefs with a child that might go contrary to the ideas taught in science class. If a child is unsure in English and not comfortable asking questions, these concerns don't get solved.
A2 so, for preK/K tchrs - itâs NOT so much about the vocab - itâs more about helping them choose the most relatable science topics that build concepts and skills to lead to later complex vocab #ELLCHAT
A2) Vocabulary! But hey, all of the students in science are learning academic vocabulary. It can be a challenge for ELs but their presence can help science teachers focus on best practices for teaching vocab like Marzano's 6 steps. #ellchat
A2 I think for teachers of older ELLs, there may be missteps about science vocab, too. If you have ELLs, you could choose activities that build foundational vocab first⊠IFâŠscience teachers can agree! #ELLCHAT
And the very process of science is often something Ts have trouble understanding or teaching. We say "scientific method," but do not show our students what it feels like to postulate and test a hypothesis. All of this is even harder when we are also working on language. #ELLCHAT
A2 - I agree. Just because teachers plan something that students can put their hands on doesnât mean they are good at making the connections for ELLs. Requires intentionality #ELLCHAT
A2. I think even beyond difficult content vocabulary, a challenge is that many science teachers and grade level teachers assume that ELLs donât need as many scaffolds in science because itâs often âhands onâ. #ellchat
#ELLCHAT A3 I formally do not teach science, but my reading class, when I teach it, has many articles about scientific ideas. My biggest goal is to model curiosity and show how we can look for more information together.
#ELLCHAT A3 Absolutely. If the vocabulary feels foreign and uncomfortable, students can't really use it to get comfortable with the concepts being taught!
A3) I use a lot of science-based articles to teach the language of science to ELLs. I found that supporting ELLs' science instruction was necessary for my ELLs. #ELLCHAT
#ELLCHAT A3 I formally do not teach science, but my reading class, when I teach it, has many articles about scientific ideas. My biggest goal is to model curiosity and show how we can look for more information together.
A3: Frontloading! We have used See-Think-Wonder from "Making Thinking Visible". Ss also need a purpose for learning, which can be supported with an Essential Question #ellchat
#ELLCHAT A3 Absolutely. If the vocabulary feels foreign and uncomfortable, students can't really use it to get comfortable with the concepts being taught!
Hola, Soundtrap Ts! Do you speak English & Spanish? Do you use Soundtrap with your students? We'd love to connect you with a classroom in Montana for a collaborative music-making experience! DM us! #ELLchat#duallangchat#LangChat#EdChat#MusEdChat
A3) Resource: https://t.co/QzJVNzlIA5. This 2 min video shows an 8th grade science teacher with #SIFE Ss in her mainstream, state tested class. She has lots of wins with them allowing alternate forms of proving mastery. #ellchat
A3 Ideally, in my dreamworld, science and other domains would be linked with planful vocabulary developed that supports multiple domains and builds gradually. ::sigh:: #ELLCHAT
A3) Resource: https://t.co/QzJVNzlIA5. This 2 min video shows an 8th grade science teacher with #SIFE Ss in her mainstream, state tested class. She has lots of wins with them allowing alternate forms of proving mastery. #ellchat
A3) We are currently teaching our 4th graders to 5 steps of the scientific method. In a few days we are doing a hands-on experiment while answering the question:
Does Total Cereal really contain iron?
#ELLCHAT
I don't love Mondays, but I love Mondays in my classroom: starting the week off right with routines, reflection, and goals: https://t.co/RS2vDh0Cr9#ELLchat#engchat
A3) All of my ELLs participated in our school science fair. I also taught the scientific method and each student demonstrated their comp by doing their own experiment. #ELLCHAT
A3) We are currently teaching our 4th graders to 5 steps of the scientific method. In a few days we are doing a hands-on experiment while answering the question:
Does Total Cereal really contain iron?
#ELLCHAT
Awesome, @judiehaynes! This was 2 yrs ago. Ms. Stokes is a hero. I was offereing to help her w her #SIFE Ss and she said they were doing fine so we took this video. Now these #ELLs are in HS passing biology. We can't leave them behind in content while they learn English. #ellchat
A3) All of my ELLs participated in our school science fair. I also taught the scientific method and each student demonstrated their comp by doing their own experiment. #ELLCHAT
A3) We are currently teaching our 4th graders to 5 steps of the scientific method. In a few days we are doing a hands-on experiment while answering the question:
Does Total Cereal really contain iron?
#ELLCHAT
#ELLCHAT A4 If we are teaching a scientific concept, we need to plan all the steps of the explanation carefully. That way, if tricky vocabulary is lurking in any part of the explanation, we can be prepared early. Lots of examples help too!
A4: Need to think beyond just individual words to sentence & discourse level. What language functions are required in the lesson? Description, analysis, compare/contrast? #ELLchat
A4 National Science Teachers Association - lots of resources. Blog: How Can Science Tchrs Use the NGSS to Support ELLsâ Construction of Knowledge? https://t.co/XnLCY2fYyo#ELLCHAT
a4) We pull the standardized assessments to look at how questions are phrased. I have a lot of problems with standardized tests but it's a model of the academic register ELs will need to comprehend. #ellchat
Thanks for sharing this resource! I've heard #NGSS has shifted focus of science instruction. Nice to see it related specifically to ELLs in post you referenced. #ELLChat
A4) We really take our cereal experiment apart and think about what academic language is needed to talk and write about it. What do our ELs need to be successful is always on the forefront. đ#ELLCHAT
Sara joining late EL Support Teacher in CA. A3) giving ample time to reflect and fine tune understanding of concepts 2, 4, 6 discussion strategy #ellchat
My students and I spent 15 minutes the other day talking about the idiom "green thumb" -- there is literally no way to guess what it means unless you already know what it means! #ELLCHAT
A4 I know there are bigger words than this, but many early childhood teachers are surprised to learn that animal sounds are different in different languages - even that can help them connect science learning for ELLs/DLLs #ELLCHAT
A5 Donât forget to use voice recording in many ways- allowing ELLs to say what they know and can do in L1, record to get help with translation later - letâs you know their baseline knowledge you can build on #ELLCHAT
A3 one of the best scaffolds for young science learners is their own interests. A young childâs interests reveal their prior knowledge and vocab. If we listened and watched more, we could team more relatable science to ELLs/DLLs #ELLCHAT
Resource: #ESOL specialist Katy Padilla pre-teaches science concepts & vocab at lunch before the lesson at the "super secret science club" -- in this case, she uses straws to introduce vascular vs. non-vascular plants | https://t.co/P6MRJptqni#ellchat
#ELLCHAT A3 I think this is pretty true for adult learners too. People who know how to cook, know chemistry. People who have raised animals know some biology. People who have set around reading and talking and listening learned interesting facts about the world.
A6 The support you give as you collaborate with science teachers will help them develop more sophisticated view of how ALL students build language and vocab - will make them better teachers for all #ELLCHAT
#ELLCHAT A6 In my own practice, I teach reading, writing, and grammar, and do not coteach. But I do help my students understand what they learn in other classes. Offering time to tutor or help students with language in other classes can really help at the adult ed level.
One more audience favorite: Language Objectives: The Key to Effective Content Area Instruction for English Learners https://t.co/hRluc0KPCx#ELLchat#ELL
A6) Thematic units in ESL. We are taking a trip to a historic site so including some of the archeology that was done there to tie in magnetism of equipment, weathering, etc...#ellchat
A6) Help differentiate lessons, find appropriate resources, modify assessments. Content teachers need support to look at work with an ELL lens and we need content teachers to look at the work with theirs. We drive the bus together! #ellchat
