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Elementary Science

Science for ELLs

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Cesar Rivera Cesar Rivera 625 Points

Hello, I am a senior in UTRGV and will be graduating with a concentration in bilingual education because I would like to help ELLs like myself succeed in school. My question would be, how can you get those students to participate in class discussions or experiments? How often should the teacher introduce a new lesson?, specially science or math which might be more difficult for any student. 

Matt Bobrowsky Matt Bobrowsky 6410 Points

Start by having students, working in groups, undertake a fun scientific investigation.  They can talk to each other as they try to figure out what's going on, and then, when you later discuss the topic, they'll be able to relate what you're saying to what they did in their group.

Kayla Torres Kayla Torres 510 Points

Hi Cesar, I'm also a student at UTRGV and pursuing a concentration in bilingual education. In regards to your question, I believe that it's very important to create a welcoming and postive atmosphere so all students can feel comfortable and feel encouraged to speak. Another thing you can do is to display multicultural posters of people from diverse backgrounds and share your own language learning experiences with your students. To get ELLs to engage in discussions, have them work in small groups and have them write down their ideas on paper first before they share so they won't feel on the spot when trying to speak. Some student's won't feel confident enough so give them time to share since they're trying to formulate their response. Include fun activities and types of learning styles. Math or science each has their own language that includes distinct terminology so provide explicit instruction and allow them to explain their strategies for reaching solutions. 

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