Great for ELL Leaners

The title immediately drew me in because this type of learning is hands-on and can be used for a diverse group of ELL students with different sensory issues, or in general in could be used i... See More

The title immediately drew me in because this type of learning is hands-on and can be used for a diverse group of ELL students with different sensory issues, or in general in could be used in an inclusive education classroom. This article is about defining and experiencing solids, liquids, and gases. It's a multimodal concept as well, which is very important. I like that the "Mystery Cannisters" section talks about having students sort the canisters into categories and label them because this is a math concept. "Windowpanes" uses a graphic organizer to introduce and develop vocabulary, which I think is a great tool. I like the idea of compare and contrast because I think it gives students a deeper understanding of a topic, which is what "Hardness Scale" discusses. "Bag-and-Tag Word Wall" is a strategy I never used in school, but after reading about it I think I will use it in my classroom. Not only is it visual, but it's an interactive visual. This article has many amazing strategies that will help ELL students learn vocabulary. I believe it also has the capability to increase confidence by having students be more present in their own learning. The authors also add visuals throughout the article with actual student work which is such a great thing to do. They also talk about how these can be used as formative and summative assessments. Although it's a very comprehensive article, I don't know that it explicitly addresses the 3Ds and NGSS standards.

Reminder we need to appeal to all learning types

The authors suggest providing hands-on experiences with new vocabulary words so that students can construct their own meanings. This goes along with new research on how students develop ment... See More

The authors suggest providing hands-on experiences with new vocabulary words so that students can construct their own meanings. This goes along with new research on how students develop mental models for things in their environments, and sometimes those are incorrect without guidance. The authors also present a modified word-wall that combines the traditional with links to central topics such that it also resembles a concept map. Wonderful idea, especially with ELL and special needs students who need that little extra to help them to make sense of the science AND the vocabulary. The strategies (like this and using "windowpanes" for definitions) are all good ways to help all students develop an innate understanding of science terms.