Use physics and other observable sciences as a context for ELLs to build conceptual understanding while developing English competence¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The authors recommend designing learning environments that depend on students' culturally mediated resources, stating that "our data suggests the design of learning environments that depend on students' culturally mediated resources can be very effective in including students, and in the process of sense-making." They highlight physics and other observable sciences as contexts for improving English language skills because shared experiments give all students common experiences to talk about.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Activities with shared, observational affordances so discussions are grounded in common experiences

Constraints¶

• The authors label their data preliminary

Target Learners¶

• English Language Learners in K-8 settings

Target Learning Goals¶

• Physics conceptual understanding
• English language skills development

Affordances¶

• Third Space Everyday Academic Language

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Suarez, E. and Otero, V. (2008). 3rd grade English language learners making sense of sound. https://www.eric.ed.gov