Making the Connection: Practical Techniques for Accommodating English Language Learners in the Science Classroom

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Secondary science teachers are faced with an increasing number of students whose first language is not English and charged with preparing them for federal- and state-mandated end-of-course exams. In many states, these high-stakes tests play a crucial role in making decisions about promotion, graduation, and placement. Current policies generally dictate that English Language Learners (ELLs) demonstrate language and academic proficiency in content areas such as math, science, social studies, and English after one year in the U.S. school system. Second language acquisition research, however, strongly suggests that it takes five to seven years--or even longer--for average ability ELLs to achieve grade-level performance (Collier 1987, 1989; Cummins 1981, 1996). High school ELLs are a particularly vulnerable population because new language acquisition becomes more difficult as students get older (Lenneberg 1967, Scovel 1988). In addition, the science curriculum includes a large amount of content-specific vocabulary, assumes extensive background knowledge, and requires sophisticated reading and writing skills (Echevarria, Vogt, and Short 2004). Given these findings, high school ELLs and their science teachers need specialized support specific to each content area while ELLs are learning English. Science for all The "science for all" principle guiding science education (NSF 1998, NSTA 2000) supports engaging all students--regardless of differences such as gender, backgrounds, or culture--in scientific inquiry. It is known that inquiry-based instruction can facilitate students' language learning as well as critical-thinking skills (Lee 2005). On the other hand, students with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds may be frustrated with the inquiry process itself--asking questions, investigating, finding answers on their own, and reporting results using science language (Fradd et al. 2001, Lee 2005). A logical approach to this challenge is to integrate science with literacy instruction by carefully designing instruction with attention to ELLs' linguistic and cultural backgrounds. To ensure academic success, ELLs should ideally have full access to appropriate curricula taught by qualified teachers who use suitable instructional resources that match each student's language and grade level. However, the unfortunate reality is that many schools cannot provide such support (e.g., bilingual instructional materials, individual tutoring support, time, and specific guidelines). Previous studies suggest that teachers' frustrations often originate from their feelings of helplessness and doubts about ELLs' ability to catch up with grade-level content (Penfield 1987, Reeves 2004). Thus, based on ELL education studies (Echevarria, Vogt, and Short 2004; Chamot and O'Malley 1994; Hurst and Davison 2005; Echevarria and Graves 2007), we suggest practical strategies that focus on increasing * comprehensibility of texts and speech, * interactions of ELLs, * teachers' linguistic and cultural awareness, and * collaboration and communication between ELL and content-area teachers. While the following suggestions are neither quick fixes nor one-size-fits-all answers, it is our hope that they will help secondary science teachers better accommodate the needs of ELLs. These practical suggestions were adapted from multiple sources, such as the sheltered instruction model of Echevarria, Vogt, and Short (2004); Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) of Chamot and O'Malley (1994); Hurst and Davison (2005); and Echevarria and Graves (2007). Increasing comprehension Adjust speech rate and enunciation. While English is a stress-timed language, many other languages, including Spanish, are syllable-timed languages (Rost 2001). English tends to stress one or two syllables and slur the rest of the word or sentence, while each syllable of syllable-timed language (e. …