A fifth-grade science class includes English language learners with varying levels of English proficiency. What approach is most important for addressing their needs?

A fifth-grade science class includes English language learners with varying levels of English proficiency. What approach is most important for addressing their needs?

• A. Change the instructional goals and objectives for ELLs
• B. Address the same instructional goals and objectives as those in the original lessons
• C. Provide language-only activities
• D. Use only visuals to teach the concepts

Answer: (B)

The main idea is to keep the same instructional goals and objectives as the original lessons, while providing supports that help English language learners access and engage with that content. When students are held to grade-level standards, they practice the same science reasoning and demonstrate understanding, and language development is built into the instruction rather than treated as a separate activity. You support this by using strategies such as modeling, sentence frames, visual supports, graphic organizers, explicit vocabulary instruction, and opportunities for collaborative discussion. This approach ensures students are learning the science content while simultaneously building the language skills they need to express ideas, justify conclusions, and participate in reasoning with peers.

The main idea is to keep the same instructional goals and objectives as the original lessons, while providing supports that help English language learners access and engage with that content. When students are held to grade-level standards, they practice the same science reasoning and demonstrate understanding, and language development is built into the instruction rather than treated as a separate activity. You support this by using strategies such as modeling, sentence frames, visual supports, graphic organizers, explicit vocabulary instruction, and opportunities for collaborative discussion. This approach ensures students are learning the science content while simultaneously building the language skills they need to express ideas, justify conclusions, and participate in reasoning with peers.