What STEM Teachers Need to Know and Do for English Language Learners (ELLs): Using Literacy to Learn

Abstract

A growing concern for STEM teachers is the responsibility of having students who do not speak English proficiently in their content area classrooms. This paper gives a background of how STEM literacy and English language learner (ELL) literacy can be used productively together as well as strategies for STEM teachers to help all students learn. Strategies for ELL literacy are good strategies for all students. We discuss specific strategies that STEM teachers can use that benefit all students in developing academic language and conceptual understanding in STEM content using a hands-on STEM experiment, "Why do I need to wear a bicycle helmet?" that incorporates Newton's first, second, and third laws of motion."How am I expected to teach the same content to every student when some kids in the class don't even understand English? I'm a content area teacher, not a language teacher." We hear this many times from STEM teachers.

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