EAL Strategies for Primary Science/Document

TE0048 – EAL Strategies for Primary Science

EAL and Science - General Strategies When working with EAL pupils in science (and in other areas of the curriculum) the following can be particularly helpful:

• working closely with TAs
• providing a story context
• grouping children who share the same mother tongue
• encouraging the involvement of parents and mother-tongue volunteers
• those more proficient at English could participate in discussion with a supportive partner or group

EAL and Science - Vocabulary Conceptual

• A raised emphasis on science vocabulary within the classroom.
• Labelled diagrams, posters, equipment and touchy-feely displays.
• A small vocabulary list as a focus for each session.
• Talking about the language with the EAL children at the start of the lesson, especially words – such as force – that have a specific meaning in science as opposed to everyday usage.

Strategies to enhance procedural understanding in science will be explored in sessions related to the scientific approach to enquiry.

EAL and Science - Explanation

Aids to explanation can include:

• drawing pictures and cartoons,
• using CD-ROMs with small snatches of animation or diagrams,
• telling stories that relate science to the child’s everyday life,
• forming the ideas together – questioning the child about his/her ideas and reviewing the idea as a whole as you go,
• looking at two versions of the idea – the way the child says it and the way the teacher says it – and using two versions of key vocabulary (www.scicentre.org.uk – publications) side by side until the child is more familiar with the term,
• using models and illustrations,
• using drama and games.

What should be on the science lesson plan?

In science, objectives should link to both Sc 1 and Sc 2, 3 or 4 (depending on the topic) National curriculum links Procedures

• Introduction
• Activity, including timing
• Key questions

In science, try to provide as many opportunities as possible for the pupils to explain what they think about what they are doing. Follow up their comments with ‘why do you say that?’ or ‘what made you choose that one?’, etc. In guiding pupils through their work, try and make them responsible for what is happening, e.g. don’t say ‘now make the string longer and see what happens’ but ask ‘how could we change the string?’ followed by ‘what do you think will happen if we do that?’ This approach will help you assess much more easily how well the child is coping with the task. Not only that, discussion and questioning helps pupils to:

• clarify thoughts and communicate ideas,
• recognise that others have different interpretations of shared experiences
• appreciate the need for evidence to support a point of view.

Key Vocabulary

What new words/terminology will be introduced?

Differentiation - One key aspect of differentiation in science is a consideration of pupils with EAL.

The Closing Strategy

Other adults

Organisation and resources

Assessment – anticipated outcomes

Safety

The safety implications of any activity need to be assessed and noted, together with anything that needs to be said to the children about safety.