Science Education Reform for All (SERA)

Executive Summary

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Table 4: Teaching Strategies and Behaviors for Working With Limited English Proficient Students
Teaching Behaviors Draw connections between content and real life. Speak slowly and clearly in a normal tone of voice. Repeat key phrases. Stress the main words in a sentence. Ask students yes/no questions to determine if they understand the concept. Check frequently for comprehension. Break information into reasonable chunks. Limit new vocabulary per lesson or unit. Allow a variety of student response modes (oral, visual, and translations by other students). Ask factual questions first, then higher order thinking questions.	Teaching Strategies Demonstrate, dramatize, and use body language. Use visuals (photos, illustrations, maps, and charts). Use graphic organizers (trees, webs, Venn diagrams, etc). Use cooperative learning. Use peer tutoring. Use multiple assessment strategies.	Other LEP Information Students cannot wait to speak English fluently before being deemed ready for science instruction. Determine if students understand the science but not the language or the language but not the science by answering the following questions: Do they know the word in their language? Do they know the word in their second language? Do they know the science concept in either language? Learning a new language is not only a linguistic phenomenon, but a psychological one as wellŠ silent period, taking in the environment, not speaking until later.
Source: National Center for Science Teaching and Learning, 1995.

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