Putting the ‘literate’ into scientific literacy:
Developing the communication skills of
EAL learners in science
NALDIC Conference
16th November 2013
Manny Vazquez
HOUNSLOW LANGUAGE SERVICE
Hounslow Language Service
Session Content
1. Lily Wong Fillmore’s 6 conditions for effective classroom
environments for EAL learners
2. The notion of the teacher as the model for academic
language
3. Using active listening tasks
4. Scaffolding language or inhibiting scientific thought?
5. Let’s do a practical!
6. Questions / Plenary
1. Lily Wong Fillmore’s 6 conditions
Effective classroom environments
(Lily Wong Fillmore)
1. Teacher-directed instruction
2. Heterogeneous groupings
3. Appropriate content
4. Attention to language
5. Corrective feedback
6. Supported practice
2. The teacher as the model for
academic language
Teaching note-taking skills
3. Using active listening tasks
Use Active Listening Tasks
•
•
•
•
Bingo (receptive)
Active vocabulary tasks (productive)
Active tasks (observational)
Active tasks (sequential)
BINGO!
Make a bingo card
Choose 6 from this list to make
your bingo card
predator
producer
prey
consumer
food web
primary consumer
food chain
secondary consumer
Active listening
• Productive tasks
Year 8 Pupil
• Writing approximating
to NC Level 2
• EAL teacher’s
current objectives on
her needs analysis
form:
1. Develop use of the
simple past tense
2. Consolidate pupil
knowledge of the 80
most frequent
irregular verbs
Example of an outstanding lesson
Pupil Writing
“Sound is quicker travel the light”
“Because sound can’t travel the vacuum”
4. Scaffolding language or
inhibiting scientific thought?
What am I?
1. What do you think
it is?
2. How big do you
think it is?
3. Where do you think
it might be found?
4. What do you think
it might be
associated with?
5. Why might it be
important?
Model an ‘expert’ discussion
Creature 1
Creature 2
Model an ‘expert’ discussion
S: Around the top we seem to have some
protrusions
G: Yes, I think its microscopic
S: What makes you think that?
G: Because its see-through
S: Okay
S: And because its blurry
G: Yes, because its blurry in certain spots and
not in others
S: I think its in water…something like a pond
creature
Analyse the language used
Science words
plankton …. starch…. bacteria
flagella …
Describing words blurry… stacked…squashed
Ideas used
Is there any green?
Does it use this to attach itself?
Where might it filter or absorb
food?
What the teachers directly modelled for the
pupils as the lesson starter
1. What do you
think it is?
2. How big do you
think it is?
3. Where do you
think it might be
found?
4. What do you
think it might be
associated with?
5. Why might it be
important?
What the pupils discussed
1. What do you think
it is?
2. How big do you
think it is?
3. Where do you
think it might be
found?
4. What do you think
it might be
associated with?
5. Why might it be
Scaffold activities based around
this language
What the pupils did during the starter…
Mysterious Creatures!
What am I?
Tick if you hear any of these science words used
√
protusions
feeding end
protozoans
hairs
microscopic
storage capsule
plankton
filter feeder
bacteria
single-celled /
one-cell
flagella
starch
Tick if you hear any of these describing words and phrases used
√
see-through
blurry
squashed air bubbles
stacked
Tick if you hear any of these ideas used
√
Does it use this to attach itself to something?
Does it photosynthesise? Is there any green?
So if it’s not a plant, where and how does it get its food?
What type of water might it live in, moving water or stagnant?
Where might it filter or absorb food ?
How many areas of chlorophyll would it need to get enough energy
to sustain itself?
Ranking Activity
TASK
• Rank the statements in order of which
ones would most help you work out what
the creature is
• Prepare a report back, justifying your order
5. Let’s do a practical!
Objectives
• To know how sound is transmitted through
solids and through a gas.
• To be able to describe this process both
orally and in writing
Key words & phrases
Additional input for EAL:
A coat hanger is used to hang up coats,
jackets, shirts, dresses and shirts.
A metal coat hanger … A plastic coat
hanger … A wooden coat hanger
Additional language practice
A coat hanger can be made of ……..
A coat hanger can be made of ……..
A coat hanger can be made of ……..
metal
plastic
wood
wooden
6. Questions / Plenary
Contact details
For further information contact Hounslow Language Service
Tel. 02085381802
Mob. 07891618408
www.ealhls.org.uk
e-mail :
rehana.ahmed@ealhls.org.uk
or
andy.harvey@ealhls.org.uk