The science eWorkshops focus on lesson plans, teaching scientific concepts and meaningful scientific learning. eWorkshops focus on scientific inquiry, using the 5E Model to create lesson plans, writing in science and supporting multilingual student success across various grade levels in the science classroom.

These are the available eWorkshops:

Scroll down to see more details about each eWorkshop

21st Century STEM Learning, Language and Culture (Grades K-12)

Essential Question: How can language and culture be used to anchor 21st century STEM learning?

Guiding Questions:

  • Unit 1: How do the Next Generation Science Standards cultivate learning, language development and cultural competency?
  • Unit 2: Which cross-cutting concepts in science have parallel language conventions? How can they be used to leverage learning?
  • Unit 3: How can strategies for technical communication be used to promote science learning practices?
  • Unit 4: How do the core idea criteria statements support interdisciplinary literacy for students?
  • Unit 5: How can technology be used to enhance language and content literacy for multicultural students?
  • Unit 6: Answer the Essential Question
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Language in the Multilingual Science Classroom (Grades 3-5)

Essential Question: How can I create a culturally and linguistically rich classroom environment in a science unit?

Guiding Questions:

  • Unit 1: How can I help my bilingual learners connect to the world and their community through the study of science?
  • Unit 2: How can I include activities that bring out science talk for bilingual learners?
  • Unit 3: What do I need to know to effectively teach the academic language of a science unit to bilingual learners?
  • Unit 4: How can I support bilingual learners in reading grade level science texts?
  • Unit 5: How can I reinforce science learning with fun, engaging writing activities?
  • Unit 6: Answer the Essential Question
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Science Inquiry: Engaging Bilinguals In Scientific Questioning (Grades 4-8)

Essential Question: Why does inquiry science especially benefit bilingual learners?

Guiding Questions:

  • Unit 1: How can open-ended pre-assessments inform me of my learners’ assets in language and science?
  • Unit 2: How can we use student observations to launch the inquiry cycle?
  • Unit 3: How can teachers help bilingual students generate testable questions?
  • Unit 4: How can we support bilingual learners as they make plans to test a scientific hypothesis?
  • Unit 5: What strategies facilitate great discourse?
  • Unit 6: Answer the Essential Question
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Secondary Science (Grades 6-12)

Essential Question: How can the secondary science classroom be organized to maximize academic language development?

Guiding Questions:

  • Unit 1: Why is a great science classroom, one that utilizes the science and engineering practices described in the Next Generation Science Standards, a natural fit for language learning?
  • Unit 2: How can we use our science classroom space to affirm the linguistic and cultural diversity present among our students?
  • Unit 3: How can open questions, asked with the right supports, improve the engagement of bilingual students in deeper thinking?
  • Unit 4: How can flexible grouping arrangements lead to academic success with language and science content?
  • Unit 5: How can we diversify classroom activity to maximize differentiation?
  • Unit 6: Answer the Essential Question
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5E Model for Multilingual Students (Grades K-8)

Essential Question: How can I use the 5E Instructional Model to improve my science instruction to engage multilingual students more meaningfully in the development of science knowledge and academic language.

Guiding Questions: 

  • Unit 1: How can I plan dynamic science instruction that supports multilingual students' growth in science knowledge and language development?
  • Unit 2: How can I use Engage and Explore activities to make science concepts accessible for • multilingual students?
  • Unit 3: How can I provide comprehensible input for multilingual students in the Explain phase of a 5E Model lesson?
  • Unit 4: How can I support multilingual students in the Elaborate phase of a 5E Model lesson so that their content and language learning go deeper?
  • Unit 5: How can I appropriately and effectively measure multilingual students' learning in a science unit? 
  • Unit 6: Answer the Essential Question.
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Writing in Science (Grades 3-12)

Essential Question: How can we teach academic writing through meaningful STEM activities

Guiding Questions:

  • Unit 1: What kind of meaningful science work can be used to launch an extended writing process?
  • Unit 2: How can we improve engagement in science writing by identifying an audience?
  • Unit 3: What pre-writing activities set up bilingual students for success with communicating scientific thinking?
  • Unit 4: How can teachers and students set language goals that go beyond students’ existing abilities?
  • Unit 5: How can self and peer assessment lead to writing success without consuming every waking hour of teacher’s time?
  • Unit 6: Answer the Essential Question
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“I don't know that my perspective really changed so much as it was enhanced.  I have always valued the differences a MLL population brings and have tried to honor my students.  The enhancement was in providing more and better tools for working with those students as a classroom (rather than the typical focus on individual needs).”

(eWorkshop Completer)