1. Science and EAL
Graham Smith, November 2016

2. Workshop Outline
Summarise the specific needs of pupils learning science in an additional language
Introduce the essential features of the language of scientific enquiry and communication
Explore some interactive teaching and learning strategies for EAL friendly science lessons

3. Different ways of saying the same thing

4. B Talking while doing
This …no, it doesn’t go…it doesn’t move…try that …yes, it does a bit…that won’t …won’t work, it’s not metal…these are the best…going really fast.
D Reporting back
We tried a pin…a pencil sharpener…some iron filings and a piece of plastic…the magnet didn’t attract the pin.
A Pupil Recount
Our experiment was to find out what the magnet attracted. We discovered that a magnet attracts some kinds of metal. It attracted the iron filings, but not the pin.
E Text book recount
A magnet is able to pick up or attract a piece of steel or iron because its magnetic field flows into the magnet, turning it into a temporary magnet. Magnetic attraction occurs only between ferrous metals.
C Academic Description
A magnetic field is a vector field that permeates space and which can exert a magnetic force on magnetic dipoles. When placed in a magnetic field, magnetic dipoles tend to align their axes to be parallel with the magnetic field, as can be seen when iron filings are in the presence of a magnet.

5. The Register Continuum
What (Field)
Everyday
Highly technical
Who (Tenor)
Intimate
Impersonal
How (Mode)
Informal, face to face
Very formal
Most spoken like
Most written like

6. The register continuum
most written like _____________________________
(adapted from Martin 1984)

7. Language functions in Science
expressing cause and effect
The greater the mass, the longer the stretch
Heavy rainfall led to widespread flooding
comparing
I think weight will increase with height
When acid was added to the test tube, bubbles arose
recounting
hypothesising
describing
generalising
A planet is a body that orbits the sun
It has a three part body and three pairs of legs
Mammals give birth to live young and feed them on milk.
defining

8. Example from Year 2
Learning Objective: Recognise and identify a range of common animals, describe their features.
Thinking skills/Language function:
Classifying and Describing
Present tense: A fox is a mammal
Mammals have fur
Vocabulary: fox, fur, mammal

9. Science vocabulary Everyday words: put, make, has, book
Subject technical words: photosynthesis, atom
Subject specialised words (with an everyday meaning as well as a specific meaning: average, conductor, function, table
Semantic fields: electricity → cell, switch and resistor
Symbols and formulae
Give out subject specific vocab handouts
Talk about vocabulary lists
Glossaries and Dictionaries [see refs at end] 9

10. Types of key word Concrete Nouns Names of things
Bone, skull, tendon, ligament
Abstract Nouns
Concepts and processes
May be invisible, need to be learnt in context
Evaporation, condensation, pressure 10

11. Verbs, nouns and adjectives
wear away (acid wears away metal)
corrode (acid corrodes metal)
corrosion (corrosion is caused by…)
corrosive (the corrosive power of acid rain causes problems for the car industry) 11

12. Nominalisation activity
spoken verb
written verb
noun
work out
solve
solution
calculation
investigation
conclude
clarify
wear away
produce

13. From describing events to explaining processes
ARE Y3
It was raining heavily. The rivers flooded.
It rained heavily so the rivers flooded.
The rivers flooded because of heavy rainfall.
Heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding.
Intense precipitation in surrounding hills caused widespread flooding over low-lying ground.
ARE Y5
KS3 ?
Grade 9

14. Dictogloss

16. Newton knew that the force that caused the apple's acceleration (gravity) must be dependent upon the mass of the apple. And since the force acting to cause the apple's downward acceleration also causes the earth's upward acceleration (Newton's third law), that force must also depend upon the mass of the earth. So for Newton, the force of gravity acting between the earth and any other object is directly proportional to the mass of the earth, directly proportional to the mass of the object, and inversely proportional to the square of the distance that separates the centres of the earth and the object.

17. Procedure for Dictogloss
Before the activity
Select your text. Keep it short the first time
Provide an image to set the scene
Brainstorm related vocabulary, if you wish
During the Activity
Read the text once – everybody just listens
Read the text again – listeners take notes (grid could be provided)
In groups, try to reproduce the text, aiming for the same content and the same tone

18. What if…

19. Contact details M: T: E: W: