Supporting Science and Math Teachers with ELs

This past school year I was an ESL Coach and worked with teachers in a K-12 setting at 12 different schools. I had the opportunity to work hand in hand with science and math teachers weekly at the secondary level. I wish I would have had the opportunity to have taken this course last summer because I feel that I have many more tools in my tool box I could share with these teachers. For the next school year I will be teaching ESL in an elementary setting. I will share many of these the tools I have now with these teachers but I feel the secondary teachers need them even more. I have a couple classrooms in mind that I know the interactive notebooks would be extremely useful in as well as tools like the speaking frames and assessments we used in class. I will share the texts from this class with these teachers in hopes that they gain more knowledge of what it takes for teach the academic content and language at the same time! 

My Science Story

I was a true Science nerd in HS. Science was probably my favorite academic subject beginning in the 6th grade. During my middle school years I had very engaging teachers that had student lead classrooms. When I began HS I knew I wanted to take all AP science courses not because I had a science career in mind but because I enjoyed science and was able to feel successful. I not only took my required AP courses but also science electives like Zoology and Environmental Science. I believe I graduated with 7 science credits! One of my favorite experiences was Physics. I remember specifically one of my favorite projects. I create a roller coaster out of pasta and hot glue. The coaster included loops and a pulley system to get the marble to the top of the first hill. I remember uses many formulas to complete the lab write up. I can't remember every specific detail but I do remember exploring independently and learning.
My love for chemistry lead me to choose my first degree in college. I want to pursue nursing and then continue on to become a doctor. I enjoyed my college chemistry classes but it was when I took anatomy that I decided nursing was not for me! I hated anatomy class and anatomy labs and I am not sure why! I never had the chance to take anatomy in HS because of the other courses I took but if I did I'm sure I would have figured out sooner I was not cut out to be someone in the medical field.

Science Podcast- NASA Do-It-Yourself

NASA
Do-It-Yourself Podcast
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/diypodcast/newtons-laws-index.html

What a neat site! This not an actual podcast. It is a link students can use to CREATE a podcast. There are resources such as videos, voice clips and pictures students can use in their podcast. 

Math Podcast- Learnoutloud.com This is All About Math (7th-college topics)

Learn Out Loud
This is All About Math
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Science/Mathematics/Is-All-About-Math-Video-Podcast/23106#

Different animated podcasts on different topics. Great for building background and teaching academic vocabulary!
The one I viewed was "Pi."  Take a look!

http://www.isallaboutmath.com/pi.aspx

Professional Development Podcast- ESL Teacher Talk

ESL Teacher Talk
http://www.eslteachertalk.com/

This is a link to several podcasts available to teachers of ELs. There are several topics represented. Topics include teaching communication skills, grammar skills and many others. I will say that it takes about five minutes to get into the meat of the podcast.

Science Podcast- National Geographic

National Geographic
One Species at a Time: Fungi
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/fungi/?ar_a=1

The National Geographic website has several podcasts on different science topics that are covered in the elementary and secondary science curriculum. The website is user friendly and you can simply search for a topic you would like a podcast on. The one I included on the post is about fungi. The link includes specific ways to include the podcast in the classroom. 

Math Podcast MV PSSA Math Tutor

MV PSSA Math Tutor
http://mvpssamath.podcastpeople.com/posts/11521

There are several podcasts available for high school math. Several topics are represented. I will say that the academic language used in the podcast is cognitively demanding. Students may have to listen several times. The voice of the tutor is very monotone however the speed of speech is appropriate. The podcasts also have entertaining sound effects.