We all know that children love hands-on activities. They love to learn through doing and playing. They also love to make a mess. So, why not practice some experiments with them to help them learn relevant vocabulary in a fun and practical way? ESL science activities are great to engage students.
ESL Science Activities Positively Impact the Teaching Role at School
The Art of Teaching is a Science
To some extent, every lesson is an experiment. As a teacher or language assistant, you may have done lots of research and planned out exactly what you’d like to achieve through your lesson. But you never know exactly how it will go, especially if you are doing the lesson for the first time.
You have your hypothesis! You expect that the students will behave well, engage in your lesson, and learn lots of new things and that all of this will be done in one hour. However, not all hypotheses hold true…
You gather your materials! Sure, they may not be conical flasks and chemical goggles, but you need books, technology, yourself and, most importantly, some students.
You combine the elements! Sometimes the results exceed your expectations, sometimes they are exactly as you expected and, well, sometimes you get more than you bargained for.
So, if the whole art of teaching can be considered a science, it is natural that we think about studying science in the English as a second language (ESL) classroom, too.
I Want to Include ESL Science Activities: What’s Next?
You may wonder where to start with science experiments in the classroom. Well, personally, I studied bioengineering and, long before then, enjoyed playing at home with my junior chemistry set and doing my own investigations in the garden. So, I’d love to share some ideas with you to help you with your ESL science lesson plans. These could be great experiments for your classroom.
Sink or float? – A Good ESL Science Lesson to Learn Vocabulary
A lot of very useful vocabulary can be learned through this experiment and it can be great fun, too. Before the ESL science lesson, you could watch a short video about the meaning of the terms float and sink, as your students will likely not be familiar with these words in English.
Materials and Method for this ESL Science Game
You will need: A basin of water and various objects to experiment with (e.g. wood, paper, tin foil, rubber ducks, ping pong balls, pencils etc).
Method: The students make their own predictions about whether the items will float or sink when they are dropped into the water. Once the students have made their predictions or hypotheses, the students take turns dropping items into the water. The class observes the results and this is repeated with all of the items.
Depending on the level of the students, it may be appropriate to introduce terms such as buoyancy and density and how these affect whether something will float or sink in water. For variations of this experiment, you can visit Science Net Links.
Food Chain to Teach English and Science
Many children love animals and nature, and they really engage with this subject. Firstly, it is important to ensure that the students have an understanding of basic ecosystems and food chains, as well as the relevant science vocabulary in English. This target language could include: predators, prey, hunt, eat, species of plants, and species of animals.
One activity which you could do with your students involves identifying which animals are prey and which are predators and linking these to make their own 3D food chain.
Materials and Method for this ESL Science Activity
You will need: various tubes of different lengths and diameters (the longest tube should have the smallest diameter, and the shortest tube should have the largest diameter). Cut out pictures of the animals and plants involved in a particular food chain as well. Before the ESL science lesson, you should stick the picture of the highest animal in the food chain to the longest, thinnest tube, and so on.
Method: The students are given all the tubes. They need to work out the order of the food chain. They need to experiment with different orders of the tubes, in order to make sure that all the tubes can fit together and, thus, make the food chain. There is only one correct solution, so the students can work on this until they have discovered the answer for themselves. If the children have a greater understanding and would find this activity easy, you could ask them to make their own food chain tubes for a different group in the class to solve. For more on this activity, you can visit Science Sparks.
Colorful Flowers: Teaching Science to ESL Students Can be Enjoyable and Educational
When teaching your students about plants and how they absorb water and nutrients, this experiment is both educational and enjoyable. What is also nice about this activity is that you need to observe it over a longer period, for example, a few days or a week, in order to interpret the results. Therefore, not only is it an experiment, but also a small science project.
Materials and Method for this ESL Science Activity
You will need: small vases, white flowers (e.g. roses), and a variety of food coloring dyes.
Method: Fill the vases with water and add drops of the food coloring in order to dye the water. Cut the stems of the flower so that they will be able to fit into the vases. Add the stems to the vases and…wait!
Over the course of a few days, you will start to notice that the petals change color, adopting the color of the food dye. After this change has happened, you can talk to the students about what they think is happening and why. It’s also a good idea to take before and after photos in order to remind the student of the change that has taken place.
English and Science: A Powerful Connection
So, overall, science is a fun and interesting tool which can be used in the ESL classroom. Within the field of science, experiments are particularly enjoyable. They have a practical element and the students get the thrill of seeing live results.
Have you tried any of these ESL science activities in your classroom? Please, tell us below!
2017/18 Poster by Rebecca E.