In upper-level content electives like chemistry, it may be infrequent that you come across English Learners. As you might have noticed, though, the population of English Learners (ELs) in today’s schools is growing at an alarming rate.1 With that in mind, here are five practical tips for working with ELs in the chemistry classroom.
- Visual Aids & Graphic Organizers
As you might have already found, words are not enough to bridge the language barrier your ELs are facing. Instead, words must be supplemented with graphics and visual aids to reinforce oral language.2 As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and your ELs need to see what you are saying in order to understand what you are saying. Chances are, you are already using the Periodic Table as a visual aid in your classroom, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Your students may see the Periodic Table on your wall or even have a copy of their own, but if they do not know how to use it, that support will not aid their learning. Color coding, detailed explanations, and modeling are all effective ways to help your ELs understand that the Periodic Table is a valuable tool in your course. Along similar lines, your ELs may struggle with complex conversions (particularly surrounding the mole) because they cannot visualize the process. Much like sentence stems are used for ELs in English Language Arts classes, you might try creating a chart with predictable conversion steps for getting from point A to point B that they can follow to solve the problem. One such example is shown below:
Figure 1
- The Walking Whiteboard
Though I know it is a bit unconventional, the Walking Whiteboard is probably my most-used strategy when working with ELs. There are many ways to implement this strategy, but the premise is the same: have a writing surface at your fingertips and use it to reiterate key phrases and terms. In my own classroom, the Walking Whiteboard takes many forms: (1) I carry around a small whiteboard and dry-erase marker in my hands, (2) I have full-length whiteboards on two of my classroom’s walls, (3) all of my desks are dry-erase safe, and (4) I have a digital whiteboard at the front of my room. I use all four of these options (as well as other writing surfaces) to reinforce my spoken language with written words. As I encounter key concepts in my spoken teaching, I pause to write down those words on the nearest writing surface.
For example, when working through a lesson on electron configurations, I would likely stop to jot down terms like “electrons,” “orbitals,” “configurations,” “energy levels,” and “sublevels.” You might adapt this method to suit your own classroom and students’ needs, but know that your ELs will appreciate you utilizing more than just one of the four language domains (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). Overall, this method allows ELs to connect new words in both written and spoken forms by showing them correct spelling and pronunciation side-by-side. Additionally, this method will help you (as the teacher) slow down your speech and more easily pace out your lessons for ELs, preventing them from getting behind and/or lost.
- Hands-on Activities and Objects
While it is difficult to incorporate hands-on activities into every lesson, your ELs will greatly appreciate it when you bring in tactile manipulatives. Anything that can make chemistry concepts less abstract and more realistic for your ELs is going to help them better understand the material.3 For example, if you mention a beaker in class, have a beaker in your hand so your ELs can connect the word with the object. This is especially helpful when explaining experiments that have multiple types of glassware involved, so that your students can see the difference between an Erlenmeyer flask and a beaker firsthand. This is also helpful for experiments that require multiple sizes of glassware, so students can see the meaning of terms like “smaller” and “bigger” up close.
If you are trying to teach VSEPR Theory and molecular geometries, your ELs will benefit from modeling kits and manipulatives where they can visualize the shapes in three-dimensional space (rather than on a two-dimensional piece of paper). I keep pre-built models of the basic molecular geometries (bent, linear, trigonal planar, trigonal pyramidal, tetrahedral, octahedral, etc.) in my desk and pull them out often in all of my courses. Even when the lesson is not explicitly covering VSEPR, this is a great way to reinforce previous learning and build continuity throughout your course. Reusing the same objects will build permanence and help your students understand how various concepts build on each other.
- Subtitling & Translation Services
While every district may not provide students with personal devices, most districts do have classrooms equipped with technology. This technology can be your friend - especially when working with ELs. Technology is perhaps the most powerful tool in bridging a language gap in the classroom4, particularly as a teacher of students whose first language you are unfamiliar with. Technology can provide translation services at the touch of a button (in hundreds of languages), making language support more accessible than ever. Browser extensions and other programs have made nearly every digital resource eligible for on-demand translation, expanding access for students of all backgrounds. As a teacher of primarily Spanish-speaking ELs (and with Spanish fluency myself), I use translation services daily to adjust assignments and supplemental resources.
Additionally, real-time subtitling software has become an integral part of my daily instruction. Real-time subtitling software again allows ELs to connect spoken language with written language (in their second language or their first). In my own classroom, I have every second of my English speech subtitled in Spanish (as I teach more than 95% native Spanish speakers), but you can change subtitling settings to meet your students’ needs. While requiring little (if any) additional effort on your part, both subtitling and translation can drastically expand ELs’ access to new academic content in your classroom by allowing your students to focus on content over language.
*Special note: There are many translation services, browser extensions, and subtitling programs on the market. Find out what your school/district already has access to (or can obtain access to) before paying for a service. Microsoft PowerPoint (for subtitles) and Immersive Translate (browser extension) are my two most frequently used.
- The Word Wall
Though often used in elementary school settings, Word Walls are few and far between in high school settings (particularly in advanced courses). Despite being uncommon, Word Walls are particularly helpful for ELs who need repetition when learning a new language.5 A Word Wall (or even just a wall of common prefixes and suffixes) is a reference point that students can continuously look back at when they are in need of a refresher. A Word Wall serves as a landing place for new terms and allows all students (not just ELs) to see the correct spelling and definition of such terms as needed. While some teachers continuously add to their Word Wall throughout the course as students acquire new terms, others (like myself) choose to set up their full display at the beginning of the course and just point out new words as they come up in the curriculum.
Word Walls work especially well in the science classroom6 for content-specific scientific terminology because they require no additional instructional time but are always available for student support. If you want your students to correctly use scientific terminology, you have to model that behavior for them and provide the support they need to retain that terminology. To be extra effective, Word Walls can be combined with other strategies (such as including pictures with the terms) to maximize student learning and long-term retention. The Word Wall (rather, Affixes Wall) from my own classroom is shown below:
Figure 2
When working with ELs, the important thing to remember is that these students are trying to master both language and content in ways that you and the native speakers in your classroom may not understand. Providing as much support as possible will help these students build confidence and knowledge simultaneously, while also creating a positive learning environment.
- National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). English Learners in Public Schools. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved [date], from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgf. Accessed July 2025
- Halwani, N. Visual Aids and Multimedia in Second Language Acquisition. English Language Teaching 2017, 10 (6), 53–59.
- Micallef, A.; Newton, P. M. The Use of Concrete Examples Enhances the Learning of Abstract Concepts; a Replication Study. Teaching of Psychology 2022, 51 (1), 009862832110580. https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283211058069.
- Lacina, J. Technology in the Classroom: Promoting Language Acquisitions:Technology and English Language Learners. Childhood Education 2004, 81 (2), 113–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2005.10522253.
- Ghazi-Saidi, L.; Ansaldo, A. I. Second Language Word Learning through Repetition and Imitation: Functional Networks as a Function of Learning Phase and Language Distance. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2017, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00463.
- Carr, J.; Sexton, U.; Lagunoff, R. Making Science Accessible to English Learners : A Guidebook for Teachers; Wested: San Francisco, Ca, 2007.