Standard English learners

Students who are Standard English Learners (SELs) are ethnic minority students and primary English speakers who speak a dialect of English in their home communities that is different from the “standard” dialect of English used in schools. This group of students includes, but is not limited to, some African-American, American Indian, Southeast Asian-American, Mexican-American, or Native Pacific Islander students. The goal for SELs is to become bidialectal by maintaining their home dialect of English while mastering standard English (SE) across the disciplines, including science. In order to support students in this, teachers should honor the language students use in their home communities and apprentice their students to use, in meaningful and authentic ways, science disciplinary language. This additive approach can be achieved by following the principles of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching that have been incorporated into Amplify Science, including the design of lessons and Differentiation Briefs.