Supporting ELL Students in the Content Classroom

Every content teacher is also a language teacher, yet designing lessons that engage English Language Learners (ELLs) while maintaining academic rigor can feel overwhelming. This text-based course provides the essential tools and frameworks you need to confidently support language acquisition across all subject areas, whether you teach math, science, social studies, or English. You will transition from wondering how to reach language learners to actively designing lessons that support their academic and linguistic growth. By understanding how language acquisition works, you will be able to scaffold complex texts, modify assessments, and foster an inclusive classroom culture where every student can thrive. What you'll learn: - Understand the fundamental principles of language acquisition and how they apply to content-area instruction. - Design scaffolded lesson plans that integrate academic content standards with specific language development goals. - Apply vocabulary-building strategies that help students unlock complex academic texts and discussions. - Configure formative assessments that accurately measure subject-matter knowledge rather than language proficiency. - Integrate modern digital accessibility tools and culturally responsive teaching practices into your daily classroom routines. Starting with foundational terminology and language acquisition theories, you will progress through practical scaffolding techniques, vocabulary instruction, and assessment design. Through written explanations and practical classroom scenarios, you will build a versatile toolkit of strategies ready for immediate use. This course is designed for K-12 content-area teachers, instructional coaches, and aspiring educators who want to better support ELL students. No prior specialized training in linguistics or ESL is required. Start building your toolbox of practical ELL strategies today to help every student succeed.