Creating Science Lessons That Work for All Students
Science naturally encourages discussions that bring the world into the classroom. These discussions include content-specific vocabulary and abstract concepts that can be challenging to students with special needs and multilingual learners. Educators can create curriculums that incorporate science lessons that work for all students, integrating strategies that promote understanding of the same ideas.
When designing implementations for science programs, I often hear educators ask for guidance on how to tailor their lessons to include the diverse student body sitting in their classrooms. Their questions inspired me to highlight instructional strategies that help educators create learning experiences for all students.
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
The Next Generation Science Standards provide clear goals for educators to get all students to participate in science lessons. Appendix D of the NGSS Framework explains how the standards were changed to support students with disabilities and multilingual learners so they could interact in classroom activities.1 Teachers can clearly see how these practices have changed to meet all students’ learning styles, which includes asking questions, using models to represent concepts, analyzing data using charts and tables, and explaining ideas.
The NGSS was written using a three-part framework to show how all students can learn science. Appendix D links instructional strategies with scientific practice, core scientific concepts, and the application of making connections across subject areas that benefit all students.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
When all students are participating in science classrooms, you see activities that include building models, making charts, and explaining phenomena using key vocabulary.2 Using the UDL Framework, educators can plan lessons that promote various opportunities to teach, model, practice, and apply scientific concepts.3
The UDL framework considers how students with language and learning needs can participate when there’s alternate ways to express their understanding of key concepts.4 If educators proactively implement this framework in designing science instruction, all students will benefit in the classroom.
Science Lessons That Work
Science instruction that supports the NGSS and UDL frameworks can include:
- Introductions to Natural Phenomena: Begin science instruction with powerful visuals or multimedia images as an aid for all students to make connections and develop scientific explanations.
- Using a Variety of Examples: Show models, videos, and images during lessons to help all students access the information.
- Providing Various Ways for Students to Demonstrate Understanding: Offer your class opportunities to express themselves through pictures, charts, tables, or words.
- Integrating Academic and Scientific Language: Plan activities that integrate science content with academic language to support multilingual learners.
Summary
Research shows that when science teachers design lessons that incorporate the NGSS and UDL frameworks, all students can participate in the classroom. These frameworks emphasize using multiple pathways to learning, offering opportunities for every student to access scientific concepts and demonstrate their understanding.
About the Author
Antoinette Gadson is a Content Specialist at Cengage Group dedicated to helping educators customize instruction for diverse learners. She began her career teaching students with special needs and multilingual learners. These experiences continue to guide her approach to supporting schools and districts. She has developed and led professional learning for educators, created customized presentations for curriculum implementation, and partnered with educators to design instructional solutions that improve access and engagement for all students.
She currently holds teaching licenses in Students with Disabilities, English to Speakers of Other Languages, Gifted Education, Reading Endorsement, and Elementary Education. Antoinette’s ongoing goal is to empower educators with the tools and strategies they need to reach every learner with confidence and clarity.
References
“Appendix D – ‘All Standards, All Students’: Making the Next Generation Science Standards Accessible to All Students.” CSAA – Center for Standards, Assessment, and Accountability, https://csaa.wested.org/resource/appendix-d-all-standards-all-students-making-the-next-generation-science-standards-accessible-to-all-students/.
Priyadharsini, V., and R. Sahaya Mary. “Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Inclusive Education: Accelerating Learning for All.” Shanlax International Journal of Arts, Science and Humanities, vol. 11, no. 4, 2024, pp. 145-50, https://doi.org/10.34293/sijash.v11i4.7489.
“What Is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?” CAST.org, https://www.cast.org/what-we-do/universal-design-for-learning/.
Lohmann, M. J.; Hovey, K. A.; and Gauvreau, A. N. “Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Inclusive Preschool Science Classrooms,” Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, vol. 26, iss. 1, article 4, 2023, pp. 1–12, https://repository.rit.edu/jsesd/vol26/iss1/4/.
