How Does Science Support English Learners’ Growth Across Reading, Writing, and Math?

English learners often bring rich experiences, strong oral language skills, and deep curiosity into the classroom. The challenge many teachers face is not whether English learners can think deeply, but whether classroom structures allow that thinking to surface, grow, and transfer across subjects.

KnowAtom’s phenomena-based, thinking-first approach positions science as a powerful context for language development without reducing rigor or oversimplifying ideas. When students investigate real phenomena, work with their hands, and make sense of evidence together, language becomes a tool for meaning rather than a barrier to participation.

This article explores how science instruction, when designed intentionally, supports English learners’ growth in reading, writing, and math while strengthening confidence and learner identity.

Why science is a powerful context for second-language development

Science gives students something concrete to think about before they are asked to explain it. That sequencing matters.

Phenomena anchor meaning.
When students observe ants navigating food sources, water shaping landforms, or sound waves traveling through materials, they are grounding ideas in shared experiences. Research on second-language acquisition shows that language develops more effectively when tied to meaningful, contextualized activity rather than abstract drills (Cummins, 2000).

Curiosity sustains effort.
English learners may need more time to find the right words, but curiosity about what is happening keeps them engaged. In KnowAtom lessons, puzzling phenomena invite sustained attention even when language is still developing. Motivation and engagement are critical conditions for language growth (Krashen, 1982).

Mistakes feel safer when ideas come first.
When classrooms center on figuring out how the world works, approximations in language are treated as part of sensemaking rather than errors to be fixed immediately. This lowers affective barriers and increases participation, a key factor in language development (Swain, 2005).

Cognates and shared academic language as confidence builders

Science offers a surprising advantage for many English learners: shared academic language across languages.

Many scientific terms have Latin or Greek roots that overlap across Spanish and other languages. Words like animal, energy, density, and function are not starting from zero for many students. Recognizing and naming these connections builds confidence and accelerates comprehension (August et al., 2005).

What this looks like across grade bands

K–2: Oral labeling and shared word exploration
In Grade 1 Animals on Earth, students build insect models and observe ants using body parts to survive. Teachers invite students to name parts orally first, often drawing connections between English and home-language words. The goal is not memorization, but shared noticing and naming.

Grades 3–5: Recognizing and using cognates in explanations
In Grade 4 Sound Waves, students investigate pitch and volume through hands-on modeling. Teachers pause during discussion to notice how words like vibration or frequency connect to words students may already know, strengthening precision in explanations without front-loading vocabulary lists.

Grades 6–8: Academic vocabulary used precisely in arguments
In Grade 6 Atoms and Molecules, students use models to explain how particles interact. By the time formal terms are introduced, students already understand the ideas. Vocabulary then sharpens arguments rather than replacing thinking.

Learning English words through experience, not memorization

In effective science classrooms, not knowing a word is treated as information, not failure. Students are expected to make sense of ideas first and refine language over time as their understanding deepens.

A missing word signals a learning opportunity.
When a student gestures, draws, or uses everyday language to describe an idea—such as saying “it shakes more” or “it moves faster”—the class has something valuable to work with. Teachers can surface the underlying idea, invite peers to build on it, and later introduce more precise language. Research on productive struggle shows that attaching labels after conceptual understanding leads to stronger retention and transfer than front-loading vocabulary (Schwartz et al., 2005).

Vocabulary labels ideas students already understand.
In KnowAtom lessons, formal terms are introduced after students have observed patterns, tested explanations, and revised their thinking using models and evidence. For example, a student may first explain that “the sound changes when it bumps more,” and later refine that explanation using terms like vibration or frequency. Because the words name ideas students already grasp, vocabulary strengthens reasoning rather than replacing it.

Language develops through purposeful use across modalities.
Students read to gather evidence they need, talk to test and revise ideas with peers, and write to clarify conclusions. Language is used to do intellectual work, not to complete isolated drills. This aligns with research showing that language proficiency grows most effectively when students use language for authentic purposes across reading, speaking, listening, and writing (Gibbons, 2015).

How science strengthens ELA and math skills authentically

Science does not replace ELA or math instruction, but when it is designed around sensemaking and evidence, it reinforces both in powerful and authentic ways. Students are not practicing literacy or math skills in isolation; they are using them to answer meaningful questions about the world.

Writing explanations builds syntax and coherence.
When students write evidence-based conclusions in science, they practice organizing ideas, making claims, and linking those claims to specific evidence. They learn to use cause-and-effect language, clarify relationships, and revise for precision—all essential components of strong informational and argumentative writing. Because the writing grows out of firsthand investigation and discussion, students have something substantive to say, which supports language development and transfers directly to ELA writing tasks (Fang & Schleppegrell, 2010).

Reading for evidence strengthens comprehension.
KnowAtom student readers are used to answer questions students already care about, such as explaining a pattern they observed or testing a competing explanation. Reading becomes purposeful rather than procedural. Students practice identifying key details, interpreting diagrams, and connecting text-based evidence to models and observations. These same comprehension strategies are central to close reading and evidence-based responses in ELA.

Data analysis and modeling reinforce math reasoning.
From measuring water flow to comparing quantities and graphing experimental results, students apply mathematical thinking in context. They reason about scale, units, patterns, and relationships as tools for making sense of phenomena. Rather than completing isolated computations, students use numbers, graphs, and models to support explanations, strengthening conceptual understanding and mathematical reasoning that transfers to math instruction.

What not to do when leveraging science for language development

Well-intentioned practices can unintentionally undermine learning.

• Do not treat science as a substitute for ELD instruction. Language development requires explicit support across contexts. Science contributes, but it does not replace dedicated language instruction.
• Do not isolate English learners with simplified tasks. Separate or watered-down work limits access to rich thinking and peer models.
• Do not overcorrect language at the expense of ideas. Constant correction reduces risk-taking and participation.
• Do not assume transfer happens automatically. Teachers still need to help students make connections across subjects intentionally.

What changes when English learners experience success in science

When English learners experience themselves as successful sensemakers, the effects extend far beyond science.

Confidence transfers.
Students who see themselves as capable thinkers are more willing to participate in reading, writing, and math.

Participation increases.
Discussion-based science lessons normalize talk, collaboration, and revision of ideas, supporting social and emotional growth alongside academics.

Identity shifts.
Perhaps most importantly, students move from being seen, and seeing themselves, as “language learners” to being recognized as thinkers and problem-solvers. Research shows that identity and agency play a central role in long-term academic success (Nasir et al., 2014).

References

• August, D., Carlo, M., Dressler, C., & Snow, C. (2005). The critical role of vocabulary development for English language learners. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice.

• Cummins, J. (2000). Language, Power, and Pedagogy. Multilingual Matters.

• Fang, Z., & Schleppegrell, M. (2010). Disciplinary literacies across content areas. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.

• Gibbons, P. (2015). Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning. Heinemann.

• Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Pergamon.

• Nasir, N. S., et al. (2014). Identity, goals, and learning. Educational Psychologist.

• Schwartz, D. L., Bransford, J. D., & Sears, D. (2005). Efficiency and innovation in transfer. In Transfer of Learning.

• Swain, M. (2005). The output hypothesis. Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning.