In addition to the challenge of learning a new language while being held responsible
for content, ELLs are dealing with a new culture in the classroom. In all content areas it is
important to consider that ELLs may have been taught in a different style. Some of our tasks
and expectations in the classroom are very culturally bound. ELLs may not have much
practice giving an opinion of a text, for example. Cooperative learning might be very new to
them. Drawing conclusions may not be something they are very used to, and students may
not have been trained to make guesses.
 
In math they may be more concerned with getting the right answer and not worried
about the process. In turn, they may find it much, much more difficult to justify their
answers. Our measurement system is brand new to most all students. In many cultures math
is not taught spirally, so students may not know a lot about geometry, for example. Mental
math might be more the norm, as many countries teach math by rote memorization. Students
might not have been expected to show their work. Many students have never worked with
manipulatives and might not take this work seriously.
 
Social studies and US history are very difficult for ELLs. They have no context in
which to place events and lack necessary prior knowledge. Facts do not have much relevance
for ELLs and can be quickly forgotten. Social studies texts are often written in the passive
voice and use a lot of pronouns in addition to complex sentence structure. Taking notes can
also be stressful for a student who has difficulty understanding what is being said by the
teacher. Often there is a large amount of text covered, and it is challenging for ELLs to tell
what is important. Finally, concepts such as privacy, rights of citizens, democratic process
may not exist in their culture.
 
In Science students are expected to have a very large vocabulary. Even simple words
that students may already know might have a different meaning in science. Like social
studies, material is covered very fast. Students may not be familiar with cooperative learning.
Directions are often several steps and difficult to follow. Science textbooks present a variety
of concepts on every page.