As I continue to unpack the fundamentals of Project-Based Learning, I have begun to realize the very important role that vocabulary plays in this process.   Without content vocabulary knowledge, it is likely that students will have difficulty doing their very best on a project. Placing an emphasis on vocabulary can be beneficial for students because it reinforces the meanings of terms that they will need to understand as they work to complete a rigorous project.

In the past, I made the mistake of assuming that I had done a good job of teaching the material and that my students were clear on word meanings when they were not. It is never a bad idea to reinforce the meanings of terms because there may be one student who is too shy to say that they don’t remember. Providing vocabulary support can reduce the stress of those who may struggle in this area even after learning content specific terms in class. There are ways to ensure that proper attention is given to vocabulary as students complete a Project-Based Learning activity. I have included helpful tips that I received while learning about the topic in my graduate course so that others can benefit from the knowledge that I obtained. These tips are as follows:

•  Visuals: Visuals are a great way to support language learners. They can assist students by helping them to determine the meaning of a word. In my class, I try to associate visuals with just about everything so that students are able to obtain understanding. In a Project-Based Learning activity, visuals can help students to understand directions as well as word meanings.
• Sentence Stems: Sentence stems help students get their sentences started as they complete aspects of the project. Using them is one way to differentiate so that they can provide a written response. Sentence stems will help students to express themselves in English while learning English writing structure.
• Bilingual Dictionaries: If there are vocabulary words that students have difficulty with, they can use the Bilingual Dictionary. They can be extremely helpful during moments when they have challenges translating a word into English.
• L1 books for research:  Books in students’ L1 helps students to expand both their native language and English. It also supports the transferring of knowledge as they research a topic specific to their project. Extensive research has found that children who are learning to read in a second language are able to transfer many skills and knowledge from their first language to facilitate their acquisition of reading skills in the second language.

As a science teacher, I have the ability to make Project-Based Learning something that language learners enjoy. I choose to do that by focusing more on how to make this type of learning more accessible for them. These are simple, yet practical tips that can set ELLs up for success while completing a project. They are teaching practices that can yield positive results for students learning the English language.