The Meeting Students' Needs column in each lesson contains support for both ELLs and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and some supports can serve a wide range of student needs. However, ELLs have unique needs that cannot always be met with UDL support. According to federal guidelines, ELLs must be given access to the curriculum with appropriate supports, such as those that are specifically identified as "For ELLs" in the Meeting Students' Needs column.

• New: ELL supports now labeled and condensed. Beginning in Module 3, ELL supports within the Meeting Students' Needs column are labeled and explained in detail the first time they are used. Supports repeated in subsequent lessons are also labeled but condensed for easier reading, and at times adjusted to provide lighter support. Attend to the detailed supports and labels early in the module to more easily apply them as the curriculum progresses. Note that a number of the supports may seem familiar, as they have been suggested repeatedly in Modules 1-2.
• Prioritizing lessons for classrooms with many ELLs: Consider prioritizing and expanding instruction in Lessons 3 through 7, which establish reading routines to support comprehension of the anchor text, Birds (Scholastic Discover More), include Language Dives, and introduce shades of meaning among verbs and adjectives to include in their informational writing. If necessary, consider placing less focus and condensing instruction in Lessons 1, 2, 8, 9, and 10, which provide helpful background, practice, and repetition, but don't introduce as many new concepts.
• Language Dives: All students participate in a Language Dive in Lesson 3, and ELLs participate in an optional Language Dive in Lesson 7. These Language Dives support ELLs and all students in understanding and practicing the meaning and structures of sentences from Birds (Scholastic Discover More). Many lessons also include optional Mini Language Dives for ELLs. Be aware that in Modules 3 and 4, Language Dive goals remain the same: to empower students to analyze, understand, and use the language of academic sentences; however, beginning in this unit, and continuing throughout Modules 3 and 4, the Language Dive Guide and the Mini Language Dive formats have been modified. The modified format follows the Deconstruct-Reconstruct-Practice routine, which should seem familiar as a general process (see the Language Dives document on the Tools page). Additionally, beyond the teacher-led questions and answers as in Modules 1 and 2, there are suggested language goals that students should try to understand and apply for each chunk. Thus, this modified format goes beyond teacher-led questioning. It attempts to encourage students to take more of the lead in the conversation and build greater independence by taking an inquiry based approach to language in general, and the selected sentence in particular. Although students should briefly discuss all chunks in each Language Dive sentence, the new format invites them to slow down during one chunk, called the focus structure, to investigate and practice a particularly compelling language structure. For more context, consider reviewing the Language Dive Guide in Lesson 3 of this unit, as well as a range of questions students might ask one another in Questions We Can Ask During a Language Dive on the Tools page.
• Goal 4 Conversation Cues: Encourage productive and equitable conversation with Goal 4 Conversation Cues, which are questions teachers can ask students to help achieve four goals: (Goal 1) encourage all students to talk and be understood; (Goal 2) listen carefully to one another and seek to understand; (Goal 3) deepen thinking; and (Goal 4) think with others to expand the conversation (adapted from Michaels, Sarah and O'Connor, Cathy. Talk Science Primer. Cambridge, MA: TERC, 2012. Based on Chapin, S., O'Connor, C., and Anderson, N. [2009]. Classroom Discussions: Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn, Grades K-6. Second Edition. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications). Refer to the Tools page for the complete set of cues. Goal 4 Conversation Cues are introduced in Lesson 1. Heightened language processing and development is a primary potential benefit for ELLs.
• Diversity and inclusion: Investigate the routines, practices, rituals, beliefs, norms, and experiences that are important to ELLs and their families. Integrate this background into the classroom as students explore the anchor text, Birds (Scholastic Discover More) which presents information about birds and describes birds' variety and adaptations. Research to make sure the topic of birds, a bird in particular, or parts of birds (e.g. feathers) are not taboo for students. Consider whether the topic or text is too sensitive for a student to discuss in front of the class. Invite students and their families to have private conferences, or simply allow students to reflect silently. Consult with a guidance counselor, school social worker, or ESL teacher for further investigation of diversity and inclusion concerns.
• Reading Aloud to Research Birds: During the reading aloud to research in Lessons 3 to 7, students build their research skills around informational text and practice using informational text features to help build their understanding of the Unit 1 guiding question, "What makes a bird a bird." Students will participate in a series of reading sessions during which they will hone their comprehension and interpretive skills by asking and answering questions. Through these lessons students begin to build knowledge about the physical characteristics of birds. Starting in Lesson 3, students read an excerpt from Birds (Scholastic Discover More) to gain information about birds. In these reading aloud to research sessions, students continue to learn how to use various text features to gain information from the text efficiently.
• Birds Research Notebook: In Lessons 5, 6, and 7, students write a sentence in their Birds Research Notebook using descriptive adjectives to describe the bird they are observing in a photograph (L.1.1f, i). Students are also asked to label the beak on their their drawing and to add a caption next to the beak. These are meant to reinforce their growing knowledge of text features in informational text. Students benefit from explicitly modeled lessons that support students, step by step, as they write captions and sentences in their Birds Research Notebook. Some students may need additional modeling before feeling confident enough to complete the task independently. Students who have trouble with writing may also benefit from having an adult scribe their ideas initially.
• Learning About Adjectives: Students use adjectives and distinguish shades of meaning among adjectives using the poems "Bird Walk" and "Wandering Through the Zoo". Students learn how to distinguish and use adjectives based on the shades of meaning and then engage with using adjectives and with distinguishing shades of meaning among adjectives as they begin to write a class poem about birds. Students help create a second Shades of Meaning Adjectives chart that will also include teacher suggestions. ELLs may find the work with shades of meaning challenging, particularly if they do not know the meaning of the words being presented. Support them by ensuring new vocabulary is introduced and reviewed throughout the Lessons.
• Celebration: Celebrate the courage, enthusiasm, diversity, and bilingual skills that ELLs bring to the classroom.