Cultivating Content and Language Learning in ELLs

Many English language learners (ELLs) in upper elementary classrooms face the challenge of developing English proficiency while also mastering grade-level academic content. Here’s where project-based learning can help.

Project-based learning (PBL) immerses students in meaningful inquiry, allowing them to engage with real-world topics while naturally acquiring language skills. Effective implementation, however, requires a thoughtful approach that integrates both content learning and language development.

To maximize the benefits of PBL for multilingual students in grades 4 and 5, consider structuring projects around clear academic and language objectives.

These objectives need to ensure that students engage deeply with the content while simultaneously developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Integrating Content and Language Goals

When designing a PBL unit, try to keep the following in mind:

• Identify key academic concepts aligned with grade-level standards.
• Define language development objectives, such as specific vocabulary, sentence structures, or discourse patterns needed to engage with the content.
• Create essential questions that drive inquiry, and require students to use both content knowledge and language skills to explore answers.

For example, in a science unit on ecosystems, students might investigate, “How can we, as young environmental scientists, help plants and animals adapt to changes in their environment?” This question not only encourages content exploration but also requires students to describe cause-and-effect relationships and use domain-specific vocabulary. They also may need to practice and develop grammar structures, like these below.

Simple present tense in third-person singular

• “The environment changes because…”
• “Water flows…”
• “The land shows characteristics such as…”
• “The sun provides energy for photosynthesis…”
• “The tree grows taller as it absorbs…”

Conditional sentences

• “If we change the environment, the animals may adapt...” (cause and effect)
• “If we observe the plants, we could see how they respond...” (hypothetical situations)

Passive voice

• “The environment is affected by climate change...” (describing processes in a more general way)
• “Changes in the environment are studied by scientists...” (emphasizing the action rather than the subject)

Comparatives

• “Which animal adapts better to environmental changes?” (making comparisons)
• “This plant is more resistant than the other one...” (comparing adaptation abilities)

Cause and effect

• “Because of environmental changes, plants and animals must adapt...” (linking actions and outcomes)
• “As a result of deforestation, some species are disappearing...” (showing connections between actions and consequences)

By practicing these structures, ELLs will be able to express their ideas and findings more clearly while investigating how plants and animals adapt to their environments.

Scaffolding Student Language Development

To support multilingual learners in developing their academic language skills, teachers can implement various scaffolding strategies that make content more accessible while fostering language growth. The following techniques help students engage with complex concepts, express their ideas more effectively, and build confidence in their communication skills.

Sentence stems and frames. Providing structured language supports helps students articulate their thoughts clearly (e.g., “One way the ecosystem changes is…”).

Graphic organizers. Concept maps, timelines, and charts help students visually organize ideas before expressing them verbally or in writing.

Peer interactions. Pairing students strategically allows them to practice language in collaborative settings, modeling more advanced language structures for emerging speakers.

Home language connections. Encouraging students to research in their first language and then summarize findings in English aligns with translanguaging principles, which recognize that multilingual learners use their entire linguistic repertoire to construct meaning.

This approach strengthens comprehension, allows students to engage more deeply with content, and provides a bridge for acquiring academic English. By affirming students’ home languages as valuable tools for learning, teachers can foster confidence, improve language transfer, and support more effective bilingual development.

Assessing Multilingual Students in PBL

Assessment in a PBL environment should reflect both content mastery and language development. Teachers can use a combination of performance-based, rubric-driven, and self-reflective assessments.

Performance-based assessments. Teachers can assess understanding by utilizing the below options.

• Multimedia presentations: Students create videos, posters, or digital slide shows that showcase learning through speaking and visuals.
• Collaborative work: Students work together to investigate a topic and share findings in a format that both suits their abilities and provides an achievable challenge to their language development.
• Dramatizations and simulations: Acting out scientific processes or historical events allows students to use language authentically in a contextualized way.

For example, in a social studies project on migration, students might interview family members about their experiences moving to a new country and present findings through sharing stories, incorporating key historical and geographic concepts.

Rubric-based and multimodal assessments. Rubrics that assess both content knowledge and language use help ensure a balanced evaluation. Consider creating rubrics with criteria such as the following.

• Content understanding: Accuracy, depth of research, and application of concepts.
• Language use: Clarity, vocabulary usage, sentence complexity, and fluency.
• Collaboration and communication: The extent to which students actively participate in discussions and collaborate effectively with peers.

Providing options for multimodal expression—such as oral explanations, visual representations, and written summaries—allows students to demonstrate learning in ways that align with their linguistic strengths.

Embedding self-assessment and reflection. Encouraging students to reflect on both their academic and language growth fosters metacognitive awareness. Teachers can use tools such as these below.

• Use journals or learning logs where students document progress, challenges, and strategies they find helpful.
• Incorporate peer feedback sessions where students provide constructive comments using structured sentence starters.
• Conduct teacher-student conferences to set personalized language and content goals.

What Teachers Can Expect to See

When PBL is effectively implemented with multilingual learners, teachers can anticipate the following results.

• Increased student engagement as learners explore topics relevant to their lives.
• Growth in both academic vocabulary and conversational fluency through authentic, sustained use of language.
• Improved confidence in expressing ideas across different modalities.
• Stronger critical thinking skills as students analyze information, synthesize ideas, and develop solutions.
• Enhanced collaboration among students as they support one another in communication and problem-solving.

By integrating structured language supports into PBL, teachers can create a dynamic learning environment where multilingual students thrive. A well-designed PBL framework ensures that students are not only mastering grade-level content but also acquiring the language skills necessary for academic success.

Through performance-based assessments, rubric-driven evaluations, and reflective practices, teachers can provide meaningful opportunities for students to develop both their knowledge and their voice in a supportive, inquiry-driven classroom.