Help your high school ELL students explore the fascinating world of biology with this comprehensive lesson on “What Is Biology?” This free PDF download is specifically designed for English Language Learners, providing scaffolded materials that build scientific vocabulary while developing reading comprehension skills.

What’s Included in This Biology Lesson:

Vocabulary A – Beginner-friendly page with visual vocabulary including biology, cell, ecosystem, environment, energy, reproduce, and more. Each word includes corresponding images to support comprehension.
Vocabulary B – Advanced page with comprehensive definitions and example sentences for biology terms like evolution, scientist, cooperate, endangered, plus the core vocabulary from page A.

Reading Passages:

1. Core Ideas Page: This is the most basic reading page and includes the core ideas from the topic that students should know. (Entering)
2. Summary Paragraph Page: This is a step-up, shorter summary of the topic in paragraph form. (Emerging, Developing)
3. Full Text: This is the full-length text on the topic. (Developing, Expanding, Bridging)

Comprehension:

1. Multiple Choice & Discussion: This page includes multiple choice questions that are easier to answer as well as some discussion options.
2. Open-Ended Questions: These questions require students to respond in their own words to the questions.

More on How to Teach Biology for High School ELLs

The ELL Biology Course – ELL Curriculum Membership

You’ll find the High School ELL Biology course lessons inside the ELL Curriculum Membership. You can download the first lesson for free by clicking the button above at the beginning of this article.