Differentiation

"One of my favorite things about the SEPUP program is that students all start with some kind of common, shared experience. This way, my students who come from many different places and experiences can all relate."
        - 8th grade teacher, Portland Public Schools

Issues and Science, developed by SEPUP at the Lawrence Hall of Science, uses a socio-science issue at the heart of each unit that creates a storyline for students to follow. Often students are introduced to a character, a problem, or an intriguing phenomena that they all experience together, so that students can all connect to it as they start the unit. 

Instructional design and unique equipment allow SEPUP and Lab-Aids to prioritize student learning through concrete experiences in pairs and small groups. While this is ideal for all students, these activities are particularly important for students learning to master academic language as: 

• hands-on experiences are less dependent on formal mastery of the language of instruction, reducing the linguistic burden.

• collaborative sensemaking supports language acquisition in the context of authentic communication about science knowledge..

• inquiry-based science promotes students’ communication of their understanding in a variety of formats; written, oral, gestural, and graphic.

• this type of instructional model provides scaffolds for growth and further development of language skills, rather than stagnating it with readings kept at lower levels.