Ten tips for inclusive science education with bilingual teaching materials
When the start-up activities are open and everyone can answer something, the students' prior knowledge is activated, which provides an increased sense of mastery and an inclusive learning environment. The start-up tasks also provide a smooth transition from break to learning and help reduce anxiety. Feel free to use the IGP (individual-group-plenary) method so that everyone has the opportunity to activate their own thoughts in their preferred language before sharing with others. A short conversation with a regular learning partner is a safe arena for trying out words and ideas. This can help more voices to be heard and more people to contribute to the plenary discussion.
The best tasks have no definitive answers.
The teacher should encourage students to find as many solutions as possible, the best tasks do not have one answer. Examples of starter tasks can be sorting tasks, placing pictures in order, mini-quiz, true/false or "Who is going out and why?". Open tasks save time and provide variety. The teacher can use AI to generate ideas. Feel free to use the first page of Syklus as a starting point, where you will find learning objectives, core elements and concepts. Over time, students can also be encouraged to create tasks for each other.
3. Create community through collaboration
When students collaborate, the threshold for participation is lowered. Use both heterogeneous (linguistic diversity) and homogeneous language groups (same language). Homogeneous groups provide opportunities for academic conversations in one's own mother tongue. Collaboration provides security, strengthens community and provides academic understanding. This is particularly beneficial for bilingual students, who have more opportunities for linguistic interaction.
4. Vary forms of collaboration
Collaboration can be organized in many ways, for example by everyone having a permanent learning partner, station work, rotating collaboration, expert groups (Jigsaw) and more. Jigsaw provides responsibility and mastery by having students learn one part of a topic in expert groups and then pass it on to their home group.
5. Work systematically with concepts
Concepts are the key to understanding science. Students need support to move from everyday language to technical language (NAFO). But it is not always the "technical" words that are the most difficult - often it is academic words, word order, metaphors and homographs (the same word, with different meanings) that challenge and hinder understanding. For example, the word substance means different things in different contexts. In science: chemical substance, in arts and crafts: textile, in Norwegian: content, in social studies: source material and in health studies: drugs or medicines. For example, use concept maps, glossaries and marking difficult words in text as strategies.
6. Let students read the subject text in their native language first
In Norway, around 22% of children and young people have an immigrant background (Directorate of Health, 2025) and this means that all teachers, regardless of subject, are also language teachers. Set aside 3–5 minutes to read a text in the chosen language before working with the Norwegian version. This way, students gain subject-specific understanding, they encounter concepts in a language they master, and this strengthens both subject and language. Research shows that reading comprehension is transferred between languages and pre-understanding in the mother tongue strengthens learning in the second language (Cummins, 2018, taken from Eek, 2021).
7. Prepare students for academic reading
Before students read the subject text, it is important that students explore the pictures, headings, look at animations, models and tables and talk about what they see. This builds conceptual understanding before they encounter the subject text. The learning resource Syklus from Kunnskap.no supports this by having all texts, learning films, animations and interactive tasks translated into 12 languages. From the start of school on 26/27, Syklus will be ready for use for all grades in primary school and for the first grade of upper secondary school.
8. Have students read text aloud
With NBWhisper, students can listen to good Norwegian pronunciation of key sentences from the learning films and then read them in themselves. The program provides immediate feedback with red and green markings, and students can listen to their own recording. They can practice as many times as they want – even at home. When students have heard themselves reading aloud and know the words in their mouths, speaking up in class often becomes less intimidating.
9. End the lesson with short, oral or written summaries
In the closing phase of the lesson, students should be given the opportunity to consolidate their learning. There are many ways to summarize. One example is to use the summary page in the learning material, where students can choose between summarizing in writing or orally using the NBWhisper function. Students can rely on the words in the yellow box, which are explained when they click on them. They can also submit a written note or give the teacher an oral “exit ticket”. For example, ask students to say or write one thing they have learned and one thing they are wondering about, explain a concept or ask a question from the lesson. The task can be done individually or together with a learning partner. This gives the teacher a quick overview of the students’ understanding and can adjust the teaching further.
10. Use strategies that empower the entire class
Bilingual students have many resources – both linguistic and academic. Combining languages and allowing students to use all their languages actively, translingualism, leads to better understanding and increased inclusion. When we facilitate collaboration, conceptual work and visual inputs, we create science education that is inclusive of everyone. It is not about creating “extra programs”, but about using good, universal strategies that strengthen learning for the entire class.
Sources:
Eek, M. (2021). Second language learning, language assistants and social justice.
Norwegian Directorate of Health. (2025, April 4). Inclusion of children and young people with an immigrant background . Retrieved from Helsedirektoratet.no: https://www.helsedirektoratet.no/forebygging-diagnose-og-behandling/forebygging-og-levevaner/folkehelsetistatistikk-og-profiler/inkludering-av-barn-og-unge-med-innvandrerbakgrunn
NAFO. (out). https://nafo.oslomet.no/ . Retrieved from https://nafo.oslomet.no/ressurser/10-prinsipper-for-god-andrespraksinnlaering/