Key vocabulary words are defined close to where they appear in the text, typically in the margins or at the bottom of the page.

Embedded questions prompt students to process what they read or hear. Students work individually or in pairs to answer questions. The class then discusses and reviews the answers together.

For students who need more support to answer questions, there may be sentence frames, sentence starters, and/or word banks. There is also a less-scaffolded version that does not include word banks, sentence starters, or sentence frames to help answer questions. 

The image includes labels that help students connect visuals to vocabulary like a normal blood cell and sickled blood cell as well phrases that connect visuals to scientific concepts, such as normal blood cells move easily through veins and arteries and sickled blood cells can pile up and block veins and arteries.

General academic words and phrases that are often less familiar to multilingual learners are defined directly in the text, for example, “flowing (moving through)”. These brief definitions support comprehension without interrupting the reading flow or requiring students to consult a separate glossary. 

Green boxes provide helpful background information or clarify science terms, practices, or tasks that students may need to better understand the content. For example, here a green box explains and illustrates the meaning of “sickle” and how it relates to the crescent-shaped blood cells.