Which statement best describes scaffolding strategy for ELL students?

• A. Using visuals to supplement instruction.
• B. Group work to develop communication.
• C. Allowing students to write and speak in their own language until they feel comfortable speaking in English.
• D. Sentence frames.

Answer: (C)

Scaffolding for ELL students focuses on supports that help learners access content and language, with those supports gradually fading as the student becomes more proficient. Allowing students to write and speak in their own language until they feel comfortable speaking in English provides a bridge that reduces cognitive load and anxiety, so they can demonstrate understanding and build confidence before producing output in English. This approach uses the students’ native language as a temporary, strategic aid to support meaning-making and skill development, then transitions them toward English use as they improve. While visuals, group work, and sentence frames are valuable scaffolds, this option uniquely centers on using the native language to ease entry into English and support gradual independence.