This article describes a lesson taught in a designated English Language Learner (ELL) classroom in an elementary school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, using a sheltered instruction approach. Eighty one percent of the students at this school are from diverse ethnic backgrounds where 25 per cent of them receive ELL services. A variety of languages are spoken in this classroom including Creole, Spanish, English, and French. In order for students to understand the concept of friction, the authors prepared a lesson that used the 5E model: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate (Bybee 2006). The goal for this lesson was to have the students gain a basic understanding of the concept of friction through their own exploration and discoveries. Sheltered instruction offers students the opportunity to be self-advocates of their own learning, often in their native languages. This sheltered instruction lesson provided less dependence on English, yet did not compromise academic rigor (Bass, Contant, and Carin 2010).