The goal of the Family Science Night (FSN) described in this article was to involve culturally and linguistically diverse families in school life so that students would be more vocal, successful, and interactive in science class. The project would also demonstrate to the students that their teacher valued their input in the classroom. The setting…

Literacy skills are critical for building science knowledge. For English Language Learners (ELLs)--the fastest growing population in U.S. schools (Goldenberg 2008)--learning English compounds the challenge of learning complex science concepts. This challenge is particularly acute for learning academic, science-specific English words and language…

Described is the secondary science teacher's answer to the needs of their limited English proficiency students. Topics include the parallels between acquiring a first and a second language, the kind of learning environment most conducive to language learning, and scientific processes which are used for instructing students with English as a second…

The status of bilingual education in the United States is discussed with emphasis on science teaching. The impetus for the article comes from a final report of the office of Bilingual Education which states that one-half of the children with limited English proficiency are of Spanish-language background. (SA)