Bilingual and multilingual speakers mix two or more languages for communication, gaining information and sense-making in varieties of contexts. How do bilinguals mix languages and what does the mixing afford for their learning and participation? This study examines these questions, focusing on Korean-English bilingual youths in a community-based…

Taking a sociocultural perspective, this qualitative case study aims to contribute, investigate, and understand how young Mexican American emergent bilingual learners engage in early science experiences. Furthermore, the study focuses on how the students manifested their knowledge, understanding, and perceptions about science and its…

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…

The definition of "English language classroom" is changing. When students have the opportunity to learn content and language at the same time, disciplinary boundaries overlap. Teachers are rethinking how they design courses, plan lessons, assess students, and collaborate with colleagues to support student learning and facilitate their…

The number of students who learn English as a second language (ESL) in U.S. schools has grown significantly in the past decade. This segment of the student population increased by 56% between the 1994-95 and 2004-05 school years (NCLR 2007). As the ESL student population increases, many science teachers struggle to tailor instructional materials,…

This study focuses on the characteristics of discourse between Latino immigrant children and their teacher during science instruction. Peer interaction was analyzed to identify the use and importance of the native language (L1) for the development of content knowledge during group collaboration. In addition, the interaction between teacher and…

This paper will describe a five year research project of a teaching strategy whereby pre-service credential students at a southern California university were taught to develop and apply science curriculum to parents of elementary-aged English as a Second Language students. The paper will elaborate upon the importance of parental engagement in…

Drawing activities in science can help students conceptualize and reflect on their experiences. In this article, the authors share their experiences incorporating drawing into science lessons for third- and fourth-grade students. While these examples pertain to life science lessons, drawing strategically is appropriate for any topic and is an…

Thematic units, the basis of organization for this guide, work in many ways toward the dual goals of language and content area instruction. The thematic units presented here address topics of high interest to limited English-proficient (LEP) students, including: robots; using a computer data base; activities with plants; building terrariums;…

Investigates how the design, creation, and revision of animated models that tell a science story can assist young bilingual children in science learning. Findings show that the animated software provided students with access to a world that is normally unavailable in real time; they were also able to manipulate science concepts and connect…

This article uses a functional view of language to frame and analyze issues of language and content in mainstream classrooms. Describing a Western Canadian grade one/two science class, it examines how a teacher and her class of young ESL students were able to build up a simple theory of magnetism in a scientific register, link its technical terms…

This article presents a rationale for correlation of science with language instruction, whether English as a second language (ESL) or first language development. Science can provide a conceptual base for vocabulary and syntactic development. Numerous studies indicate that language ability can be significantly increased through participation in…

This guide is intended to help teachers plan, design, and implement science activities for students learning English as a Second Language (ESL) in grades 4-8, in mainstream science classes, ESL classes, bilingual education programs, and also to help others serving this population. Steps for designing science experiments that integrate language and…

In the authors' science classroom, students who are English Language Learners (ELL) seem to struggle less than they do with other content areas. She believes the "handson" nature of science motivates and encourages students to interact with others. This interaction spurs conversation among the students involved in the activity. If a child is…

This paper describes an approach to using science activities as a means to teach English in the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom. It is based on the author's work in Preparing Refugees for Elementary Programs (PREP) at the Philippine Refugee Processing Center. Refugee children from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, ages 6 to 12, attend…