How Do Teachers Facilititate Writing for Bilingual Learners in "Sheltered Constructivist" Science
The goal of this study is to describe how elementary school teachers who work with bilingual students facilitate the learning of scientific concepts and skills through writing as they implement a science based interdisciplinary curriculum that uses a "sheltered constructivist" approach. The Bilingual Integrated Curriculum Project (BICOMP) uses a thematic approach in which a series of science inquiry lessons are scaffolded and then integrated with other areas of the curriculum. The following questions guided the research: (1) How do teachers structure writing assignments to promote students thinking and writing of scientific discourse? (2) What adaptations and strategies are used to provide access for language minority students in writing about their conceptual understanding of science concepts? (3) How can scientific writing promote standards based English language development in bilingual learners?
