This book assists science teachers and teacher educators in accommodating students' cultural and linguistic diversity in the classroom. It contributes to the growing body of work on the role of language in developing classroom scientific communities of practice, expands that work by highlighting the challenges faced specifically by diverse learners and their teachers in joining those communities, and showcases exemplary teaching and research initiatives for helping to meet these challenges. End-of-chapter reflection and extension sections offer rich opportunities for the reader to reflect on the implications of each chapter's findings for science instruction and research and to apply insights developed in real-world science teaching and learning contexts. Informative and engaging, "The Work of Language in Multicultural Classrooms" is intended for courses specifically related to science education, particularly those emphasizing academic literacy and/or educating linguistically and culturally diverse students.

Table of Contents:

Foreword (Okhee Lee)

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

Part I: The Language of Science Schooling

2. Journal and Book Writing in Integrated Science-Literacy Units (Christine C. Pappas, Maria Varelas, Tamara Ciesla, and Eli Tucker-Raymond)

3. Developing Expository Writing Skills in Science Through the Integration of Inquiry-Based Science and Literacy Instruction (Yu-Min Ku, Monica S. Yoo, and Eugene E. Garcia)

4. The Writing on the Wall: The Daily Calendar as Science Practice (Kimmarie Cole)

5. Literacy Infusion in a High School Environmental Science Curriculum, (Jennifer Zoltners Sherer, Kimberly Gomez, Phillip Herman, Louis Gomez, Jolene White, and Adam Williams)

Part II: Science Learning Funds of Knowledge

6. Negotiating Participation in a Bilingual Middle School Science Classroom: An Examination of One Successful Teacher’s Language Practices (Jennifer S. Goldberg, Kate Muir Welsh, and Noel Enyedy)

7. Locating Time in Science Classroom Activity: Adaptation as a Theory of Learning and Change (Jorge L. Solís, Shlomy Kattan, and Patricia Baquedano-López)

8. "You’re Magmatic Now": Language Play, Linguistic Biliteracy, and the Science Crossing of Adolescent Mexican Newcomer Youth (Katherine Richardson Bruna)

Part III: The Development of a Science Learner Identity

9. Academic Identity and Scientific Literacy (John M. Reveles)

10. The Math Initiative in a 7th Grade Science Class: How a Daily Routine Results in Academic Participation by ELLs (Holly Hansen-Thomas)

11. Science, Culture and Equity in Curriculum: An Ethnographic Approach to the Study of a Highly-Rated Curriculum Unit (Joel Kuipers, Gail Brendel Viechnicki, Lindsey A. Massoud, and Laura J. Wright)

12. The Importance of Objects in Talking Science: The Special Case of English Language Learners (Doris Ash, Kip Tellez, and Rhiannon Crain)

Part IV: Assessing the State of Science Education: Towards Promising Practices for Responsive Instruction

13. Linguistics and Science Learning for Diverse Populations: An Agenda for Teacher Education (Lisa Patel Stevens, Julian Jefferies, María Estela Brisk, and Stacy Kaczmarek)

14. Experimenting in Teams and Tongues: Team Teaching a Bilingual Science Education Course (María Torres-Gúzman and Elaine V. Howes)

Conclusion

Afterword (Sonia Nieto)

Contributors

Author Index

Subject Index