Emergent Bilinguals' Use of Multimodal Texts in a Third-Grade Science Classroom

• In Event: 67.035 - Multimodality in Bilingual Learners' Practices

Abstract

This study explores how emergent bilinguals (EBs) engage with multimodal texts in a 3rd grade bilingual science classroom to understand its role in disciplinary biliterate development. In particular, I study ways in which EBs “do” science in the classroom focusing on how the students practiced language to gain disciplinary vocabulary. Through microanalytic discourse, I observed closely students interactions when designing and producing texts and examined their linguistic practices paying particular attention to flexible and minority language practices. These interactions show how, when using content area words, students refer to them in Spanish, and juxtapose earlier multimodal texts. In this way, engaging with multimodal texts creates new learning opportunities for content area disciplinary vocabulary development.

Author

• Lucia Cardenas Curiel, Michigan State University