Using Graphic Organizers as a Tool for the Development of Scientific Language

Abstract

This observational study examines the effectiveness of graphic organizers two elementary teachers in California, United States use to teach the content and the academic language of science. The study was done during the 2006-2007 school year. The data was collected through field-notes and the audio recording of instructional activities, and they were clarified through interviews with the teachers. The cross-case analysis (Borman, Clarke, Cotner, & Lee, 2006) of the two teachers’ teaching practices makes clear the different ways in which the teachers’ use of graphic organizers supported both the development of content knowledge and language development in science education.