ABSTRACT
This study describes how upper elementary school science teachers who work with bilingual students facilitate the learning of scientific concepts and skills through writing. The project described here, 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. Writing figures as an important component of the curriculum and is used in a variety of ways. Focusing in particular on the lab reports of fifth-grade bilingual students, we show how the emergent stages of advanced literacy can be scaffolded and guided by the activities and resources provided by the teacher.
