ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part focuses on the teacher’s consistent approach to sensemaking which employs an instructional pattern that moves across varied opportunities for students to engage in talk, investigation, and reasoning. It offers a range of important insights into scientific practices in the context of elementary education and contributes in novel ways to sensemaking research at both a theoretical and methodological level. The part argues that discourse identity might offer a valuable lens in examining the ways in which teachers provide opportunities for students to engage in sensemaking. From a sociocultural point of view, a person’s speech is a marker of identity. The locality of the context supported the enactment of culturally relevant practices such as engaging students in reading local newspaper articles as well as providing them with opportunities to communicate effectively with local officials, scientists, and community members.
