Multimodal Chemistry

Juan Pablo Garcia, Anaheim High School

Juan Pablo Garcia teaches 9th-grade Living Earth, 9th-grade Dual Language Living Earth, and 10th & 11th-grade Chemistry classes at Anaheim High School, and teaches in both the Summer Language Academy (SLA) and Saturday Language Academy (SALA) programs for newcomer and emergent plurilingual students. Juan embraced translanguaging in their classroom, modeling its use without pressuring students. Initially, only a few students engaged, but over time, more joined in, stretching themselves linguistically in chemistry discussions. Through Project LEARN, Juan gained resources and strategies to better support newcomer and plurilingual students, changing assessment approaches to validate diverse knowledge. Engaging in multiple languages created a brave space where students respected each other's contributions, fostering deeper understanding of content reflected in improved student work.

Using Translanguaging to Engage Students in Scientific Reasoning

In this chemistry lesson, students created a model that answered the prompt, "Explain why the liquids behave the way they do in the tank of water." The video below was used to introduce students to the phenomena and engage them to participate in the group assignments.

Modeling Activity

The Modeling Activity assignment task groups with creating a model that answers why liquids behave as they do in a water tank. The model should incorporate:

Images: Visual representations aiding in explaining the behavior of liquids, accompanied by...
Labels/Symbols: Clear annotations or symbols enhancing comprehension, even for individuals unfamiliar with chemistry.
Evidence: Supporting materials such as notes, online sources, classroom activities, or prior knowledge reinforcing the explanation.
Written Explanation: A coherent explanation addressing the guiding question.

The model must utilize multiple languages without direct translation, showcasing linguistic diversity to respond to the inquiry. The goal is for someone to understand the model's content solely through the varied languages employed, demonstrating the students' linguistic abilities.

Translanguaging in a Science Classroom:
Group Work Samples

Summative Assessment Sample with Rubric: Mini-Model: Convection Currents

Following the creation of an initial model displaying an anchoring phenomena (observing colored water mixing in a fish tank), students will engage in lessons to explore convection currents. Later, they will revisit the subject by explaining a naturally occurring convection current of their choosing.This sample assignment shows how opportunities for translanguaging are incorporated within a summative assessment. It provides an example of how Juan grades a student's ability to translanguage in the classroom.

Mini-Model_ Convection Currents.pdf

Student Work Samples

Below you will find models illustrating how students languaged in their assignment to show their understanding of the content. Look closely to notice the many different languages used in his classroom.

Most, if not all, educators strive to be life-long learners in an effort to develop new and innovative ways of supporting their students in their classroom. Project LEARN gave me the space, resources, and network to further my understanding of how to best support our newcomer and plurilingual students within our classroom. It allowed me to develop strategies and change my approach to assessments in a way that validated the rich knowledge that all students bring into the classroom while highlighting their plurilingualism as an asset.

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