Meaning Making and Translanguaging in a Two-Way Dual-Language Program on the U.S.-Mexico Border

The article analyzes meaning-making practices in a two-way dual-language (TWDL) program on the U.S.-Mexico border among transfronterizo and Mexican-origin youth. In the article, the authors show that emergent bilingual learners and their teacher participate in activities that mediate understanding of science content knowledge. They show how the teacher of a fourth-grade TWDL classroom creates a borderland space in which the full repertoire of students' languages, including translanguaging, is recognized and validated. They illustrate how the teacher, Ms. O, guides students to use strategies and meaning-making tools in both languages to construct meanings of the science content. The authors also demonstrate how she scaffolds students' language development, develops students' higher-order thinking, and involves all students in constructing understanding. They end with a discussion and suggestions for dual-language teaching.