Abstract

In science lessons at school most of the meanings are constructed during oral interaction and are represented through language and images. To help students to become literate, teachers move between scientific discourse and everyday discourse. These movements allow learners to think and see the natural world from the perspective of the discipline. Maton proposes that in pedagogical practices teachers build Semantic Waves during the lesson, to scaffold the abstract meanings of science. This case study addresses two lessons of a curriculum unit on Energy Flow in 6th grade of a Chilean primary school. Through discourse analysis of Typical Classroom Activities, we identify movements between scientific and everyday discourse to describe the waves of meaning that this teacher builds with his students