Co-designing Science Lessons in Spanish: Connecting Science, Home Language, and Community for Undergraduates

Nuestra Ciencia (NC) is a university-school partnership connecting faculty and undergraduates with elementary learners from bilingual schools. Interdisciplinary teams of undergraduates and faculty develop experiments and educational resources, and lead activities in Spanish. The program teaches elementary students everyday microbiology concepts, engages them in hands-on science, and connects them with Spanish-speaking scientific role models. This chapter describes the collaborative process of developing and teaching a virtual lesson in Spanish about vaccines’ mechanism of action. We analyze the impact of NC undergraduates’ views on research, scientific content in Spanish, and sense of belonging to STEM and higher education. We present how undergraduates came to view research as collaborative and relevant, as they reported bringing their “whole selves” into the design and teaching process, and saw the “real-world impact” of microbiology lessons that mattered to their communities. Additionally, designing and teaching in Spanish impacted their views on academic Spanish, as they connected science, home language, and community. Multiple goals of NC focus on Spanish-speaking children’s microbiology literacy and interest in science. However, the impact of our co-design process on undergraduates shows that, as we work on designing and implementing lessons, NC also has a positive impact on undergraduates and their families.