A study examined the relationship between science learning and literacy development in two language minority classrooms: a self-contained, combined grade 7-8 class of Haitian students and a multilingual basic skills class within a large high school bilingual education program. In particular, the investigation analyzed the ways in which a model of scientific inquiry was interpreted in the classrooms and the effects of those interpretations on both science and literacy practices. The investigation focused on how the model and the teachers' goals interacted to produce, even within the same classroom, different interpretations of science, which in turn influenced the forms and functions of literacy in the classroom. In both classrooms, the model effectively transformed the kinds of science and literacy practiced from traditional worksheet-based exercises to authentic, communicative, sense-making practices through very different processes. The two case studies are based on the first year of a multiyear project, Cheche Konnen (meaning "search for knowledge in Hawiian Creole"), in which researchers and teachers are collaborating to develop an investigation-based approach to science for language minority students. Sources of data include classroom observation, audio- and videotapes of classroom activity, teacher-researcher meeting notes, teacher interviews, and teacher- and student-produced texts. A 45-item bibliography and program materials are appended. (MSE)