The "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") shift what it means to teach and learn science. One significant change emerges from the central role of discourse. As the practices are language-intensive and the performance expectations explain what a student should be able to do in science, every student must learn the language of science, while at the same time learning core ideas and crosscutting concepts. The performance expectations, like all of the NGSS, are intended for all students--including English language learners (ELLs). This article explores the ELL Earth science vignette in the "NGSS" case studies in second grade by: (1) focusing on the ways that teaching and learning science can be approached with ELLs by supporting and fostering collaborative language of science in the diverse classroom; and (2) illustrating an authentic application of three-dimensional learning with a unit that is aligned to the NGSS. Students explore patterns in the Earth's surface in this case study of English language learners.