Increasing numbers of English language learners enrolled in public schools has brought national attention to issues surrounding the education of linguistically diverse students. Teacher education programs have come under scrutiny for not doing an "adequate job of preparing teachers to teach diverse populations" (Hollins & Guzman, 2005, p. 478). This study examines how one teacher education program faces the challenges of preparing single subject (those getting their credential to teach grades 7-12) preservice teachers to work with English language learners. Specifically, this study focuses on how knowledge of academic language is socially constructed (Bloome & Egan Robertson, 1993; Kelly & Green, 1998; Vygotsky, 1978; 1987) throughout a one year teacher preparation program at a California university. Mathematics content was used as a main vehicle to ground much of the study of academic language, as the relationship between mathematics and language has been underexamined, in part because of misconceptions that it is a "universal language" (Lager, 2004). Grounded in an ethnographic perspective (Gee & Green, 1998) and using constructs of discourse analysis and intertextuality, this study examines the ways in which oral and written discourse shapes how knowledge about academic language is co-constructed among participants. Data analyzed includes video records of teacher education course sessions, resources available to preservice teachers throughout the course, written records of course assignments, and the Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT) in mathematics. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]