This study stems from an examination of writing samples generated by the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH)---a multi-year longitudinal study that employs a teaching methodology meant to investigate the impact of connecting science learning with literacy---with additional insight generated by discourse analysis of teacher interviews and a focus group.;Among this study's goals are the investigation of the role of these writing samples within the practice of education, the use of writing as vehicle for the construction of knowledge, and the role of these samples within the larger SWH. More specifically, this study hopes to unlock connections between its own theoretical framework of knowledge construction, the writing samples examined, the teachers in the classrooms that generated the samples, and the methodology behind their teaching practice.