1. 1 How Science and Literacy Can Work Together to Increase Student Learning International Reading Association Conference Billings, Montana October 19, 2007

2. 2 What do you hope to take away from this session?

3. 3 Presentation Purpose To demonstrate the value of research based, collaborative cross-content curriculum design, implementation, and professional development.

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8. 8 Jefferson County Public Schools Golden, Colorado Enrollment: 84,790 Schools: elementary schools 94 middle schools 20 high schools 17 option schools 9 charter schools 12

9. 9 Background: Action Research Jeffco Overlap Project Began project with two schools Year Two: Worked with grade level teams at additional schools Year Three: Schoolwide implementation Year Four: Schoolwide Implementation Year Five: Schoolwide Implementation with Administrator training

10. 10 Project Objectives To narrow achievement gaps. To deepen our understanding of the benefits of overlapping science/literacy curricula, utilizing technology tools and resources where appropriate. To learn how overlap is best implemented.

11. 11 Components of the Model Thinking skills/Process skills Purposeful, intentional planning for overlap instruction aligned to standards Reading, writing, speaking, listening Technology Science Focus on big ideas Collaborative learning through professional learning communities Integrity of the discipline

12. 12 What is overlap? Deepening learning Connecting thinking and learning Maintaining integrity

13. 13 Why Overlap? Prompted by: Instructional day challenges (time efficiency) Improve Student Achievement Minority students English Language Learners (ELL) Boys National data around increased student achievement with overlap

14. 14 National Data El Centro School District - Michael Klentschy, Superintendent Fresno, California – Sandra Carsten and Jerry Valadez Broward County, Florida - Nancy Romance and Michael Vitale

15. 15 Student Achievement – Imperial County, CA Stanford Achievement Test: Science Scores Sorted by years in the program Years Grade 4 Grade 6 CUM 02127 n=137n=174 13232 n=150n=121 23842 n=141n=132 34750 n=111n=107 45364 n=91n=104 Klentschy 2006

16. 16 Student Achievement – Imperial County, CA Stanford Achievement Test: Reading Scores Grade 4 sorted by years in the program Years LEP EO CUM = 33 02130 12239 23951 33457 44964 Klentschy 2006

17. 17 Student Achievement – Imperial County, CA Stanford Achievement Test: Reading Scores Grade 6 sorted by years in the program Years LEP EO CUM = 33 02338 12842 23446 33556 45169 Klentschy 2006

18. 18 Science/Literacy Connections, Imperial County, CA District Writing Proficiency Grade 6, Spring 1999 Cumulative Pass 64%n=636 % Pass n 023%174 168%119 271%132 390%107 489% 104 Klentschy 2006

19. UC Eligibility Rate for Underrepresented Students

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23. Science Notebook Components Focus question/problem/purpose Prediction Planning General Plan Operational Plan Data Collection (becomes source for evidence) Claims (logical conclusions) and evidence Conclusion Reflection Feedback 23 Based on Michael Klentschys work

24. 24 Significant Implementation Correlations – Science Notebooks ReadingWritingMath Notebooks have student reflections to teacher- generated questions XXX Notebooks have students own reflections X Notebooks have notes and diagrams from kit-based or other science activity XXX Notebook has measurements XXX Notebooks have a table of contents XXX

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26. 26 Thinking skills across two disciplines Application to a 3 rd Grade Classroom Studying Life Cycles What does the overlapping of science, literacy, and technology look like in the classroom?

27. Draw caterpillar 27

28. 28 Engage Phase of Lesson The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

29. 29 Explore/Explain Phase of Lesson Observe your caterpillars, making notes to hold your thinking. What do you notice? What are you wondering? What surprises you? What confirms something you already know?

30. 30 Examine your descriptive words Muscle words Wimpy words

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32. 32 Linking to technology

33. 33 Turn and Talk Brainstorm a list of thinking skills you utilized in order to complete the tasks.

34. 34 Comprehension Strategies Inferring Questioning Visualizing Connecting Schema Determining Importance Summarizing Synthesizing Clarifying Predicting

35. 35 Other thinking skills

36. 36 Literacy Block

37. 37 Teacher Reflection Time will always be crunched and by teaching kids how to interweave their learning, we are teaching them how to save time and deepen their learning at the same time. - Peggy and Megan, 2006

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39. 39 Teacher Reflection Children need to learn how to ask questions by themselves, and then they need to know how to answer the questions. - Peggy and Megan, 2006

40. 40 Overlap needs to be… Purposeful… and … Intentional

41. 41 Explore/Explain Phase of Lesson Use the books on your tables as mentor texts as well as sources of information. What questions are answered by the texts? What new questions arise? What is the authors style of writing, and how do word choices, organization, text layout contribute to that style? What is the authors purpose? Who is the authors intended audience?

42. 42 Explore/Explain Phase of Lesson Write about your observation of the caterpillar. You may wish to emulate the style of a text you have read during todays lesson. Share your writing with a partner.

43. 43 Debriefing the Process How did these experiences scaffold and/or elevate your ability and enthusiasm to write? How did you choose to organize information? How do you view the relationship between language and writing, and thinking skills?

44. 44 We dont write to display understanding, but to acquire understanding. Writing teaches. That simple fact explains why students need as much writing in the content areas as possible. The process of composing their thoughts moves students away from the muddle of isolated facts toward the order of integrated knowledge. Thats usually called understanding. Carl Luty, NEA Today, 11/83

45. 45 Deepening Student Learning What impact did the texts have on either your writing or your learning about caterpillars and life cycles? What thinking skills did you use?

46. 46 Comprehension Strategies Inferring Questioning Visualizing Connecting Schema Determining Importance Summarizing Synthesizing Clarifying

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48. 48 Teacher Reflection It takes more time to teach how to think than just the facts. - Peggy and Megan, 2006

49. 49 Elaborate Phase of Lesson Electronic life cycle (Pixie) Electronic life cycle Kidspiration Model Model of a life cycle

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51. 51 Evaluation Phase of Lesson Look at the model to explain and describe a life cycle. Talk Write

52. 52 Structuring Science Talk Scientists Meetings Making Meaning Conferences (teacher facilitates to probe understanding)

53. 53 One engages in science-related reading and writing as one does science. To put it differently, it is in the doing of science not just in reading about it, that students learn to master the concepts that will enable them to better understand both the reading and writing of expository and procedural text. To teach science reading and writing and talk about it without hands-on work makes as much sense as learning to play the piano on a paper keyboard. Wendy Saul Science workshop 2002

54. 54 Reflecting on the learning Red – One thing you may stop doing. Yellow- One thing youre curious about. Green – One thing you will try when you return to school.

55. 55 Contact us Sharon Jeffrey slinnjef@jeffco.k12.co.us Nita Kulesa okulesa@jeffco.k12.co.us Terrie Richardson trichard@jeffco.k12.co.us Donnie Seibel dseibel@jeffco.k12.co.us

56. Sources Instrumental to Our Work Michael Klentschy, Valle Imperial Project in Science – California STEP uP in Colorado Springs, Colorado (Science Teacher Enhancement Project-unifying the Pikes Peak Region) 56

57. Coherent Instruction … is teaching that connects. It connects the students reading skills to writing. It connects reading and writing to content. It links content learning to student interests. Coherent teaching makes it easy for students to learn because it combines the strange-new with the familiar-old. When the classroom is coherent, teachers help students make connections among reading, writing and content. (Guthrie, 2000)

58. 58 One of the most effective ways for students to transfer knowledge from short-term to long term memory is to write about it. Writing requires that they [students] process the information a second time. Lee Waldman Colorado Council of International Reading Association Journal Spring 2003