1. Using Children’s Literature to Enhance Your Science Curriculum
Integrating Science and Literature
15 slides-Compiled 04/18/04 by.
Dr. Marjorie Anne Wallace, Elementary Science Resource Teacher, 2004

2. Science Education Standards
National Science Education Standards:
As a result of activities in grades K-4, students should develop the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry and to understand the process of inquiry.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy:
Student goals relating to understanding the scientific world view and the process of scientific inquiry

3. Why Link Science with Literacy?
Time
Think Critically with Text
Science vocabulary development
Encourages purposeful use of Language, Writing extensions
Enriches formal & informal discourse
Read, Write, and Think like actual scientist.
Familiarity with reading and writing
Compliment and Enrich

4. Process Skills Process skills Science skills Language skills Observing
Five senses
Lab equipment
Discriminating shapes, sounds, syllables, words
Predicting & evaluating
Form idea of expected results
Form idea of expected event or outcome
Collecting data
Measure & record data
Take notes, use reference data
Investigating
Collect & analyze data
Ask questions, investigate

5. Process skills Process skills Science skills Language skills
Interpreting data
Read table, graphs, diagrams
Cause-and-effect, organize facts
Classifying
Grouping
Sequencing,
compare &
contrast
Forming conclusions
Critical analysis
Critical analysis ID main ideas
Communicate results
Exchange info
Describe clearly

6. Process Skills Process skill Science skill Language skill BOTH:
Inquiry
Grounded in Inquiry
Communicate
Oral language, Reading, writing, Photos, drawings
Oral language,
Reading, writing
Photos, drawing
Knowledge based
Build knowledge of natural world

7. Balanced Reading Strategies

8. Books with science content
Textbooks
Trade book
Non-fiction
Big books
Biographies
Fiction
Poetry

9. Effective Strategies: Promote Strategic & Independent Readers
What Good Readers Do
before, after, and during=
Look through the book and think about what they see.
Ask questions about what they are reading
Check to make sure they know what they read by retelling the events.

10. Effective Strategies What Good Readers Do
when their reading breaks down:
Look at the Pictures
Say the beginning sound(s)
Stretch the Word Out
Skip the word, read to the end
of the sentence
Go back and read again
fixing reading
Ask for Help!

11. Why Use Trade Books and Nonfiction to Support Science?
Builds On Prior Knowledge
Attracts children & meets their interests
Provides authentic opportunities to
Read & Write
Brings science down to
their level
Provides opportunity for Read Alouds, Guided Reading, Shared reading, and Independent reading.

12. Setting the Stage Discuss what scientist and writers have in common:
Solve problems
Read, study, & write
Come up with questions that Inspire and
Investigate them
Keep notes & Journals
Use their senses
Think
Science
Science
Literature
Literature
Arts
Arts

13. Advantages of Integration:
Maximize use of time
Engage in purposeful reading, in groups / independent read
Opportunity to practice reading, language, and
oral communication
Link science content with
literacy standards
Enhance critical reading & research
Form strategies that inform comprehending & communicating the book
Multiliteracies / genre.

14. How to start! (smile) Science Trade books!
4-5 books on same topic/ different authors
Read then share info
Big Books
Read Aloud/Stop/Talk
Write, draw pics, design models, flip books,activities…
Graphic organizers,Cornell notes, marginalia
Get rid of inaccurate books-They confuse children!
Lots of reading,discussing, summarizing,& writing!

15. Where can I find good books?
Your Language Arts & science district supervisors
Children’s Book Council-March annual
“Outstanding Trade Books in Science”
Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators
School librarians-excellent source
Set up your own in-house reading group