Writing in Science Fall MDSD – Third Grade Please sign in and then talk to teams from other buildings about what they’re currently doing in science. Share the resource/idea your team brought today.

Goals for Science Today Share ideas and resources for science units with other building teams Provide hints and tips for your science units to share with each other Understand the importance of modeling and scaffolding in science writing Learn a writing scaffold for using evidence in science Review a compare and contrast scaffold 1 minute

Sharing Time Work together to brainstorm hints and tips for salmon and/or weather units to pass along to other 3rd grade teachers. Record on chart paper. All of the resources, hints, and tips will be collected and shared on Connect for teachers to access when planning science lessons. If you have an electronic version to share, please email it to Angela Morrison. Show the first bullet point and allow about 5 minutes to complete – Have teachers write hints/tips on poster paper to hang around the room. Collect them at the end of the day for Angela to post on Connect.

Writing in Science Visual scaffolding is critical in helping students master scientific vocabulary and write like scientists. A word bank allows students to access vocabulary they need during writing time. Display two word banks: one for specific terms for the unit and one for general science words and phrases to use in scientific writing. 2 minutes – Emphasize the importance of giving students tools they need to act, think, and write like scientists. These skills need to be explicitly taught to students.

Science Terms Word Bank 1 minute

Salmon Word Bank 1 minute – Continue to add words as they are encountered in the unit

Word Bank Tips Use pocket charts with word cards. Introduce words as students need to know them, AFTER they have a concrete experience or investigation with the new term. During science discussions, point to the words or remove them from the pocket chart to hold up as visual reminders for students. Allow students to take words (on small cards) to their seats as needed during writing time. 2 minutes

Write Like a Scientist In order to think like scientists, students need to develop habits of scientists. In order to write like scientists, students need models and scaffolds. 1 minute – Habits like questioning, wondering, observing, etc. Scientific writing does not intuitively happen and needs to be modeled.

Writing Scaffolds Scaffolds include phrases and sentence starters used for scientific writing. Write together as a class, and then remove the modeled writing. Replace it with a writing frame or sentence starter for students to use as they write independently. The frame provides a structure for their writing. Students provide the content. 2 minutes

Writing Scaffolds 1 minute – I think… because… Students need prompts to remember to include the “because” and site specific evidence.

Student Writing Sample Using “I think… because…”

Writing Scaffolds A Box and T-Chart frame is copied and pasted into the science notebook. Students complete the table prior to writing a compare and contrast paragraph. 1 minute

Writing Scaffolds Or the Box and T-Chart frame can be drawn by students directly into the science notebook. 1 minute

Writing Scaffolds 1 minute

Writing Scaffolds After writing together as a class, remove the shared writing and post a writing frame for students to use as they write independently. After completing the box and t-chart, write together as a class. Remove the shared writing, and post the writing frame for students to use as a structure if needed. Students will be “weaned” from the frame as the year progresses.

Student Writing Sample

Student Writing Sample

Final Thoughts Avoid using typed fill-in-the-blank writing frames. Allow students to write in their notebooks, using the scaffolds posted in the room. Student notebooks are valued because of the students’ scientific thinking and not because of the appearance of the entries. 1 minute