Integrating Literacy into Science Instruction August 7, 2013

Writing In Science Why?

College and Career Ready Integrate writing & language standards Expose students to & provide opportunity to write with a variety of genres & writing styles Provide students with meaningful writing tasks College and Career Ready Integrate writing & language standards Expose students to & provide opportunity to write with a variety of genres & writing styles Provide students with meaningful writing tasks

Provides students a way to create a record of their thinking Allows them ways to rethink & revise their claims As students write in science, they are scaffolding their own understanding Allows the teacher to check in on student thinking and conceptual understanding Provides students a way to create a record of their thinking Allows them ways to rethink & revise their claims As students write in science, they are scaffolding their own understanding Allows the teacher to check in on student thinking and conceptual understanding

Writing In Science How? Imbedded into Notebooking or a separate assignment May require explicit instruction, modeling and “think alouds” from the teacher Imbedded into Notebooking or a separate assignment May require explicit instruction, modeling and “think alouds” from the teacher

Writing in Science How? Formal Writing Pieces – R.A.F.T. –Provide students role for their writing –Provide authentic audience –Provide format for piece –Topic Formal Writing Pieces – R.A.F.T. –Provide students role for their writing –Provide authentic audience –Provide format for piece –Topic

RoleAudienceFormatTopic ThemselvesYounger StudentA letterMatter A seedIts future self (plant) Comic BookGermination An AtomSelfTravel DiaryChanging States of Matter

Writing in Science: What? Opinion Pieces Natural disaster planning Conservation issues Eating healthy Which ecosystem would be easiest to live in? What’s more important – ecosystem preservation or the advancement of society? Natural disaster planning Conservation issues Eating healthy Which ecosystem would be easiest to live in? What’s more important – ecosystem preservation or the advancement of society?

Writing in Science: What? Informative/Explanatory How a dam generates energy How global weather patterns affect hurricanes How trees produce oxygen States of matter How a dam generates energy How global weather patterns affect hurricanes How trees produce oxygen States of matter

Writing in Science: What? Narrative My own experiences with different types of weather Piece of food traveling through the digestive system Journey of a raindrop through the water cycle Adventures in different ecosystems My own experiences with different types of weather Piece of food traveling through the digestive system Journey of a raindrop through the water cycle Adventures in different ecosystems

Writing in Science: Assessment Aligning assessment/evaluation to the CCS for ELA and content Use of a rubric – either content specific or a general writing rubric Assessment vs. Evaluation Quality vs. Quantity Aligning assessment/evaluation to the CCS for ELA and content Use of a rubric – either content specific or a general writing rubric Assessment vs. Evaluation Quality vs. Quantity

Interactive Read Aloud To think within, about and beyond the text Scaffolded practice to develop student comprehension strategies and/or understanding of content To think within, about and beyond the text Scaffolded practice to develop student comprehension strategies and/or understanding of content

TeacherStudents Decides the purpose & provides students with the purpose Build content understanding Develop/extend understanding of text structure Vocabulary Development Model and facilitate practice with a particular reading strategy Reads the text aloud to model fluency and ask questions that elicit student response Actively listening with a specific purpose Reads the text ahead of time, multiple times & plans stopping points to ask pre-developed questions that elicit student response Responding to an oral reading of a text Use evidence from the text to build understanding Practice using specific skills or strategies Ask questions about the text or features of the text