Transcript Literacy in Science Literacy for Science learning

Literacy in Science
Literacy for Science learning
My takeaways from the
Literacy for Science
meeting organized by BOSE
Useful resources!
• Conference website (video of sessions, white
papers)
http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DBASSE/BOS
E/CurrentProjects/DBASSE_083999
Workshop report (currently pre-pub form)
www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18803
Intersections of CC-ELA and NGSS
• Supporting students to read and write about
science
• Classroom discourse a central tool in learning
• Argumentation (claim, evidence, reasoning)
(but what counts as evidence?)
Are these parallels more than superficial?
What is role of science teacher and language arts
teacher in supporting literacy for science?
My questions going into this
• What does a science teacher need to know about literacy
to support students using text to advance science learning?
• What is role of language arts teacher in supporting reading
and writing in science?
• What do both need to know about language development
to support ELL students to gain literacy for science?
• How best can elementary teachers support both science
learning and language and literacy development in the
same lessons?
Win-Win proposition
• Reading and writing science is an important
component of active science learning
• Rich science contexts motivate language and
literacy development
Science learning cycle
Iterative and recursive, not linear
Adapted from Roots of Reading, Seeds of Science work (plus
Framework)
• Do it: Experience phenomenon (carry out investigation)
• Talk it: classroom discourse (develop models; analyze data; use
mathematics; develop explanations or designs; argue from
evidence; ask and refine questions; plan investigations; obtain,
evaluate and communicate information)
• Read it : text resources (obtain and evaluate information; use
mathematics)
• Write it : journal, reports, presentations (develop models; analyze
data; use mathematics; develop explanations; argue from evidence;
ask and refine questions; plan investigations; communicate
information)
Science Discourse is critical!
• All S&E practices require it
• Supports development of science specific
language and general academic language
essential for science literacy
• Supports science thinking and learning
What do teachers need?
Some understanding of what aspects of science
text can make them challenging to students
Some strategies that help students overcome
the challenges
Some recognition of strategies taught in
language arts and how these do, or do not,
translate to science reading
How is science text different?
• Multiple modes of information presentation (words,
pictures, graphs, maps, charts, tables, equations)
• Precision and density of information
• Multi-clause sentences – understanding connections and
referents critical to sense making (it, that…)
• Many implicit logical connections between clauses or
sentences (inferential, illustrative, additive, sequential)
• Specialized vocabulary, nouns that express whole concepts
(deforestation, acidification…)
Text does not just mean text book
--trade books on science related topics, magazine or
newspaper articles, websites….
Strategies
see conference white papers for more
• Science journal writing
• Close analysis discussion of a single sentence
(selected examplars)
• Practice (discussion) in coordinating multiple
sources of information
• Science talk with teacher questioning that
elicits elaboration, clarification, reasoning…
Not an either or proposition
• Same strategies support science learning
• Language arts teachers do not typically have
enough confidence in their science knowledge to
support reading science texts (especially at hs
level)
• Each discipline has a specialized “vocabulary”, not
just of words but of diagrams (and equations).
Supporting language learners
• Inclusion in the discourse (stress on ideas and science
thinking, not on language perfection)
• Phenomena and diagrams first, vocabulary as needed,
pre-teaching vocabulary not the most effective strategy
• Repeated use and practice (opportunities to speak, listen,
read, write) reinforces both science and language
In the science classroom all students are learning new
language, thoughtful supports for language development
support science learning for all.