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The Science of Reading: it鈥檚 not just for Language Arts.

As host Eric Cross and expert guest Susan Lambert discuss in Science Connections webinar, the Science of Reading also provides a powerful foundation for science learning.

Here鈥檚 what they had to say about bringing evidence-based literacy strategies into the science classroom.

The role of literacy in science literacy

Strictly speaking, the Science of Reading refers to the vast body of research we now have鈥攁nd put into practice鈥攐n the systematic, explicit, and cumulative instruction required for students to learn to read.

In fact, we鈥檙e talking about comprehensive literacy, which encompasses all the essential鈥攁nd interdependent鈥攃omponents of literacy, including background knowledge, vocabulary, and both comprehension and expression.

In other words, it鈥檚 the listening, speaking, reading, and writing that scientists do in the real world鈥攁nd that students do to engage with and connect to science learning.聽As we discussed in this post, developing students鈥� literacy in science helps them develop scientific literacy. And science literacy allows students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and strategic questioners鈥攊n science and beyond.

Integrating science and literacy in the classroom

What do these literacy strategies look like in practice? Eric puts them to use regularly鈥攁nd here鈥檚 how you can, too.

1. Use phenomena to activate and gauge prior knowledge. The more you know, the better you comprehend text and the faster you learn鈥攕o exploring familiar observable events (frying eggs, seeing your breath on a cold day) can engage students and accelerate their comprehension from the jump.
2. Provide multilingual resources. 鈥淏eing intentional about providing access to resources in the languages our students speak is critical,鈥� said Eric. 鈥淭he data shows that the more proficient students become in their native language, the more proficient they become in a new one.鈥�
3. Get students writing (and speaking, and editing). Eric has his students document their experiments and observations in (digital) notebooks and online portfolios. They also share with and present to each other, he said, 鈥渟o they’re seeing other students鈥� writing styles and syntax and what details they include, and they can go back and update their own.鈥� And, since it鈥檚 a year-long process, 鈥渂y the time they’re done, they have this beautiful website that showcases their work.鈥� (猫咪AV Science鈥檚 Student Investigation Notebooks also fit the bill!)
4. Work across subjects. The Common Core recommends that, by 4th grade, 50% of texts read should be non-fiction. That鈥檚 why Eric coordinates with ELA teachers to read one text about metabolism, for example, each examining it through different lenses. 鈥淲hen 测辞耻鈥檙别 able to work together with another content teacher, it鈥檚 like magic,鈥� he said. (And in elementary school, 测辞耻鈥檙别 the other content teacher!)
5. Run science seminars. Students use evidence to explain their thinking. 鈥淔or students who need extra support, you can have pre-written sentence frames so that they’re able to participate,鈥� Eric said. 鈥淓ven when they’re listening to other students speaking, that’s helping them develop language skills. You watch them be able to listen, speak, engage in debate, and disagree without being disagreeable, which we know as adults is a valuable skill.鈥�

For more of Eric鈥檚 strategies, watch the webinar: .

Even more to explore

Webinars:

Curriculum: 猫咪AV Science

猫咪AV blog:

• Integrating literacy in the science classroom
• 鈥淪cience or literary instruction? You don鈥檛 have to choose!鈥�
• Managing the change that matters most: Implementing the Science of Reading with Integrity