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4 Weaving Science and Literacy Together across the Grades: Exemplars
Pages 31-44

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From page 31...
... Two of these presentations were paired with a presentation from a teacher who had implemented or was implementing the curriculum in her classroom. These complementary presentations provided the audience with detailed and specific examples of teacher strategies, student work process and products, as well as teachers' reflections on their experiences.
From page 32...
... First-hand investigations consist of hands-on investigations of scientific phe nomena, whereas second-hand investigations include using texts to help answer the same fundamental question as the first-hand investigations are designed to 1See http://www.scienceandliteracy.org/ [March 2014]
From page 33...
... " Students learn the language of science, including claims, evidence, and reasoning through the curriculum, Barber said. Sherrie Roland, a teacher at Grafton Village Elementary School in Stafford County, Virginia, shared her experiences in implementing Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading.
From page 34...
... Overall, the evaluation revealed gains in science measures with effect sizes as great at .61 com pared to control classrooms after a single 8- to 10-week unit of instruction, with no losses in literacy scores despite less explicit focus directly on literacy skills. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXEMPLAR 2: SCIENCE IDEAS Nancy Romance of Florida Atlantic University described Science IDEAS,2 a cur riculum for older elementary school students to teach literacy within science.
From page 35...
... Teachers help students develop these concept maps over the course of a unit, as the students gain more information based on their observations, reading, and other supporting activities. Supporting activities begin with activating prior knowledge, and then move to identifying real-world examples of the phenomenon.
From page 36...
... More limited adaptations of the curriculum target ing 1st- and 2nd-graders also show promising results when compared with control students. As Romance remarked, the results indicate that to improve science out comes in middle school, efforts must start in elementary school.
From page 37...
... They also use key scientific practices as specified in the NGSS, including analyz ing and interpreting data, developing and using models, constructing explana tions, and engaging in argument from evidence. IQWST helps students develop proficiency in using the language of science over the course of the middle school years.
From page 38...
... At the beginning of a unit, for example, students often engage in a hands-on investigation, build additional conceptual understanding through reading, and then communicate their initial understanding of a phenom enon through writing and talk. IQWST reading and writing practices are designed to directly meet CCSS for ELA in these areas.
From page 39...
... For example, stu dents may be asked to collect data from a model, draw models, and/or explain in writing their understanding of what is happening. MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL EXEMPLAR: PROJECT READI Cynthia Greenleaf of WestEd presented the theory, key features, and examples of Project READi, Reading, Evidence, and Argumentation in Disciplinary Instruction.4 This curriculum for grades 6-12 focuses on building students' ability to read for understanding in science, which she defined as the "capacity to use evi dence from multiple sources to construct, justify, and critique models or explana tions of science phenomena." It consists of text-based modules that supplement an existing science curriculum, as well as learning progressions, assessment tools, and ongoing professional development.
From page 40...
... The student learning goals are shown in Box 4-1. Meant to support an existing curriculum with first-hand science experiences, Project READi pro vides students with numerous experiences to read scientific texts, to grapple with the language, and to build a repertoire of sense-making skills.
From page 41...
... 3, 4, and 5 -- Construct, justify, and critique explanations and explanatory models of science phenomena from scientific evidence drawn from multiple courses and using science principles, frameworks, and enduring understandings. 6 -- Demonstrate understanding of the epistemology of science through inquiry dispositions and conceptual change awareness/orientation, seeking "best understandings giving the evidence." SOURCE: Adapted from Greenleaf et al.
From page 42...
... Another discussion focused on how curriculum addressing these scientific practices also addresses the disciplinary core ideas named in the NGSS. Referring to Project READi, Susan Goldman indicated that identifying the "big ideas" and core concepts was an integral part of curriculum development.
From page 43...
... Greenleaf added that engaging teachers in the same process that students go through with text appears to help teachers see the value in allowing s ­ tudents to construct meaning for themselves. Weaving Science and Literacy Together Across Grades: Exemplars 43


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