Literacy for Science Exploring the Intersection of the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core for ELA Standards: A Workshop Summary (2014) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
6 Supporting Literacy for Science on Various Scales
6 Supporting Literacy for Science on Various Scales
Pages 65-76
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 65... ...
They offered specific strategies used, challenges faced, and lessons learned to help inform future efforts to build knowledge, capacity, and implementation of excellent science practices on a widening scale. The presenters addressed how they are working to build a shared vision to meet the needs of all students.
|
From page 66... ...
, and their lessons learned in enacting a literacy support model specifically for this school.1 New Visions for Public Schools supports 75 public middle and high schools and 6 char ter schools across New York City. The public and charter schools with which they work tend to be demographically similar, with many students performing below grade level, nearly 20 percent with special needs, and approximately 10 percent as ELLs.
|
From page 67... ...
The action research involved refining the teaching tasks to incorporate the NGSS practices. According to Purohit, the writing tasks were adapted so that students engaged in more frequent writing in "mini-tasks," rather than less frequent writing of major pieces to foster more opportunities for practice.
|
From page 68... ...
By engaging with experts in entomol ogy, pest control, and housing, the team identified key content, such as life cycles and ecosystems, and practices, such as developing and using models that the unit would address. This approach was also informed by the work of Richard Elmore3 that emphasizes a three-pronged approach to improving instruction -- increasing teacher knowledge and skills, increasing active student engagement, and raising the level of content.
|
From page 69... ...
Santos related that efforts to build classroom cultures supportive of academic discussions were consistent with OUSD's emphasis on social and emotional health. This involved working with teachers and principals to unpack the elements of a safe academic environment where students listen to and respect one another, are able to manage their own time talking and collaborating, and feel free to take risks.
|
From page 70... ...
Development opportunities across the district help teachers and others to access new tools to foster shifts in their classroom practice. One tool Santos described involves equipping teachers with new structures to support academic discussions, such as "think-pair-share" opportunities or discussion circles.
|
From page 71... ...
THE SOUTH DAKOTA STATEWIDE EXAMPLE The workshop also featured an example from a state-wide effort to move science practices in K-12 education forward. Sam Shaw, South Dakota Department of Education, provided an overview of his state's approach to data, lessons learned, and next steps toward meeting their goals.5 He described South Dakota as a state with a small population, including just over 120,000 public school students and about 9,500 public school teachers, spread over a relatively large geographic area.
|
From page 72... ...
Initial development and training conducted over a two-day period focused on two central ideas -- constructing explanations from evidence and student performance, based on the framework and NGSS. Facilitators at the Science Academies structured sessions to engage teachers as they would if they were students.
|
From page 73... ...
Teachers engaged in a professional learning community online that focuses on adjusting lesson plans, implementing these plans, and reflecting on practices. Future plans for expanding this effort potentially involve making use of the Literacy Design Collaborative modules for science.
|
From page 74... ...
WORKING ACROSS STATES TO SUPPORT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN LITERACY FOR SCIENCE Okhee Lee, New York University, described work that she and her colleagues have conducted to understand what challenges and opportunities the NGSS will present to students who are ELLs. As an initial step, she, Helen Quinn, and Guadalupe Valdez engaged in an analysis of the nature of language demands in a science classroom.
|
From page 75... ...
Lee then described a third initiative that had emerged from the development of the ELPD framework. She and her colleagues are working with the Council of Chief State School Officers to develop a set of standards for English language proficiency.
|
From page 76... ...
Sam Shaw noted that he had benefited from his engagement with the Council of Chief State School Officers in this regard. However, he sug gested that identifying gaps in knowledge and resources, so that support could be need-based, might prove more beneficial than targeting support by geographic area.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.