Florida Association of Science Teachers Conference

1. Florida Association of Science Teachers Conference Writing in Science Made Simple: Engaging Strategies for Student Success, Part I Vocabulary & Building Background Knowledge Kathleen Kopp Teacher on Special Assignment, Citrus County Schools Author and Presenter: Maupin House Publishing koppk@citrus.k12.fl.us http://www.citrus.k12.fl.us/fre/kopp/ContentAreaWriting.htm

2. Today’s Objectives • Review of CCSS ELA writing standards as they apply to science • Phenomenal, easy-to-implement writing activities to help students learn essential vocabulary • Fun, creative, and motivating writing strategies to start students thinking about what they already know. • Engage thinking • Build background knowledge

3. Resources for Science Teachers • All these strategies and more in Everyday Content-Area Writing and Strategies for Writing in the Science Classroom (Maupin House Publishing, Inc.)

4. Comparisons • Complete this thought:Writing in Science is like _____________________ because_________________________________________. Word Bank:storming a castlejet skiing munching an apple shopping NASCAR a day at the beach

5. Analogies • WRITING is to LEARNING IN SCIENCE as _____________________ is to __________________.

6. Writing Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects, gr. 6-8 http://www.corestandards.org/

7. Writing Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects, gr. 6-8 http://www.corestandards.org/

8. Writing Strategies to Develop Science Vocabulary Mine, Ours, Theirs Frayer model Graphic organizers from http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/ Student-generated cloze (story, paragraph, or sentence)

9. Before Reading: Mine, Ours, Theirs

10. Before Reading: Mine, Ours, Theirs Total confusion or opaqueness so as to be difficult to perceive or understand

11. Before Reading: Frayer Model Total confusion or opaqueness so as to be difficult to perceive or understand Confusion Lost In a fog Ignorant TESOL Conference ?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Wise old owl My dad

13. Vocabulary Development Using Graphic Organizers http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/

14. Vocabulary Cards Graphic Organizer

15. Vocabulary Word Cluster Graphic Organizer

16. Vocabulary Sketch Graphic Organizer

17. “Cognitive Dictionary Graphic Organizer

18. Check for Understanding of Essential Terms: Cloze • Have students write sentences, paragraphs, or stories using all their vocabulary words before or during learning. • Collect the students’ work. • Select the best sentences, paragraph, or story. • Type them using a word processing program. • Insert blank lines (_____________) for each vocabulary term. • Provide copies of the cloze student activity sheet and terms. • Have students complete this activity to assess their understanding of the vocabulary presented in the reading selection.

19. Choose one word. Write a sentence.Insert a blank line for your word. bacteria carbon dioxide decompose fixation energy nitrogen obfuscation process

20. Sample Cloze Dirk studied the alien life form on the autopsy table. Then, he turned his attention to the cells in the microscope. He was looking for the _____________ markers that made the beast look as it did. The unfortunate part was, he only had the one body to study. How was he going to determine the _____________ and _____________ traits of this species using only one sample? He had to identify the right _____________ sequences! He made notes about the pairs of genes, or _____________, he had identified so far. He set out to find victims related to his specimen to fall prey to his alien death hose. He would not stop until he discovered all there was to know about alien _____________. gene DNA allele dominant recessive heredity

21. Writing Strategies to Engage Students and Build Background Knowledge PMI (Plusses, Minuses, and Interesting) Engage thinking with activities or investigations, articles, facts, short videos, pictures, guest speakers, or objects. Be sure students follow up by writing using “I” stems: What I did How I felt Where I was What happened to me How I felt Conversations (and written follow-up)

22. PMI

23. Engage Thinking with Pictures: “What happened here?”

24. Engage Thinking:Activity • Hands-on investigation: “How strong is your chocolate?” • Mechanical properties of matter • Write procedures, data, and outcomes. • Online interactive activity: “Shape It Up” • Challenge students to identify the forces that shape the earth’s surface and the relative speed with which they act • Write personal reflections comparisons, or summarize learning. • Physical Activity: Go Bowling • Write a story, “A Day in the Life of a Bowling Ball.” • Brainstorming: Animals • List animals, then compare their traits or characteristics. http://www.kineticcity.com/mindgames/warper/

25. “Open Mind” Making Connections • Thinking Stems: • I wonder… • This makes me think about… • This reminds me of… • This relates to… • I imagine • I predict… • I remember when…

26. Conversations (and written follow-up)

27. Write Now! • Writing engages students’ thinking. • Writing allows students to make predictions. • Writing documents initial thoughts and ideas. • Writing helps students acquire (internalize) essential vocabulary.

28. Thank you for spending time with me! Be sure to stay for Part II of “Writing in Science Made Simple” Use writing to bring meaning to learning Use writing to formally and informally assess students koppk@citrus.k12.fl.us http://www.citrus.k12.fl.us/fre/kopp/ContentAreaWriting.htm