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Improving Literacy in Science

Improving Literacy in Science. Regional Staff Development Day November 5, 2012. Purpose:. To help students independently read and comprehend scientific text, and to write about science concepts. Background:. 2010-2011: Rollout of CCSS ELA Tools:

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Improving Literacy in Science

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  1. Improving Literacy in Science Regional Staff Development Day November 5, 2012

  2. Purpose: To help students independently read and comprehend scientific text, and to write about science concepts.

  3. Background: 2010-2011: Rollout of CCSS ELA Tools: 2011-2012: Literacy in Action Series – Char-Em ISD CCSS Literacy in Science – MAISD

  4. Teaching Strategies Writing Tracker Guided Highlighted Reading Vocabulary Content Area Idea Generators

  5. Writing Tracker You have 5 minutes. Write as much as you can about the following topic: “Physical and Chemical Changes in Matter”

  6. Writing Tracker • How many words did you write? • How many “domain-specific words” did you use? atom atomic arrangement boil chemical property chemical reaction compound density element freeze gas liquid melt molecule products reactants pH periodic table of the elements solid

  7. Writing TrackerMy Progress:

  8. Writing Tracker Ways to Increase Writing Fluency: • Demonstrate – have your students watch you write. • Set Goals: • 125 words/min (middle school) • 150 words/min (high school) • Have students exchange ideas (after): • How did you get started? • How do you get going again if you’ve stopped?

  9. Writing Tracker Ways to Increase Writing Fluency: • Think of words that help you get going again • “So…” • “Then…” • “Next…” • Think/talk before writing – give students the writing prompt, and have them think about what they’ll write, then have them turn and tell another student what they plan to write.

  10. Writing Tracker Ways to Increase Writing Fluency: • Choose Your Own Topic: Teacher sets the guidelines, but students can choose what they want to write about. For example, “Ecosystems” Write about… • How energy moves through an ecosystem? • How matter changes in an ecosystem? “Severe Weather” Write about… • A severe weather event you’ve experienced. • Which is scariest, a hurricane, a flood or a tornado?

  11. Guided Highlighted Reading Materials: • Copy of the Text (page from textbook, article, fiction, non-fiction, news article, trade book, etc.) • Highlighter pen for each student Planning: • Identify necessary vocabulary in advance • Consider the kind of discussion you intend to have • Select the information to be highlighted, based on the goal of the discussion. Procedure: • Each student has a highlighter pen • Teacher explains the directions for highlighting • Teacher reads as rapidly as students can follow

  12. Guided Highlighted Reading Aristotle (384-322 BC) • Greek philosopher • The son of a physician • Works cover ethics, logic, physics, psychology, politics • The first experimental scientist to record his work • His surviving works also include five major treatises on biology • “No one prior to Darwin has made a greater contribution to our understanding of the living world.” – Ersnt Mayr

  13. Guided Highlighted Reading Decide beforehand what kind of discussion you want to come out of reading the text. “Map” the text before highlighting the information. Teacher reads as rapidly as the students can follow. Main Idea Supporting Details Words / Phrases I’m not familiar with

  14. Writing Strategies: “Main Idea” Graphic Organizer(WAC p. 27-28)Provides an organizational structure for follow-up essays. CCSS Anchor Standards for Reading: 2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

  15. Reading Strategies:Question-Answer Relationship (QAR)(RWS p. 20-23)Reading 8 “Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment, & speculation in a text.” Students learn to identify four question types: Right there – answers are explicitly found in the text. Think and search – students have to read several sentences to derive the answer. Author and you – students required to infer from or interpret the context, students draw on background knowledge. On your own – the response lies solely within the realm of the student’s own thinking.

  16. Guided Highlighted ReadingOpen-Ended Questions After Highlighting: “Questioning the Author” • What is the author trying to tell us? • Why is the author trying to tell us that? • Are the author’s ideas expressed clearly? • How could the author have expressed the ideas more clearly? • What would you want to say instead?

  17. Guided Highlighted ReadingSample Queues, Prompts and Stems Follow-up to Guided Highlighting: Conversation Stems • “The weird thing about this is …” • “I wonder why …” • “Did you notice that …” • “The most important idea is …” • “This reminds me of …” Pushing Deeper: Writing Stems • “In other words …” • “This matters because …” • “My ideas about this are complicated. On one hand, I think … But on the other hand …”

  18. Guided Highlighted ReadingDiminishing the “Scaffold” • Read students the text and prompts, show them the correct responses on a projector, have them highlight the response. • Tell students how many responses there will be in each paragraph, let them underline what they think will be prompted, and then show them the correct responses. Go through paragraph by paragraph. • Tell students how many responses there will be in the passage, let them highlight their responses. When they are finished, check their responses and discuss differences. • Students work with partners to determine their responses. Use questions to guide their work. • Have students work alone to determine their responses, and the necessary information.

  19. Strategies for Building Vocabulary

  20. Vocabulary Strategies: Word Cards(WAC pages 17-18) (RWS pages 34-35)Reading 4. “Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, …”

  21. Vocabulary Strategies: Word Cards7th Grade Unit 1: “Waves and Energy”

  22. Vocabulary Strategies“Word Splash” • Present a set of Vocabulary Words – (project, chart paper, cards, etc.) • Students work in pairs or small groups • Students sort, categorize or group the words • Students explain their rationale for grouping • Make predictions about the upcoming text • Present new words, have students fit them into their grouping system

  23. Vocabulary Strategies“Word Splash” - Example • atmosphere • carbon dioxide reservoir • conduction • continental climates • convection • Coriolis effect • deep ocean currents • El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) • evaporation • heat reservoir • maritime climates • oceanic layering

  24. Vocabulary Strategies“Word Splash” - Example • atmosphere • carbon dioxide reservoir • conduction • continental climates • convection • Coriolis effect • deep ocean currents • El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) • evaporation • heat reservoir • maritime climates • oceanic layering • New Words added later: • precipitation • prevailing winds • radiation • salinity • thermohaline

  25. Vocabulary Strategies“Tic Toc” • Set of core vocabulary words, and their definitions / descriptions / pictures – on separate cards • Divide the class into two equal groups • Give one group the vocabulary words • Give the other group the descriptions • Start the clock • After all matches are made, a student tells the teacher to stop time • Teacher checks, notes any incorrect matches (WITHOUT telling students) and starts the clock again, repeat until all matches are correct • Groups switch roles and play again if time • Record time, to create a level of competition

  26. Content Area Idea Generators CCSS Anchor Standards for Writing Grades 6-12 • Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

  27. Content Area Idea Generators Write about … “In your opinion, what is… • the most essential medical discovery?” • the most useful plant / animal on Earth?” • the natural disaster you’d least like to experience?” • most necessary for people to know – biology, chemistry, Earth science, engineering, or physics?” • the most important element in the periodic table?” • the technological invention that has had the greatest impact?” • the most influential living scientist? Dead scientist?” • the best use of mathematics to describe a scientific process?” Explain your evidence.

  28. Conclusion • Reflections • Comments • Questions

  29. Contact Information Tom Wessels, Science Consultant twessels@tbaisd.org Grand Traverse Regional Math Science Center Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District 1101 Red Drive, PO Box 6020 Traverse City, MI 49696-6020 Ph: 231-922-7875 Fax: 231-922-6391

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