Title: Science and Literacy: Exploiting the Synergie
1Science and Literacy Exploiting the Synergies
P. David Pearson, GSE Elizabeth Stage, LHS UC
Berkeley
Slides and LOTS OF OTHER STUFF available at
WWW.SCIENCEANDLITERACY.ORG
2Goals
- Acquaint you with our approach to integrating
science-literacy-language in the Seeds and Roots
program at Lawrence Hall of Science - Illustrate the principles that underlie our work
- Give you an opportunity to participate in some of
our grade 2-3 activities
3Useful PDFs
- Cervetti, G., Pearson, P. D., Barber, J.,
Hiebert, E., Bravo, M. (2007). Integrating
literacy and science The research we have, the
research we need. In M. Pressley, A. K. Billman,
K. Perry, K. Refitt J. Reynolds (Eds.), Shaping
literacy achievement (pp. 157-174). New York
Guilford. - Cervetti, G. N., Barber, J. (in press). Text
in hands-on science. In E. H. Hiebert M.
Sailors (Eds.), Finding the right texts. New
York Guilford. - Tilson, J. L. (2007). Discourse circles
Promoting scientific language use in elementary
classrooms. Connect, 21(1), 5-7.
Pre-Print available at WWW.SCIENCEANDLITERACY.ORG
Ppearson_at_berkeley.edu
4Some preliminaries
- I am not a science educator
- Literacy and language do their best work--for
themselves and their curricular cousins when they
are de-center - More like learning
- Less like science or social studies
- Tools to support knowledge acquisition and
inquiry processes - Means not ends
5Some more preliminaries
- Legitimate threats to science education from
literacy dominated curricula - Text domination
- Word domination
- Well take care of it for you
6Science educators are rightfully suspicious of
literacy, especially text-driven science
curriculum.
- Apprehensions about text
- Declarations of fact not the scientific
enterprise - Misrepresentations
- Eclipse inquiry
7Many science educators are apprehensive about
vocabulary instruction
- Apprehensions about vocabulary
- Science as memorizing words (N 3500)
- Words as the final goal
- How words get in the way of concepts
8Well take care of it for you!
- Well teach the students how to decipher content
area texts - Not your responsibility as a science teacher.
9Learning from our predecessors
- Integration is promising
- Can travel both ways
- Lead with literacy, follow with science (Guthrie
and CORI) - Lead with science, follow with literacy
(Palincsar Magnusson) - Making a virtue out of the Second and First Hand
Investigations Palincsar Magnusson - Literacy can gain from science Romance and
Vitale - Tackling the discourse issue head on (Moje)
10Context for Our Work
- NSF-funded Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading
Project - Collaborators UC-Berkeleys Lawrence Hall of
Science and Graduate School of Education - Revision of GEMS units to integrate literacy with
firsthand science - Curriculum development and research
11Our Entire Seeds and Roots Team
- Literacy
- Marco A. Bravo
- Gina Cervetti
- Megan Goss
- Elfrieda Hiebert
- Carolyn Jaynes,
- Dvora Klein
- P. David Pearson
- Lisa Sensale
- Jennifer Tilson
- Jill Castek
- Science
- Jacqueline Barber
- Josiah Baker
- Lynn Barakos
- Kevin Beals
- Lincoln Bergman
- Mary Connoly
- Jonathan Curley
- John Erickson
- Catherine Halversen
- Kimi Hosoume
- Suzanna Loper
- Carolyn Willard
- Suzy Loper
12Progress to Date
- Built a model of science-literacy integration
- Applied that model to the development of 3 units
for 2nd-3rd grade students and assessment system - Applying it to another 9 units at grades 2-5
- Built a model of text accessibility
- Developed and produced 27 non-fiction student
readers that embody this model - Another 56 are in various stages of the editorial
process
13Topics
- 23s Gravity and magnetism
- 23s Designing mixtures
- 23 Soil Habitats
- 23 Shoreline Science
- 34s Digestion and body systems
- 34s Variation and adaptation
- 34 Light energy
- 34 Weather and water
- 45s Chemical changes
- 45s Models of matter
- 45 Aquatic ecosystems
- 45 Planets and moons
S short (4 wks) already trialed
14Progress, continued
- Developed and integrated an approach for
accommodating language learners - A national, quasi-experimental research study
involving 87 classrooms in 21 states - Planning a new national field trial in 160
classrooms in even more states - Engaged in several separate research studies
regarding science-literacy integration - Genre (narrative and straightforward
informational) - Lexical and syntactic complexity
- Spontaneous use of new vocabulary in writing
- Nature of the discourse in a lesson that cooks
15Guiding Principles and Curricular Guidelines
16Three Pillars of Integration
- Engage students in firsthand and text
investigations - Employ multiple modalities
- Capitalize on synergies between science and
literacy
17Firsthand and Text Investigations
- Premise Text and experience can play a set of
dynamic roles in the inquiry process and the
learning cycle.
18First and second hand investigations
- Conduct Snail investigations about preferred
environments and food - Read a plausible narrative in which other
students conduct similar investigations - Compare results and account for discrepancies
- Mirrors what scientists do when they build on
the scholarly traditions within which they work.
19Multiple Modalities
- Science-Only (GEMS)
- Learn from first hand experiences and reflection
- Doing
- Talking
- Science/Literacy (Seeds/Roots)
- Learn through multiple learning modalities
- Doing
- Talking
- Reading
- Writing
20Applying multiple modalities
- Apply it to all activities/synergies
- Vocabulary
- Use is the ultimate standard
- Knowledge
- Inquiry-Comprehension
21Synergies
- Science knowledge/conceptual vocabulary Words
are fundamentally conceptual - Science inquiry/reading comprehension Science
and literacy share core meaning-making strategies - Nature and practices of science/oral and written
discourse Science entails a discourse about the
natural world
22Synergy 1 Words are fundamentally conceptual
- Definitions dont make it
- Context of use helps, but not always
- Words are surface labels for semiotic potentials
words are not the point of words (ideas are!). - Concentrate on the conceptual context--how does
this concept relate to all of its siblings? - Semantic networks
- Family resemblances
23Lots of visual and verbal activity
Transmit Transparent Translucent
Photo Photograph Photosynthesis
24Vocabulary
- Commit to a small set of core science words that
together (and in combination with firsthand
experiences and talk) help build a rich
conceptual network - Print-rich environment (both reading and writing)
- No gratuitous singletons
- Increasing depth of knowledge
- Awareness
- Acquaintanceship
- Ownership
- Use it and manipulate it
- Best accomplished by RWTD
25The language of science
- We have been able to identify, across a range of
K-5 science texts, a set of high utility
science words - Words that while not highly frequent in general
discourse, recur with great regularity in science
texts - We look for opportunities to use these words
again and again in all of these language and
experiential modes. - We also promote the deliberate use of specialized
science terms
26Promoting Scientific Language
27Apply the multi-modal filter
- At every opportunity in every part of the
curriculum. - Read it
- Write it
- Talk it
- Do it
28Synergy 2 Capitalizing on the cognitive
synergies between inquiry and comprehension
29Check the appropriate box
30Some Shared Strategies
Activating Prior Knowledge Establishing
Purpose/Setting Goals Making and Reviewing
Predictions Drawing Inferences and
Conclusions Recognizing Relationships
D
31How do we know that these are really similar
across science and literacy?
- First, we cede the point that the nature of the
evidence is fundamentally different - But
- Can we see a fundamental cognitive similarity
between the processes widely used in science and
literacy? - Can you use the same rubric to score activities
in science and literacy
32(No Transcript)
33Can the same rubrics be used to evaluate student
performance in both domains?
D
34Making Predictions
- Makes prediction with no apparent reasoning
- Provides prediction supported by unrelated
evidence - Provides prediction supported by related evidence
- Is able to revise prediction to take into account
additional evidence - Assesses the nature and quality of evidence
D
35Evidence-based Explanations
- 1. Explanation does not refer to evidence
- 2. Cites some evidence to support explanation
- 3. Cites multiple pieces of evidence to support
an explanation - 4. Synthesizes evidence to create explanations
beyond what the students have been taught - 5. Assesses the nature and quality of the evidence
D
36Operating Theory Comprehension Strategies are
Inquiry Strategies!!
- Comprehension and inquiry are the accepted
meaning making strategies in science and literacy - Comprehension and inquiry share goals and
strategies
D
Constructing meaning from experience
37Synergy 3 Science is a Discourse
- Science is all about languagebut is more than
words - Instead of avoiding scientific terminology and
register, need to embrace it - Hands-on science is a venue for bringing the
language of science to bear on experience
G
38Postman, 1979 quote
- Biology is not plants and animals, it is a
language about plants and animals. - Astronomy is not planets and stars. It is a way
of talking about planets and stars" (p. 165).
39Teaching Discourse
- Environment rich in language of science
- Select generative vocabulary
- Use everyday language as a conceptual bridge
- Immerse students in investigations to bind
language to activity
G
40Teaching Discourse
- Discourse circles
- talk about experiments
- Deal with challenging conceptual problems Is
this sand old or new? What does the evidence tell
us? - a place to practice talking science
- A place to learn something about the nature of
science - Communicate with one another
- Disagreement can be functional
- Gather evidence to adjudicate competing claims
- Reflect on our learning
- How are we doing?
- How were we acting like scientists?
- How compelling is our evidence?
- What do we need to work on?
41Writing Writing as Scientists Do
- Observing and recording
- Writing reports to communicate findings
- Writing procedural texts
- Writing descriptive texts
42With important discourse elements, including
vocabulary
- Read it
- Write it
- Talk it
- Do it
In any order and any combination
D
43The Authentic Roles of Text in Science
Scientists read to situate research in broad
social themes
Provide Context
Scientists read to acquire new knowledge etc.
Deliver Content
Scientists replicate others procedures and
experiments
Modeling
Supporting Second-hand Investigations
Scientists read and interpret others data and
findings
Supporting Firsthand Investigations
Scientists use reference books to do their own
work
44Providing Context
Students learn about the natural habitat of
butterflies
From the Trade Literature
45Providing Context
Interview with chemist connects the students'
work with mixtures and solutions to what chemists
do
From FOSS
46Providing Context
- Invite students to engage with the context
- What if Rain Boots Were Made of Paper?
- Introduce domain and/or context
- Walk in the Woods
- Connect to the world outside the classrooms
- Black Tide
From the Seeds and Roots
47Students seek out information about internal and
external structures of the bat
Delivering Content
From the Trade Literature
G
48Delivering Content
This page shows info about atoms and molecules,
including hydrochloric acid -- too small to see
and not safe to work with, so good use of text to
deliver content
From FOSS
49Delivering Content
- Deliver science information
- All About Roots
- Provide information and explanation about
unobservable phenomena - Solving Dissolving
From Seeds and Roots
50Students read a model of systematic observation
and recording over time
Modeling
From the Trade Literature
51Modeling
A story about two students doing an
investigation models important aspects of the
inquiry process like questioning, measuring
carefully, etc.
From FOSS
52Modeling
- Model inquiry processes
- My Nature Notebook
- Model literacy processes
- Sea Otter Report to their own reports
- Model nature of science
- Habitat Scientist/Jellybean Scientist
- Biographical sketches of scientists at work
From the Seeds and Roots
53Books can also model different genres of writing
for student writing
Modeling
From Student Work
54Students draw conclusions about the function of
specific animal structures
Supporting Secondhand Inquiry
From the Trade Literature
55Supporting Secondhand Inquiry
From FOSS
Data from the same investigation used as the
"Modeling" example, for students to analyze and
draw conclusions.
56Supporting Secondhand Inquiry
- Provide text-based experience with data
- Snail Investigations
- In the same unit, they also plot their own data.
From the Seeds and Roots
57From second to first hand inquiry
Supporting Secondhand Inquiry
From Student Work
58Students use this book as a field guide to
identify evidence of animals they see on a nature
walk
Supporting Firsthand Inquiry
From the Trade Literature
59Supporting Firsthand Inquiry
A reference-book like page about ways to classify
leaves, designed to use with a first-hand
investigation in which students classify leaves
From FOSS
60Supporting Firsthand Inquiry
- Provide information that facilitates firsthand
investigations - Handbook of Interesting Ingredients
- Support students in making sense of firsthand
investigations - Garys Sand Journal
From the Seeds and Roots
61After reading Jess Makes Hair Gelthey had to try
it for themselves!
Supporting Firsthand Inquiry
Back
From Student Work
62Bottom line
- Difficult journey
- Well worth the effort
- Improved literacy
- Improved science
- Increased efficacy for
- Students
- Teachers
63Reading and writing are better when they are
tools not goals
- If we dont realign the current curricular
imbalances, science and social studies may
suffer - but ultimately reading and writing will suffer
- reading and writing are not about reading and
writing in general - they are about reading and writing particular
texts that are grounded in particular experiences - they both depend upon the existence, the
acquisition and the utilization of knowledge
(note the comprehension revolution!) - not knowledge in general but knowledge of
particular disciplines, domains of inquiry,
topics, patterns, concepts, and facts - In short, the very stuff of subject matter
curriculum!
PDP, NY Times, Tuesday, March 28, 2006
64This is the model I dont like
- Science
- Social Studies
- Math
- English Language Arts
65A model I like Tools by Disciplines
Academic Disciplines..
Language Tools
66Early Tools dominate
Academic Disciplines..
Language Tools
67Later Disciplines dominate
Academic Disciplines..
Language Tools
68Weaving
Language
Writing
Reading
math
literature
Social studies
Science
69So what is the bottom line in the
science-literacy interface?
In any order and any combination In every order
and every combination!
Write it
Talk it
Do it
Do it
Talk it
Write it
Read it
70How to Ease the Literacy-Science Tensions in the
Current Educational Context
- Literacy is eating up the school day-it has
become the curricular bully
- Literacy doesnt have to put science off the
curricular stage-it can become a curricular buddy
D
Only a small phonological and orthographic shift