Reading in Science Class

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Reading in Science Class

• Before, During and After

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Before Reading

• Think-Aloud
• Read text section with class
• Think aloud at every possible point
• Demonstrate how to use reading helpers
  (pictures, captions, boldface words)

• Reading for Purpose
• What is the reason for reading? New concept?
  Review? Directions for experiment?

• Preview
• Browse the material
• Look at section overviews or questions
• Study illustrations, graphs and pictures

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• Connect
• Use visuals or hands-on objects to make
  connections to prior knowledge or to a new
  concept whenever possible.

• Predict
• What do you think this section is about?
• Look at the picture. What do you think this page
  is about?
• Have students share predictions or write them
  down.
• Could use K-W-L or K-W-L-S Charts to record
  information.

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K-W-L
K What I Know or think I Know W What I Want to know L What I Learned

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K-W-L-S
K What I Know or think I Know W What I Want to know L What I Learned S What I Still want to know

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During Reading

• Sticky Notes (if you cant highlight)
• student-posed questions
• predictions
• definitions

• When sticky notes are too expensiveuse scrapes
  of paper cut
• into shapes. Example Use a triangle shape
  to write 3 facts

• Graphic Organizers
• Use to monitor and record information as they
  read
• Can use these to evaluate for a grade
• Visual or graphic elements are especially helpful
  to LD students

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____________ A raw material
_________ A product
____________ Source of energy
__________ is made and stored here, then used by
_________ and _________
From the roots
Makes the plant green purpose ___________________
__
Name of this process
Equation for this process ?______________________?
__________________________ ___________________
__
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What is it?
What is it like?
A Comparison
What are some examples?
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What is it?
How would you describe it?
Chondrichthyes
What is it similar to?
Long, gray body 6 senses
A fish
Big, sharp teeth Many rows of teeth
Sharks
Searching for food, always Gills to breathe
through
Hammerhead
Leopard
Sand
What are some examples?
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After Reading

• Summarize
• --Use sticky notes, graphic organizers, etc. to
  help students summarize what they have read.
• --Use quick and easy summaries every
  lessonExample Write a sentence (or 2) about
  the most important thing you read.
• --Pose higher order questionsExample Explain
  how this lesson is related to a previous one.
• --Dont ask What did you learn today?

• Charts
• Use charts to help express cause and effect
  relationships or sequence of events

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Process-Sequence-Chain
Note Additional boxes can be added depending on
the length of the process.
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• Compare and Contrast (Similarities and
  Differences)
• Before students can compare and contrast, they
  must understand the main points of each concept.
• Begin with listing similarities and
  differences. Attributes can be given to help
  with differences.

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• Students can then use these charts to compare
  and contrast.

Similarities and Differences
Similarities
Differences
Attribute
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Similarities and Differences
Owl
Hawk
Similarities
Sharp, curved talons
Sharp, curved beak
Eyes on front of head
Birds of prey, carnivores
Binocular vision
Differences
Attribute
At night
During day
Time to hunt
Nocturnal
Adjective
Diurnal
Spikes
Wing edge
Smooth
Silent
Wing sounds
Makes noise
Extra keen
Hearing
Okay
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Conclusion

• Did this require lots of extra handouts?

NO

• Did this require hours of gathering supplies and
  setting up materials?

NO

• Do you need to be familiar with the text and
  anticipate student responses?

YES, always
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A Word of Caution

• Dont give students a graphic organizer to fill
  in unless you have tried it out on the reading
  selection yourself. The organizer must be
  appropriate to the material.

• Learning to use the text is a process, not a
  one day lesson.