making the connection between science and literacy science and literacy
TRANSCRIPT
Making the connection between Science and Literacy
Science and Literacy
Develop skills needed to effectively embedded literacy strategies into middle school science
Effectively integrate literacy instruction into content related to STEM
Develop a common language when talking with colleagues, regardless of curricular area
Develop skills to discuss literacy skills and strategies with parents
Overarching Goals
Create a Scientific Literate Environment
Literacy instruction provides the bridge between science concepts and deeper levels of cognitive understanding.
Exploring the language of Science is similar to learning a foreign language.
A Clear Focus
To connect science and literacy helps to better prepare students to perform at higher levels of understanding using appropriate vocabulary and comprehension skills to meet the requirements of:
Secondary curricula High School graduation College Citizenship Daily life skills Prepared to enter field of STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics)
Long-Term Benefit
Explore the urgent need for literacy integration into middle school science
Self-Assess literacy instructional practices
Investigate academic literacy demands in science (and across the discipline areas)
Our Journey
“I’m a science teacher, I don’t teach reading”.
Why literacy instruction in science?
“The elementary teachers were responsible for teaching the students to read.”
“I don’t teach reading. I teach science” ~ Bridgette L. Davis, 1999
Addressing the Elephant in the Room
A sense of urgency
Addressing Literacy in Science and Across All Content Areas
Economic Impact National level State Level Individual Level
Academic Success
Economic Impact “If 33 percent of dropouts graduated from
high school the federal government would save $10.8 billion each year in food stamps, housing assistance, and temporary assistance for needy families.” (Ben Brudevold-Newman, NPR.org, 2006)
A Sense of Urgency
National Economy Impact If the high school students who dropped out
of the Class of 2009 had graduated, the nation’s economy would have benefited from nearly $335 billion in additional income over the course of their lifetimes.” (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2009)
A Sense of Urgency
Mississippi Economic Impact “Overall, high school dropouts cost the
state of Mississippi more than $458 million annually in lost revenue and added public assistance and incarceration costs. (www.mde.k12.ms.us, 2008)
Without a doubt the updated impact is greater.
A Sense of Urgency
Individual/Family Economic Impact “The average annual income for a high school
dropout in 2005 was $17,299, compared to $26,933 for a high school graduate, a difference of $9634.” (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2009)
More Cause For Concern
Impact of High School Dropouts “More than 7,000 students become dropouts
every school day. Annually, that adds up to almost 1.3 million students who will not graduate from high school … nearly 13 million students will drop out over the next decade. The result will be a loss to the nation of $3 trillion.” (Alliance for Excellent Education,2009)
More Cause For Concern
There is a Direction Correlation between
literacy skills and academic success
Biancarosa & Snow, (2004) and Kamil, (2003) Current research profiles of reading scores for
middle and high school students and dropout rates suggest that reading test scores of secondary students have not improved in the past 30 years
Reading scores and Dropout rates
The Condition of Education 2009(included data from 1992 to 2007) Reading scores have continued to increase
slightly for students in grade 4 and grade 8 Only an increase of 3 to 4 points in almost 40 years
Reading scores for students in grade 12 have not changed significantly in almost 40 years.
Lack of literacy skills to keep up with more complex high school curriculum is cited as the most common reason for high school dropout rates.
Reading Scores and Literacy Skills
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, put reading first, primary focus is on learning to read in early elementary grades
Jeanne Chall, (1983) – 4th Grade Slump, noted differences in narrative and expository text structures
Wakefield, (2006) - Textbooks continue to dominate classroom activities
Goodlad, (1976); Wakefield, (2006) - textbook usage increases as students progress to higher grade levels
Policy and Research to consider
Urgency and Need for content area literacy instruction is not new
Arthur I. Gates, (1917): Landmark study on reading and memory retention
William S. Gray, (1927) “Every Teacher is a Reading Teacher” Horn, (1921) offered strategies to enhance learning in
content areas McKee (1934,1948); Yoakam, (1922) advocated individual
differences and authored first content area reading textbooks Bond & Bond, (1941) authored Developmental Reading in
High School Betts (1959, 1967) compared reading and thinking
100 Years of Research in the Field of Content Area Reading
1960s- return to behaviorist school of thought of reading i.e. Rapid Reading Instruction
Strang, (1962) established professional development awareness for reading instruction at the secondary level
Perfitti, (1975); Rumelhart, (1976) expanded Bartlett’s work on Schema Theory
1980s -2000s: Content Area Reading Research focused on effectiveness of specific strategies and secondary (inservice) teachers’ attitudes toward teaching reading in content areas.
100 Years of Research in the Field of Content Area Reading (Cont.)
Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics
Strong Literacy Skills are Required to Enter Fields of STEM
Our world is “flat” in terms of skills and technology, we are a global society and economy.
Our future workforce must be: good problem-solvers, innovators, and inventors and self-reliant and able to think logically
Teachers can help by: Helping to prepare students to graduate from high school with
the skills and competencies necessary for jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
Impact for Fields of STEM
What are the problems?Literacy in Content Areas
Do elementary teachers not teach reading? Longer and more complex texts Decoding difficulties Lack of fluency
What are the problems
Text structure Adolescents are less motivated Lack of schema and/or vocabulary Not required to read because teachers “talk
the text”
What are the problems
Addressing the Elephant in the Room
The Word and Concept of Power
Across the Disciplines
P-O-W-E-R One five letter word commonly used in
academic language and in daily life. In many disciplines, the word and the
concept are linked. Across the disciplines various definitions and
meanings for the word power can cause students much confusion.
POWER
Multiple definitions and uses of the word POWER
Oral, written, and visual language Semantics and syntax Punctuation Word choice and placement of accents within
text and oral expression signifies power Meanings can be changed by emphasis
English
Commonly used in Math The power of a number shows notes how
many times to use the number in multiplication.
It is written as a small number to the right and above the base number.
Example: 102 = 10 × 10 = 100 Another name for power is index or exponent. In Statistics. Power takes on a different
meaning. Statistical power is the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis where it is false.
Math
The word Power can really cause students problems in science which has great implications for students ability to gain meaning from texts found in science classes.
In Physics. The rate at which work is done, expressed as the amount of work per unit time and commonly measured in units such as the watt and horsepower.
In Chemistry. Valence or “the combining power of an element”. This is the attraction between elements to form bonds.
In Biology. Optical power of microscope or telescope lens.
In Biology. Dominance between organisms or species.
In Earth Science. Geothermal power, the power generated by using the heat energy of the earth.
Science
Social Studies
In Social Studies, Power is commonly viewed as a measure of an entity's ability to control the environment around itself, including the behavior of other entities.
Power can be viewed as evil or unfair, but it is a prevalent condition within human social societies.
Students understand of power in social studies can help studies understand the dynamics of their daily lives.
Types of Power Delegated authority Social class Charisma Ascribed power Expertise Persuasion Knowledge Money Celebrity Force as in violence or coercion Moral persuasion Social influence
In Social Studies the word Power takes on a somewhat abstract meaning in many cases.
Literacy instruction can help us to teach the language of science.
Literacy integration can Motivate students
Restless and Bored could be Engaged and Motivated
Assessing Prior Knowledge Graphic organizers Building background knowledge Asking higher level thinking questions Integrate real-world scenarios More authentic inquiry-based assessments
Discussion
Self-Assessment
Are you prepared to fully embed literacy instruction?
What type of activities or tasks are required of experts in the field of science?
What type of texts do students read in science? What reading and writing skills will students
need to use those texts proficiently? What discussion and presentation skills will
students need to verbalize understanding?
Academic Literacy Demands In Science
What listening and viewing skills will students need to connect with the standards and objectives in science?
What higher-order thinking skills will students need to use to move beyond basic understanding of content text?
Academic Literacy Demands In Science
Questions?