¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp

Integrating writing skills into science instruction

—

Scientists need literacy skills to do their jobs. Students need literacy skills to learn science. Here’s a look at how to make that happen.

By ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp Staff | May 15, 2023

Teaching ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp to write like scientists

People tend to think of themselves as either a “science person†or an “arts person.†But for science ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp today, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Writing and communicating are essential parts of being a scientist, which is why they’re also essential parts of a science curriculum.

A science teacher is uniquely qualified to , which can in turn improve their writing skills overall. It’s a win-win! And even though writing styles may vary across the two disciplines, we bet ELA teachers will notice the improvement in ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp’ writing abilities.

Integrating science and writing skills

The science classroom and the ELA classroom are partners in developing student literacy. The following five principles can help teachers make the most of that partnership.

  1. Science writing is more than fill-in-the-blank. Science writing involves critical thinking, analysis, and the ability to communicate complex ideas effectively—in research, proposals, and more. To , teachers can ask ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp to create presentations and lab reports, and to read journals and each other’s work.
  2. Technical writing goes beyond the technical. It’s important for ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp to learn to vary their writing styles for different audiences and purposes. Practicing (even instructions for making a sandwich) can help ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp learn to write—in all disciplines—with clarity and precision.
  3. Writing takes phenomena-based learning to the next level. Writing about a phenomenon encourages ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp to communicate hypotheses, arguments, and opinions. They need to provide detailed evidence for their assertions and explain why they matter—just as they would in an essay for ELA.
  4. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are designed to support science instruction that’s rich in writing. Here are just a few places where the NGSS connect to common core writing standards: , , , and .
  5. Integrating writing into science encourages science and ELA growth. The more ¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp practice , the more adept they will be at forming arguments both in and out of the science classroom. When science and ELA teachers use similar strategies, they’ll reinforce the learning across classrooms and create even stronger writers.

Learn more

 

Tags:
¼â½ÐÊÓƵapp Science NGSS Science teacher tips

Related resources

—