INTEGRATING READING IN THE SCIENCE CURRICULUM Margie Anderson and Tammy Hotchkiss

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INTEGRATING READING IN THE SCIENCE
CURRICULUMMargie Anderson and Tammy Hotchkiss
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• The science module consisted of facilitating a
  Socratic Seminar, integrating fiction, and
  teaching our students the tools to help them
  better understand how to read non-fiction books.

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Uses of Socratic Seminars

• Usually used with literature to analyze text
• Can also be used with Science nonficiton, factual
  text
• Text that presents a problem and perhaps some
  choices for solutions works very well

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Benefits of Socratic Seminar

• Students enjoy the opportunity to learn from one
  another (teacher is only facilitator)
• A chance for in-depth discussion of a topic
• Students practice active listening
• Positive learning environment
• Encourages collaboration and problem solving

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WHAT?

• We both realized that we do not integrate reading
  enough during a science activity.
• Socratic Seminars are challenging, but with
  practice they can be successful.
• Integrating fiction gives the students the
  ability to understand how science can affect a
  persons everyday life.

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Study Group

• The study groups focus was to come together and
  share what activities were being conducted in
  each content area.
• As a group we reflected on how we each integrated
  reading. We discussed if we felt that the
  students benefited from the lesson and gave
  examples to reiterate if the activity was a
  success or not.

• The study group was beneficial due to the fact
  that each teacher has varying levels of
  experience and is able to give advice to how the
  activity can be modified so that a successful
  lesson can occur.

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NOW WHAT?

• We both believe that for future Reading
  Institutes science teacher should be given
  literature that can facilitate the use of fiction
  and non-fiction selections within our content
  area.
• We also believe that more face-2-face meetings
  should occur between the science teachers in this
  program so that we can learn strategies from one
  another specific to science.
• Lastly, we agree that before starting this
  program teacher should be given a detailed lesson
  on how to use the blackboard because many
  teachers in our study group had difficulties at
  the beginning of the Fall session.