Practical Strategies for Incorporating Reading into the Science Classroom

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Practical Strategies for Incorporating Reading
into the Science Classroom

• Christina Thurston
• Velvet Dowdy
• Graves County High School

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Contact Us

• Christina Thurston
• Christina.thurston_at_graves.kyschools.us
• http//www.graves.k12.ky.us/schools/gchs/cthurston
  /
• Velvet Dowdy
• Velvet.dowdy_at_graves.kyschools.us
• http//www.graves.k12.ky.us/schools/gchs/vdowdy/

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Article Analysis

• Students in science classes complete an analysis
  of an article they read
• Articles can be teacher or student selected
• They can be done in class or as homework
• They can be used as a regular grade or as an
  extra credit assignment
• The important component of these is that students
  are reading articles related to current topics in
  the classroom and are asked to analyze what they
  have read in several ways.

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One suggestion

• Summarize the key points of your article in a
  paragraph (3 sentences, minimum). I should know
  what the article is about by reading your
  summary.
• How does your article relate to things you have
  learned in class? (2-3 sentences)
• What did you learn from reading this article?
  What did you find interesting? (2-3 sentences)
• What is your opinion of the things discussed in
  this article? (2-3 sentences)

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Other suggestions

• Require students to write down at least 5 words
  that they did not know the meaning of and find
  the definition of these
• Require students to create a graphic organizer of
  the major points in the article
• Require students to draw a picture that describes
  the meaning of key words that you identify for
  them from the article

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Picture Books

• Students can create their own picture book of
  major concepts in the content
• In our earth science unit, we ask students to
  create a picture book of geologic time
• In biology, students create a picture book of a
  cell, its organelles, and their functions

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Readers Theater

• Students create a script to read aloud that
  explains, defines, or summarizes science content.
• Students complete and perform in small groups.
  Each student must participate.

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GISTing

• Use readings that are a maximum of three
  paragraphs long
• Have students to read the first paragraph and
  write one summarizing sentence (maximum of 20
  words)
• After reading the second paragraph, students must
  write a summarizing sentence (same maximum
  length) that incorporates both paragraphs
• Finally, after reading the final paragraph,
  students write a final summarizing sentence with
  the same maximum length.

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Vocabulary Squares
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Frayer Notes
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Guided Word Walls

• Using completed vocabulary squares or Frayer
  notes, have students to decide what category
  their words should go in
• The teacher or students can decide the category
  labels, depending on the activity
• After all students have placed their words in
  catagories, then ask students to critique.
• Do they see words whose category placement they
  agree with? Why?
• Do they see words whose placement they disagree
  with? Why?

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Using critical vocabulary in writing

• As a ticket out or a lab summary, give students a
  short list of critical vocabulary for the day and
  ask them to use them to answer a question.
• Students must underline the vocabulary words as
  they use them

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Key Vocabulary Writing

• Explain the difference in circular and elliptical
  orbits. You may use diagrams, but be sure to
  include the following vocabulary in your
  explanation. Underline each vocabulary word each
  time you use it.
• Circular orbit
  Elliptical orbit
• Distance
  Speed
• Gravitational force Kinetic
  energy
• Potential energy

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Key Vocabulary Writing

• Explain the difference in an ion and an isotope.
  Be sure to underline each vocabulary word in the
  list each time you use it in your response
• electrons protons
• neutrons electrically neutral
• positive electrically charged
• negative atomic number
• atomic mass

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Reading Novels in Science

• Students at Graves County High School read novels
  in the three required science classes
• Biology students read Carolina Blue by David
  Klass
• IPS I students read The Andromeda Strain by
  Michael Crichton
• IPS II students read Deception Point by Dan
  Brown
• Team up with Language Arts teachers
• LA responsible for using the novel for their
  content
• Science responsible for using the novel to teach
  science content
• Can also have Social studies use the novel to
  enrich their content
• Math teachers can include the names of the
  characters from the book in word problems