Maximizing the Explanatory Power of Nonfiction: Examining Science Trade Books to Produce Stronger Sc

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Maximizing the Explanatory Power of
NonfictionExamining Science Trade Books to
Produce Stronger Science Trade Book Read Alouds

• Laura B. Smolkin Carol A. Donovan
• University of Virginia University of Alabama
• Anne Krieger
• Nelson County Public Schools

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Order of Presentation

• Review of our research on information books
• Discussion on explanations in science texts
• Practice with explanations for science read alouds

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Our Research Trail
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A Progression in Our Thinking about Science Trade
Books and Teachers Use of Them

• Study 1 Read Alouds of Stories and Information
  Books
  
• Smolkin, L. B., Donovan, C. A. (2001). The
  contexts of comprehension The information book
  read aloud, comprehension acquisition, and
  comprehension instruction in a first-grade
  classroom. Elementary School Journal, 102,
  97-122.
• Study 2 Teachers Trade Book Selections for
  science instruction
  
• Donovan, C. A., Smolkin, L. B. (2001). Genre
  and other factors influencing teachers book
  selections for science instruction. Reading
  Research Quarterly, 36, 412-440.
• Donovan, C. A., Smolkin, L. B. (2002). Genre,
  content, and other factors to consider in the
  selection of trade books for elementary science
  instruction. The Reading Teacher, 55, 502-533.

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Progression (cont)

• Study 3 Teacher Read Alouds of the Top 2 Book
  Selections (Planet Earth Inside/Out The Magic
  School Bus inside Planet Earth)
  
• Smolkin, L. B., Donovan, C. A. (2004). How not
  to get lost on The Magic School Bus What makes
  high science content read alouds? In E. W. Saul
  (Ed.), Crossing borders in literacy and science
  instruction Perspectives on theory and practice
  (pp. 291-313). Newark, D.E. IRA.
• Study 4 Multimodal Analyses
• Smolkin, L. B., Donovan, C. A. (2004).
  Improving science instruction with information
  books Understanding multimodal presentations.
  In E. W. Saul (Ed.), Crossing borders in literacy
  and science instruction Perspectives on theory
  and practice (pp. 190-208). Newark, D.E. IRA
  Arlington, VA NSTA.
• Smolkin, L. B., Donovan, C. A. (2005). Probing
  a science trade book Planet earth, Gail Gibbons,
  and multimodal literacy. Language Arts, 83,
  52-64.

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Progression (cont)

• Study 5 Reanalysis of the Data from Study 3.
  Evaluating Levels of Reasoning
  
• Smolkin, L. B., Donovan, C. A. (2004,
  December). Scientific reasoning during science
  trade book read alouds. Paper presented at the
  National Reading Conference, San Antonio, TX.
• Study 6 Explanations in Science Texts
• Smolkin, L. B., Donovan, C. A., McTigue, E. M.,
  Coleman, J. M. (2005, December). Scientific
  reasoning included in science trade books used
  for elementary science instruction. Paper
  presented at the National Reading Conference,
  Miami, FL.

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We know that

• Explanations are at the highest level of
  reasoning (Blank, Rose Berlin, 1978)
  
• Some information books contain a large amount of
  explanatory clauses-- those that explain
  phenomena (Newton et al, 2002 Smolkin et al,
  2005)
• Written texts and talk that surrounds them model
  and support the development of highest mental
  functions (Pappas Barry, 1997 Smolkin
  Donovan, 2001, 2004 Wells, 1994)
• At points where explanations occur in information
  trade books read aloud, more teachers made moves
  to further explain, modeled thinking through
  authors explanations, and kept reasoning at the
  forefront. (Smolkin Donovan, 2004, 2005)
• Visuals provide important information that often
  supports explanations in the text (Martins, 2002
  McTigue, 2006 Walpole, 1999)
  
• This greater inclusion of explanations in
  science trade books can create a context in which
  reasoning about scientific phenomena can be
  central. This makes the explanatory power of
  science trade books potentially immense.

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Deepening Understanding of Explanations

• In Science Texts

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Explanations in Text
TYPOLOGY of EXPLANTION in SCIENTIFIC REASONING
Discourse Analysis System Adapted from Ne
wton et al. (2002)
Zimmerman, 2000
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Examining Science Text for ExplanationCONDITION

• As they pull apart, / COND magma from the mantle
  rises, cools, and becomes solid, adding to the
  edges of the plates. / EFF
  
• If all the coastlines of the Earth were
  straightened out, / COND they would stretch
  around the equator thirteen times. F D

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Examining Science Text for ExplanationEFFECT

• As it cooled down / COND it became hard on the
  outside./ EFF
  
• When two plates press against each other, / COND
  pressure begins to build./ EFF

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Examining Science Text for ExplanationCAUSAL
EXPLANATION

• It is thought / F D that the inner core is
  solid / F D because of the huge weight of the
  rest of the Earth pressing all around it./ CAUS
  
• The magnetic field is what causes a compass
  needle to point north./ CAUS
  
• Volcanic ash darkens the sky./ infer CAUS The
  magma flows in streams called lava./ F D

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TRY IT Considering Explanation in Science Text
Planet Earth/Inside Out. Gail Gibbons. A Mulb
erry Paperback Book/New York. Earth is the th
ird planet from the sun. / Scientists
believe / planet Earth was formed about
4.6 billion years ago./ They think / this
happened / when a cloud of gases and dust was
pulled together by a force called gravity./ As
the cloud spun around, / small particles began
sticking together. / Slowly planet Earth became
denser and bigger./ The heaviest materials,
like iron and nickel, sank to the center./ Grav
ity is an invisible pull / that makes objects
attract other objects./ Explanation Analysis
using Newton et al. (2002)
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TRY IT Considering Explanation in Science Text
Planet Earth/Inside Out. Gail Gibbons. A Mul
berry Paperback Book/New York.
Outside the inner core is the outer core. /
The outer core moves around the inner core ve
ry slowly, making electricity / that
creates the Earth's magnetic field. / Imagine t
he magnetic field as a huge bar-shaped magnet
inside Earth. / The magnetic field is /
what causes a compass needle to point north./
Explanation Analysis using Newton et a
l. (2002)
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TRY IT Considering Explanation in Science Text
Planet Earth/Inside Out. Gail Gibbons. A
Mulberry Paperback Book/New York.
The seven major plates and the other smaller pl
ates of Earth are always moving. / When the p
lates move apart, bump together, overlap, and
slide against one another,/ the surface of Eart
h moves very slowly./ The plates drift at rates
of about seven inches each year. / Planet
Earth is in constant motion. / That's one re
ason why / we call it the living planet. /
Explanation Analysis using Newton et al. (20
02)
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TRY IT Considering Explanation in Science Text
Planet Earth/Inside Out. Gail Gibbons. A
Mulberry Paperback Book/New York.
Throughout Earth's crust there are many cracks,
called faults./ Major faults are found near
/ where plates touch. / When two plates
press against each other, / pressure begins to
build./ When the strain becomes too great, /
the ground moves suddenly along these faults /
and an earthquake happens. Vibrations move
through the Earth./ Rocks slip and slide.
/ Sometimes the Earth buckles, or even breaks
open. / Explanation Analysis using Newton et
al. (2002)
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TRY IT Consider the Two-Page Spread, Planet
Earth

• Analyze this 2-page spread for explanations
• Locate the explanatory sentence and consider how
  you will present this to your students.
  
• As this movement over partially molten rock is
  not pictured, consider how you can support your
  verbal explanation.
  

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Planning the Read Aloud to Support Scientific
Reasoning

• Know the book.
• Know where explanations occur in the text.
• Plan places to model and support childrens
  reasoning about science concepts.
  
• Consider additional supports beyond the verbal
  explanation.
  

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References

• Blank, M., Rose, S.A., Berlin, L.J. (1978). The
  language of learning The preschool years.
  Orlando, FL Grune Stratton.
  
• Newton, L. D., Newton, D. P., Blake, A., Brown,
  K. (2002). Do primary school science books for
  children show a concern for explanatory
  understanding? Research in Science
  Technological Education, 20, 227-240.
• Pappas, C. C., Barry, A. (1997). Scaffolding
  urban students' initiations Transactions in
  reading information books in the read aloud
  curriculum. In N. J. Karolides (Ed.), Reader
  response in elementary classrooms Quest and
  discovery (pp. 215-236). Mahwah, NJ Lawrence
  Erlbaum.
• Smolkin, L. B., Donovan, C. A. (2001). The
  contexts of comprehension The information book
  read aloud, comprehension acquisition, and
  comprehension instruction in a first-grade
  classroom. Elementary School Journal, 102,
  97-122.
• Smolkin, L. B., Donovan, C. A. (2004). How not
  to get lost on The Magic School Bus What makes
  high science content read alouds? In E. W. Saul
  (Ed.), Crossing borders in literacy and science
  instruction Perspectives on theory and practice
  (pp. 291-313). Newark, D.E. IRA.
• Smolkin, L. B., Donovan, C. A. (2005). Probing
  a science trade book Planet earth, Gail Gibbons,
  and multimodal literacy. Language Arts, 83,
  52-64.
• Walpole, S. (1998/1999). Changing texts, changing
  thinking Comprehension demands of new science
  textbooks. Reading Teacher, 52, 358-369.
  

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Ms. Krieger Using Graphics to Support Explanations
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Levels of Reasoning Adapted from Blank, Rose,
Berlin (1978)

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LEVEL IV REASONINGAt this level, teachers
require children to make predictions based on
changes in position or structure, justify a
prediction or decision, identify cause, formulate
a solution, explain, or model these processes by
doing them for children.

• PREDICT/CONDITIONAL
• You think this is going to tell us about
  earthquakes? Why?
  
• How do you think seashells can be found on some
  of the rocks that are way up high on mountains?
  And nowhere near the water.
  
• What will happen if What would we
  see if
  
• DECISION discussing the probability of digging
  below the continental crust
  
• C My dad can
• T 40 miles?
• C If its sand.

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LEVEL IV REASONING (cont)

• CAUSE
• So, you've got the plates moving against each
  other, pushing and
  
• pushing against each other. And that will cause
  other places in the
  
• crust to crack open
• CONDITIONAL
• ever since we were born, / we've been on the
  earth / and it's, so we can't tell the
  difference.
  
• / If it stopped spinning, / I'll bet we'd feel
  the difference. / Or if it speeded up, / we'd
  feel the difference.
  
• MEANS-END
• What could we use?
• If we use this one, we'll finish faster.
• EXPLAIN
• How could you tell?

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Ms. Krieger reading from Planet Earth

• The crust is not one solid piece. Instead it is
  split into seven major pieces and many other
  
• smaller pieces called plates. Each plate curves
  to fit the shape of planet Earth. Plates are
  made
  
• up of a thin portion of crust and a thicker
  portion of outer mantle that lies beneath them.
  
  
• These plates slowly move, because they float on
  top of partially molten rock. Earths plates are
  
  
• about forty miles thick under the oceans and
  about sixty miles thick under the continents.
  
• Ms. Krieger So what theyre saying / III
  SUMMARIZE is that the continental
  
• crust is about 60 miles thick/ III SUMMARIZE
• Could you dig 60 miles deep to get down there?
  IV PREDICT
  
• Child uh huh
• Ms. Krieger I dont think so / IV PREDICT...
  Its heavy rock / IV DECISION
  
• Now, all these plates, the crusty plates are
  actually cracked into pieces/ II DESCRIBE and
  this map shows where the pieces are / II FUNCTION.

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Ms. Krieger reading from Planet Earth (cont)

• It said /II RECALL those plates are kind of
  floating around on top of the
  
• melted rock/ II RECALL. Okay, okay here they go,
  floating around/
  
• II DESCRIBE theyre always moving/II RECALL and
  when they move apart/
  
• IV PREDICT arent they going to bump into
  another plate behind them?
  
• IV PREDICT and when they move forward/ IV
  PREDICT theyll bump into a
  
• plate?/ IV PREDICT
• Listen to this. The seven major plates and the
  other smaller plates of Earth are always
  
• moving. When the plates move apart, bump
  together, overlap, and slide against one
  
• another, the surface of Earth moves very slowly.

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Ms. Krieger reading from Planet Earth (cont)

• An earthquake can last from seconds to a few
  minutes. Sometimes it causes great
  
• damage. Scientists can tell how powerful an
  earthquake is by using instruments that
  
• measure the strength of the vibrations, or shock
  waves, moving through the ground.
  
• Often they can predict where earthquakes might
  happen, but they cant tell when.
  
• Mrs. Krieger Now, how could they predict where
  an earthquake would happen?/IV MEANS END How
  would they know a place / IV MEANS END Where an
  earthquake might happen?/ IV MEANS END.
• Child unintelligible
• Mrs. Krieger Did you hear Anna? Because they
  know / IV CAUSE where the plates are bumping
  against each other/IV CAUSE So theyll say if
  the plates are bumping and grinding and pushing
  against each other/IV CONDITION that would be a
  place where an earthquake might happen/IV
  CONDITION But they cant tell when/II RECALL

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Explanations in Science Texts
Adapted from Newton et al. (2002)
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Explanations in Science Texts (cont)
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Impact of Explanatory Text on Teacher Reasonin
g