Linking Science and Literacy in the K8 Classroom

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Linking Science and Literacy in the K-8
Classroom
Making Meaning through Scientists Notebooks
NSTA 2006
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How do we know it works?

• The Data Speaks for Itself -

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Making Claims Based on Evidence

• The Data Speaks for Itself -
• A look at
• El Centro, California
• University of Iowa
• Horizons Research
• NAEP 2000 data
• Other Case Studies

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Where is El Centro?
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The Community and Students

• Mean income 16,322
• Poorest of all 58 counties in California
• 30 unemployment rate
• 36,000 students in 14 Districts
• In El Centro
• 6,500 K-8 students
• 11 Title I, School-wide Project Schools
• 73 Free/Reduced Lunch
• 51 English Language Learners
• 10 Migrant
• 81 Hispanic, 12 Caucasian,
• 4 African-American, 3 Asian

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Evidence

• SAT 9 Science Achievement Test
• Science-Literacy Connection
• Writing in lab notebooks
• District writing proficiency
• SAT 9 Reading Test

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El Centro Data

• Stanford 9 Achievement Test Science Scores
• 1998-99 NPR
• Gr4 Gr6
• Mean NPR 36 40
• Participating 43 49
• Non-Participating 25 31

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El Centro Data

• Stanford 9 Achievement TestScience Scores
• 1998-99 NPR - Sorted by Years in Program
• Years Gr4 Gr6
• CUM 36 40
• 0 21 27
• 1 32 32
• 2 38 42
• 3 47 50
• 4 53 64

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El Centro Data

• Stanford 9 Achievement TestReading Scores
• 1998-99 NPR Grade 4 Sorted by Years in Program
• Years LEP EO
• CUM 33
• 0 21 30
• 1 22 39
• 2 39 51
• 3 34 57
• 4 49 64

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El Centro Data

• District Writing Proficiency
• Grade 6Spring 1999 Results
• Cumulative Pass 71
• Participating Classes 89
• Non-Participating Classes 58

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El Centro Data

• District Writing Proficiency
• Grade 6Spring 1999 Results Years Passing
• 0 25
• 1 58
• 2 73
• 3 88
• 4 94

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UC Eligibility Rate for Underrepresented
Students Valley Imperial Project
Every Child Every School Every Day
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Scientists Notebooks

• El Centro Model
• Focus Question
• Hypothesis/Prediction
• Planning
• Data/Observations/Diagrams
• Making Meaning Conference
• Claims and Evidence
• Conclusions
• Next Steps/Applications

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Scientists Notebooks

• El Centro Model
• Focus Question
• Hypothesis/Prediction
• Planning
• Data/Observations/Diagrams
• Making Meaning Conference
• Claims and Evidence
• Conclusions
• Next Steps/Applications

• National Science Education Standards
• Ask questions
• Plan and conduct simple investigations
• Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data
  and extend the senses
• Use data to construct a reasonable explanations
• Communicate investigations and explanations

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Scientists Notebooks

• El Centro Model
• Focus Question
• Hypothesis/Prediction
• Planning
• Data/Observations/Diagrams
• Making Meaning Conference
• Claims and Evidence
• Conclusions
• Next Steps/Applications

Standards
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Indiana Standards
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Owl Moon A Focusing Activity
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On Having Goals A Metaphor/Analogy
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University of IowaThe Science Writing Heuristic

• El Centro Model
• Focus Question
• Hypothesis/Prediction
• Planning
• Data/Observations/Diagrams
• Making Meaning Conference
• Claims and Evidence
• Conclusions
• Next Steps/Applications

Brian Hand and Carolyn Keys, Sep 2005
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The Science Writing Heuristic

• El Centro Model
• Focus Question
• Hypothesis/Prediction
• Planning
• Data/Observations/Diagrams
• Making Meaning Conference
• Claims and Evidence
• Conclusions
• Next Steps/Applications

The Science Writing Heuristic

• A template for student thinking.
• Beginning ideasWhat are my questions?
• TestsWhat did I do?
• ObservationsWhat did I see?
• ClaimsWhat can I claim?
• EvidenceHow do I know? Why am I making these
  claims?
• Negotiating meaning
• ReflectionHow have my ideas changed?

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Solving a Mystery
The Death of Mr. Xavier
Focus Question How did Mr. Xavier die?
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CSI Evansville
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The Death of Mr. Xavier
Why did we do this?

• Goal To have students experience a Making
  Meaning Conference
• Big Idea Making meaning happens when students
  communicate with one another, the group, and by
  writing in their notebook

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The Death of Mr. Xavier
Why did we do this?

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An example of an activity

• Rocket Ships
• In pairs or threes, your task is to build a
  rocket ship from the materials in front of you.
  You may use any or all of the materials.
• You need to test your rocket ship using the pump
  to determine how well yours will fly.
• Importantly you need to make a claim, and then
  provide evidence as to why your rocket did what
  it did.
• Conduct a Making Meaning Conference.
• What is a common claim that as a group that we
  can make?

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Rockets
Indiana Standards

• 7.3.17Investigate that an unbalanced force,
  acting on an object, changes its speed or path of
  motion or both.
• 8.3.5Explain that everything on or near Earth is
  pulled towards Earths center by a gravitational
  force.
• 8.1.6Explain the constraints that must be taken
  into account as a new design is developed, such
  as gravity and the properties of the materials
  being used.

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Inquiry as an Evolutionary ProcessRonald J. 
BonnstetterUniversity of Nebraska, Lincoln
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Which level of inquiry is represented by each of
the plans?
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A Reading StrategyThe Anticipatory Guide
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Inquiry Learning from the Past with an Eye on
the Future by Ronald J.  BonnstetterUniversity
of Nebraska, Lincoln Learning from the Past    
As I reflect on past projects, I have observed at
least three major phases that many teachers go
through, or far too often, fail to go through.
Phase I might be described by Harry Wong as
"Doing what you have been doing, and getting what
you have been getting". In other words, Phase I
is simply the pre-reform effort phase. Of course,
we as educators hope to move teachers to a new
vision and this can result in Phase II.    
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A Reading StrategyThe Anticipatory Guide
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Results of Science Writing Heuristic Studies
(American Chemical Society California
Diagnostic Exam)

• Longitudinal study over three semesters
• 700 hours of classroom observations
• TAs were ranked as being high, medium, or low
  implementers of the SWH
• Students were ranked as being high, medium, or
  low in their acceptance of the SWH approach

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Results of Science Writing Heuristic Studies
(American Chemical Society California
Diagnostic Exam)

• The higher both the TA and the student group were
  ranked, the more apparent the learning gains
  were.
• The difference between the high and low classroom
  dynamic represents a variation of one whole grade
  level on the students cumulative semester
  results.
• This score was regardless of student ability
  level (e.g., students in the top half of the
  class versus the bottom half of the class).

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A College Chemistry Lab (SWH)
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A College Chemistry Lab (SWH)
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A 5th Grade Scientists Notebook
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A 5th Grade Scientists Notebook
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Palm Pipes -A Lesson on Waves
------------------------ Ji
m Nelson, Curriculum Specialist, K-12
Science Seminole County Public Schools 400 East
Lake Mary Boulevard Sanford, FL
32773-7127 E-mail Jim_Nelson_at_scps.k12.fl.us Phon
e (407) 320 - 0188 FAX (407) 320 -
0288 Suncom 351-0188 Home address, etc. 14722
Gainesborough Court Orlando, FL 32826 E-mail
nelsonjh_at_ix.netcom.com Phone (407) 381 -
5511 -----------------------
-
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F Major Scale
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
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The Electric Shuffle
6.3.17 Recognize that energy is associated with
heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, and
sound.6.3.23 Explain that electrical circuits
provide a means of transferring electrical energy
from sources such as generators to devices in
which heat, light, sound and chemical energy are
produced. 6.7.2 Use models to illustrate
processes that happen on too small a scale to
observe directly.7.3.15 Describe how
electrical energy can be transformed into almost
any other form of energy such as light or
heat.8.3.19 Investigate and compare series and
parallel circuits.

• Role Playing
• Visualization
• Music

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Creating a Concrete Graph of a Pendulum
Indiana Standards 6.2.5 Organize information in
simple tables and identify relationships they
reveal. 6.5.4 Demonstrate how graphs may help
to show patterns such as trends, varying rates
of change, gaps or clusters which can be used
to make predictions 8.5.4 Illustrate how graphs
can show a variety of possible relationships
between two variables.
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Horizons Research DataLooking Inside the
Classroom

• Observed a nationally representative sample of
  364 K-12 science and mathematics lessons
• 30 school districts around the nation
• Lessons equally divided among K-5, 6-8, and 9-12
  divided equally between science and mathematics.

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Among the Questions Addressed by Inside The
Classroom

• How does science instruction look in the
  nations classrooms?
• Are students actively engaged in pursuing
  questions of interest to them?
• Is there a climate of respect for students ideas
  and questions? Are students encouraged to
  generate ideas and questions?
• Are adequate time and structure provided for
  reflection and sense-making?

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Among the Questions Addressed by Inside The
Classroom

• How does science instruction look in the
  nations classrooms?
• Are students actively engaged in pursuing
  questions of interest to them?
• Is there a climate of respect for students ideas
  and questions? Are students encouraged to
  generate ideas and questions?
• Are adequate time and structure provided for
  reflection and sense-making?

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• What percent of science lessons nationally are
  high quality?

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Overall Lesson Rating Scale

• Level 1 Ineffective instruction
• a. passive learning
• b. activity for activitys sake
• Level 2 Elements of effective instruction
• Level 3 Beginning stages of effective
  instruction (low, solid, high)
• Level 4 Accomplished, effective instruction
• Level 5 Exemplary instruction

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Key Elements of High Quality Instruction

• Engage students with the science content
• Create an environment conducive to learning
• Ensure access for all students
• Use questioning to monitor and promote
  understanding and
• Help students make sense of the science content.

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