Designing and implementing literacy and science activities through discourse:: Designing and implementing literacy and science activities through discourse: Gina Cervetti & Marco Bravo University of California, Berkeley/Lawrence Hall of Science


Three Premises: Science is all about language…but is more than words Instead of avoiding scientific terminology and register in classrooms, we need to embrace it Firsthand inquiry science is a venue for bringing the language of science to bear on experience Three Premises


Three Premises: Science is all about language…but is more than words Instead of avoiding scientific terminology and register in classrooms, we need to embrace it Firsthand inquiry science is a venue for bringing the language of science to bear on experience Three Premises


I. Science is all about language…but it is more than words: I. Science is all about language…but it is more than words Science is a discourse involving ways of talking, writing, and being.


Slide5: When a word is a concept Discourses include specialized vocabulary Disciplinary words are concepts


Slide6: Most fungi grow as tubular filaments called hyphae. An interwoven mass of hyphae is called a mycelium. The walls of hyphae are often strengthened with chitin, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine. The linkage between the sugars is like that of cellulose and peptidoglycan and produces the same sort of structural rigidity.


Slide7: Habitat Knowing how the word sounds or looks when it is written.


Slide8: Habitat: The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows. Knowing its definition


Slide9: Habitat Shoreline Desert Forest Shelter Food Water Animals


Slide10: A habitat has everything an animal needs to survive. The grassland habitat is windy with few trees. Knowing its context of use


Slide11: More than Words Ways that scientists describe, explain, predict, synthesize, and argue Discourse practices in science are distinct from everyday life


Three Premises: Science is all about language…but is more than words Instead of avoiding scientific terminology and register in classrooms, we need to embrace it Firsthand inquiry science is a venue for bringing the language of science to bear on experience Three Premises


II. Instead of avoiding scientific terminology and register in classrooms, we need to embrace it: II. Instead of avoiding scientific terminology and register in classrooms, we need to embrace it Demystification, not delay


Slide15: Literacy Rationale Powerful academic discourse


Slide16: NAEP Items 1. In the pond, small fish eat algae. What two predators might eat the small fish in the pond system? 2. If you wanted to be able to look at the stars, the planets, and the Moon more closely, what should you use?  A) Telescope B) Periscope C) Microscope D) Magnifying glass 3. What do playing a guitar, banging a drum, and dropping a pebble in the water have in common?   A) They all produce light. B) They all cause vibrations. C) They all convert heat to energy. D) They all need gravity to move.


Slide17: Fahrenheit and Celsius are two scales used to measure temperature. Both scales are based on the freezing and boiling points of pure water at sea level. (2000). Measurement. Foss Science Stories. Nashua, NH: Delta.


Slide18: Science Rationale Science understanding is talked into being, over time, between speakers. (Ash, 2004, p.858) Opportunities to engage in discourse are essential to learning science.


Slide19: Dawes (2003): Exploratory talk improved learning outcomes in science for 9 & 10-year olds Rivard & Straw (2000): Peer discussion and analytic writing enhanced learning of complex science topics and improved retention for 8th graders Guthrie et al, (1999): Guthrie & colleagues involve students in communicating to pool sources of information, communicate understandings, and share thinking learning & engagement gains for literacy and science McDonald (2003):Discourse among peer provided opportunities for 5th grade students to gain ownership over science ideas and apply their knowledge


Slide20: Social Justice Rationale Access to knowledge Opportunities for practice


Slide21: Passage from a newspaper article: Stalking a Deadly Virus, Battling a Town's Fears Teams of health experts are trying to contain the worst outbreak of one of the world's most frightening viruses, known as Marburg. [From the New York Times, April 12, 2005]


Three Premises: Science is all about language…but is more than words Instead of avoiding scientific terminology and register in classrooms, we need to embrace it Firsthand inquiry science is a venue for bringing the language of science to bear on experience Three Premises


III. Firsthand inquiry science is a venue for bringing the language of science to bear on experience: III. Firsthand inquiry science is a venue for bringing the language of science to bear on experience Physical activities (doing) and dialogic processes (talking)…together lead to increased understanding. (Ash, 2004, p. 858)


Our Approach: Our Approach


I. Create an environment rich in language of science : I. Create an environment rich in language of science Student learning is related to opportunities for practice Immersion Repeated exposure Appropriate context Modeling


II. Select generative vocabulary & teach it: II. Select generative vocabulary & teach it We have been able to identify, across a range of K-5 science texts, a set of “high utility” science words Words that while not highly frequent in general discourse, recur with great regularity in science texts We teach these words and look for opportunities to use these words again and again in all of these language and experiential modes.


Talk about Words During Reading: Talk about Words During Reading Call attention to the use of the word in the context of the text. Provide a concise definition of the word. Generate further discussion that elaborates definitions, provides additional context, and/or connects word to existing experience or understandings.


III. Use everyday language as a conceptual bridge : III. Use everyday language as a conceptual bridge Teaching should involve meeting students where they are and building upon their prior knowledge


Slide30: Everyday-science chart Transforming sentences Sentence starter


IV. Help students build connections among words/concepts to develop rich conceptual understandings : IV. Help students build connections among words/concepts to develop rich conceptual understandings


Slide32: Semantic word maps Semantic Associations Question-based concept mapping


Slide33: Plants Organisms Animals Etc. Organisms Plants Animals


Slide34: Adaptations What is it? What’s it like? Examples


Slide35: Habitat Shelter Organism Mixture Solution Dissolve Sand Rocks Weathering Invention Test Evidence What is the relationship?


V. Immerse students in investigations to bind language to activity : V. Immerse students in investigations to bind language to activity Effective instruction involves children in actively processing new information


Slide37: Read it Write it Talk it Do it In any order and any combination


And provide opportunities for practice in contexts of use so students can learn to use scientific words to engage in scientific discourse.: And provide opportunities for practice in contexts of use so students can learn to use scientific words to engage in scientific discourse.


Discourse Circles: Discourse Circles Provide opportunity to: participate in discussions about the science investigations they are conducting, the science books they read, and their own personal knowledge about a topic use the language of science share, clarify, challenge and distribute knowledge apply scientific understandings to broader problems and issues


Slide40: Can students (like us) help prevent oil spills in the ocean? Yes because… No because… We can investigate and study oil spills and help save animals We know a lot about the materials that clean up oil, like nylon Podemos pregunarles a nuestros padres que compren carros que no usan tanto Aseite. hemos observado que el aseite del llega al mar Es malo para nosotros igual que los animales y igual nos puede provocar una enfermedad We don’t have the power to clean up all the oil under the sand. we can get it on our clothes and take it home and a baby can chew on it


Three Premises: Science is all about language…but is more than words Instead of avoiding scientific terminology and register in classrooms, we need to embrace it Firsthand inquiry science is a venue for bringing the language of science to bear on experience Three Premises