Teaching Science with Reading Strategies

The purpose of this book is to explore incorporation of science instruction into teaching reading strategies through action research. As such, we have several sections that we are including (1) Incorporating Science into Reading Strategies in the Elementary Grades, (2) Incorporating Science into Reading Strategies in Preservice Teacher Science Methods Courses, and (3) Incorporating Science into Reading Strategies into In-service Teacher Workshops and Institutes. Prior to these sections we include a literature review of research on previous strategies used to incorporate science and reading into instruction.

Section 1-Elementary Science Teaching: We have two chapters in this section, both set in Kindergarten classrooms where the reader can see how literacy skills can be developed from the youngest students through science. In Ms King’s chapter adult volunteers and students used reading as well as scientific inquiry strategies to explore and learn more about penguins. In Dr. Poindexter’s chapter children' s literature is highlighted as ways to improve science literacy with young students, as well as their language development.

Section 2-Preservice Science Methods Courses: We have three chapters in this section. In the first chapter by Dr. Poindexter explored how to prepare preservice elementary teachers to use reading strategies to support science knowledge development. The preservice teachers experienced the reading strategy inspired science lessons as models for what they could do in their future classrooms. In the Bartels and Boche chapter they shared how to be intentional and explicit in making science integrated with reading strategies. They recommend the use of reading strategies to aid in development of scientific  literacy and emphasizing the strategies more than once to ensure that the preservice teachers will be able to conceptualize and use the ideas and strategies in their own classrooms.  In the Markavage et al chapter the lead instructor explored how to use children’s literature to aid elementary preservice teachers to incorporate literacy into science instruction. They hoped to make children’s literature an important component of instruction, not simply a “hook” to get students interested in science.

Section 3-Inservice Teacher Workshops and Institutes: We have two chapters in this section that explores helping inservice teachers to use reading strategies to teach science. First, Scribner shares about using storytelling strategies to develop science knowledge and practical strategies for teaching these to students in an environmental workshop. In the Buck et al, study the focus was on supporting inservice teachers who focus on helping students use medial communication through gamification. Explicit insights are provided for incorporating game-based approaches in elementary and middle school levels.

As we can see from this variety of action research studies in elementary classrooms and with preservice and inservice teachers, reading strategies can be used to support science instruction. Indeed, science content knowledge can improve, and reading strategies can be used to support science learning. For elementary and middle school teachers, reading strategies can be a pathway to improving science learning through incorporating children’s literature, game-based projects, modeling for teachers, incorporating story telling, and various explicit strategies that not only support science learning, but also development of language and language literacy skills. Supporting scientific literacy through language literacy can be done, and the chapters in this volume provide guideposts for how to create such interactive and interdisciplinary lessons to support student learning.

Editors

Valarie L. Akerson, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA

Gayle A. Buck, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA

J. Adam Scribner, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA

Kristen A. Poindexter, Allisonville Elementary School, USA