Inquiring
Into Literacy
Toyota Tapestry Science Literacy Grant Instruction
FALL TRAININGS
On Late-Start Days and Learning Improvement Days this fall, middle school staff met to continue their focus on reading improvement. The Middle School staff was joined by the 5th grade staff from Forks Elementary School as part of the training, in conjunction with the Toyota Tapestry Grant that is being implemented in grades 5-8.
On the Sept. 12 Learning Improvement Day staff revisited basic literacy strategies, brainstormed how to get off to a manageable start, how to establish routines within the classroom, and were shown activities to start out the year. Specific uses of reading journals along with science journals was discussed, and journals from students shown as examples. Science teachers determined how the basic literacy strategies overlapped into inquiry-science strategies and brainstormed techniques/activities to integrate one with the other. Tracy Keene, 7th/8th grade science teacher, used the science tradebook The Water Dance to model the teaching of inferring to students. Specific use of science tradebooks was discussed amongst the science teachers in afternoon work sessions, emphasizing their specific use in student understanding of basic concepts. Group presentations of specific strategies and how they can be taught in both the science and language arts (Block) classrooms were given in the afternoon so all staff could learn from each other.
On regular school days staff at the 5th and 7th/8th grade classes have been working with the district Science Coordinator to integrate the literacy strategies into the science classroom via the use of science tradebooks. Work with these grade levels will continue, and will start with the 6th grade teachers when they start their Landforms and Microscope units of instruction.
Two of our middle school teachers attended the PEBC training on literacy skills in Colorado the week of Nov. 3. They will train staff on more effective ways to implement and use the strategies in the classroom. One of these teachers is the lead science teacher in 7th grade
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Students in 5th, 6th, 7th/8th were given a Reading Strategy Checklist to determine a baseline of ability and use of strategy skills by students, and science teachers were given a survey/assessment on their understanding and use of inquiry-science skills in the classroom. These same assessments will be given at the end of the year for comparison and critiquing of our project.
On the Oct. 22 Late Start Day teachers shared from their teams how things have gone since the Sept. training, sharing successes and the things that didn't quite work. Staff went deeper into strategy instruction, and all teams discussed the following items:
What is the overarching objective of reading strategy instruction?
Are we meeting the objectives in our classrooms? If so, what evidence do we have? If not, what are we missing?
Where do we go from here in order to meet the overarching objective?
Science staff addressed these issues as well in their discussion groups, with the focus on inquiry-science instruction and its integration with literacy strategies.
What is Science Inquiry?
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Inquiry science instruction takes place in a 7th grade classroom, with the reading of science tradebooks occurring before, during, and after lab activities. |  |
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Science tradebooks help in student understanding of science material, and also are of high-interest to students. |
| These are some examples of tradebooks that have been purchased and are in use in science classrooms... |
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Copyrighted Fall, 2003
For questions contact Sherry Schaaf @ sschaaf@mail.wavcc.org
Each
training shows real use of books in the classroom, with modeling done of
the techniques teachers are expected to use with students to help them
comprehend what they read. Specific science tradebooks are used as
examples also.