Reading and Writing in Science
More than just picture books and research papers
Activities with Books/Reading
Literature Circles
To assess and monitor students provide them with a folder, which contains the rubric and projects they can choose to complete once they are finished reading the book.
As an icebreaker, have the group decorate the front of the folder with images and words (collage) of what they think the book is going to be about. When they are finished with the book they decorate the back of the folder with images and words of what the book was actually about.
Article Analysis
Children's Books
OR
Have students read a book (non fiction works best) and then create a comic strip about it. Students can create a narrative story or they can map out a life cycle or time line of events.
Activities with Writing
Object Writing
Great idea for an ice breaker to a topic, or introducing a new science tool.
Great way to start an informal discussion in class, and get students inferring about the object or even the next topic.
Image Writing
- One word to describe what they see - They place this on a sticky note and place it on the board
- Write one sentence about the picture
- Write 2 facts they know from the picture and 1 feeling or emotion they have.
You can use inanimate objects or pictures of people, but historical pictures would be the best. If showing a piece of the picture reveal the entire picture once students have completed activity and have a discussion about it.
Additionally, you can choose to display multiple images and have the students order them chronologically as a class as another discussion point.
Research Paper
Alternative research paper types:
- I - Search - last paragraph has students write what they learned while researching the topic
- Annotated Bibliography - great for beginning research, understand how to site material and summarize the important pieces from it.
- Criteria Cards - students create a card with they information they gathers, can display the cards around the room and have a gallery walk or have students place them on a time line (for people or events in time).
- No paper/no poster - give the student a challenge, they are to display their information without writing a paper or using a poster board, and see what they can come up with.
Information Presented by:
Reading and Writing in Science
Additional information as well as templates and resources to ideas will be coming soon.