How does a science teacher promote literacy without sacrificing content?

That was the first question I had about this course. Science standards are rigorous and difficult. Many teachers need to prioritize them because they are unable to cover each standard before the MCA. There's not enough time to teach everything required by the state, so how can I be expected to devote time to literacy too? These chapters answered that question.

Vacca, Vacca & Mraz (2011) discuss using trade books in the classroom. These books can be fiction or nonfiction, full books or excerpts; what is important is that they engage and teach the students. From biographies of famous scientists to explanations of natural events, stories of important discoveries to descriptions of concepts through fiction, there is no shortage of trade books in science. Some scientists, notably Albert Einstein, are known for eccentricities and pithy remarks that make biographies interesting. The stories about discoveries sometimes contain enough secrecy, backstabbing, espionage and intrigue for a reader to forget that they are learning about science.

Trade books get students involved in both the content area, in this case science, and work on their reading comprehension skills. Reading (and comprehending) a trade book gives the student a feeling of accomplishment and turns them into the resident expert. This simultaneous promotion of literacy and content is invaluable for both the student and the teacher.

In Daniels, Zemelman & Steineke (2007), writing to learn (WTL) is discussed as a learning tool. Instead of the polished papers that students write most for school, WTL exercises are short, informal and ungraded. These tools, which can take the form of lists, notes, etc. are for the student. People remember roughly 70% of what they write; compare that to 10% of what they write. Just the active process of writing increases retention seven-fold over passive reading.

WTL has many applications in science. Students can summarize an experiment for themselves to remember the reason for conducting it and the important results. Short lists can help a student remember the noble gases, the kingdoms of life or Newton's three laws of motion. By modelling different examples of WTL, and emphasizing the utility of these exercises, students may adopt them as a learning strategy of their own.

Promoting literacy does not mean sacrificing content. If done right, spending time reading and writing can promote literacy and convey scientific content in an effective, meaningful way.