How to Help Students Read, Write, and Argue Like Scientists

As an English major, I’m a little bit biased towards the value of literacy. Let me tell you what I’m not a fan of: the nodding head and sympathetic smile after I tell someone I’m an English major, followed by: “Oh, cool … So, what are you going to do with that?”

Well, let me tell you, what *can’t *I do with that?

Literacy is more than recognizing “the” and “they” as sight words. Literacy is critical thinking, problem-solving, crafting an argument, and so much more. As you’ve probably seen, we recently posted about ways to integrate literacy in the classroom in general. Now, I’m speaking directly to science teachers.

How can you turn science class into a place where students truly think, question, and communicate like real scientists instead of only memorizing facts? You can increase your students’ love for science *and *their ability to communicate it simultaneously, you know?

The Need for Literacy in Science

I know what you might be thinking: why should I care about reading and writing in science when there’s an English class for that?

Writing tasks require students to engage deeply with the subject, whether that writing is a lab report, a research paper, or a plan for an experiment.

Incorporating writing and reading into science helps students defend and articulate their findings, and it helps them perform better on science assessments (Chen, Hand, & McDowell, 2013). Writing-based activities also improve student understanding of scientific concepts and their ability to engage in scientific argumentation (Akkus, Gunel, & Hand, 2007; Benus et al., 2013). Whether your students want to be science teachers, doctors, or rocket scientists, they will need to communicate their ideas effectively to be successful. Bringing literacy into science prepares students with skills they will need in school and in their careers.

Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction

Our first recommended approach is Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI). This method helps build students’ motivation for reading as well as their comprehension of the material (Guthrie et al., 2007). No more groans of despair when asking students to do some reading for their science experiment!

What makes CORI engaging for students? It is built around elements of relevance, choice, collaboration, self-efficacy support, and thematic units. CORI incorporates real-world scenarios with science-related concepts, all while teaching students effective reading strategies.

Here are a few examples of how you can build CORI into your science instruction:

Animal Habitats

Start with an interactive reading (anything from a picture book to a National Geographic Kids article). Then, have students engage with the content by playing memory match with habitat cards and animal cards, pairing each animal with its correct habitat. While your students are matching, encourage their critical thinking. Ask questions like, “Why do frogs need water?” or “What happens if a bear loses its home?”

To synthesize and communicate their learning, let students create a habitat collage for an animal of their choice. Include elements of a habitat like food sources and predators. Once their habitats are created, pair students up to teach each other about their animal and its habitat.

*The Water Cycle *

Again, start off with reading: a poem, a story, or an article that discusses the “life cycle” of water. Once students have a basic understanding of the water cycle, try out a simple experiment that can demonstrate evaporation, condensation, and precipitation in a hands-on way.

Once students have seen the water cycle in action, send them into the field as “journalists.” Break students up into groups and have them create a “travel journal” or an article about a water droplet’s experience in a particular phase of the cycle. For an added creative writing twist, they could write a narrative about the water cycle from the point of view of a water droplet. Your students can then present their information to the class in the form of a slideshow, skit, or news report. Encourage the “audience” to come up with their own questions to better understand each phase of the cycle.

Science Writing Heuristic Approach

Another one of our favorite ways to incorporate literacy into science is the Science Writing Heuristic Approach (SWH). This approach combines literacy with scientific inquiry by teaching students how to ask questions and explain their findings. SWH helps students learn how to craft an argument, construct knowledge, and justify their conclusions. Research shows it improves student understanding of scientific concepts (Akkus, Gunel, & Hand, 2007; Benus et al., 2013).

Incorporate SWH into your classroom with the following steps:

• Ask a question: What am I trying to learn or test?

• Prepare to investigate: What is my procedure? What steps will I follow?

• Make a prediction: What do I think will happen? Why do I think that?

• Gather evidence: What is happening?

• Analyze and interpret the evidence: What does the evidence look like? What does this mean?

• Make a claim: What did I learn about my initial question?

• Reflect on your investigation: What did I learn? How does this apply to the real world?

SWH can look like a lab report, a research project, or a written explanation of findings. Use science as an opportunity for students to grow their curiosity and learn to explain the world around them.

Argument-Based Science Inquiry

Last, but certainly not least, is Argument-Based Science Inquiry (ABSI). With this method, students engage deeply in argumentation, construct knowledge, and justify their conclusions, all skills that are required for strong scientific thinking (Akkus, Gunel, & Hand, 2007; Demirbag & Gunel, 2014). These skills serve students in any field they go into, and students also learn how to justify their knowledge claims through multimodal presentations with elements like graphs and visual aids (McDermott & Hand, 2013).

Here’s what this might look like in class:

• Start with a compelling question: Why do some objects float while others sink?

• Investigate: Show your students a set of objects like a rock, a small toy, etc. Have them write down their predictions about which objects will float or sink in the water. As they investigate, make sure they record their observations.

• Construct the argument: Students will then form claims about why some objects float and others sink. What patterns do they notice? What do the floating objects have in common? Can we come up with a rule about why some things float and others sink?

• Justify the claims with evidence: Teach students the difference between a claim, evidence, and reasoning. Help them use their observations and ideas to create their conclusions about the experiment.

Bring Literacy to Your Science Classroom

For these methods to work, you have to implement them well and consistently. Don’t be afraid to push your students: ask them questions and challenge their thinking.

How did you come to that conclusion? Can you explain your claim to me more? Why do you think your claim is right? Show me the evidence.

If you’re not sure where to start, begin with Mission.io. We’re all about closing the critical skills gap in any curriculum. Our Missions ask students to construct arguments, write collaboratively, and apply their knowledge to real-world situations. Check out our Mission Library for science and STEM Missions that integrate literacy and get your students engaging more deeply in their education.

When we integrate literacy into science, we help students do more than pass tests: they learn to think critically, communicate clearly, and engage with the world around them. At Mission.io, we believe every student can be a scientist, a leader, and a problem solver. They just need the right tools to get started.

References

Akkus, R., Gunel, M., & Hand, B. (2007). Comparing an Inquiry-Based Approach Known as the Science Writing Heuristic to Traditional Science Teaching Practices: Are there differences? International Journal of Science Education, 29(12), 1745-1765.https://doi.org/10.1080 /09500690601075629

Chen, Y. C., Hand, B., & McDowell, L. (2013). The Effects of Writing-to-Learn Activities on Elementary Students’ Conceptual Understanding: Learning About Force and Motion Through Writing to Older Peers. Science Education, 97(5), 745-771.https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21067

Guthrie, J.T., McRae, A., & Klauda, S.L. (2007). Contributions of Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction to Knowledge About Interventions for Motivations in Reading. Educational Psychologist, 42(4), 237-250.https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520701621087

McDermott, M. A., & Hand, B. (2013). The Impact of Embedding Multiple Modes of Representation Within Writing Tasks on High School Students’ Chemistry Understanding. Instructional Science, 41(2), 217-246.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11251-012-9225-6