Express Yourself: Writing To Inform In The Science Classroom

Toni Enloe
Sep 20, 2010

How can I successfully incorporate writing in the science classroom?

"Why do we have to write? This isn't English class!" How many times have we heard our students make this comment? How often do you have your students write in your science classroom? What types of writing assignments do they have? Typically the only writing experiences many of our students have with regard to science are limited to lab reports and science fair research. Students write maybe once and if we're lucky twice a week. So how can we have our students "write to inform" beyond the lab report?

What we know is that written communication helps science grow. In 90/90 schools, writing to inform has been shown to increase student writing scores. You do not have to be an English teacher to guide your students through written communication about your subject. You just need to make sure they are provided with oppor tunities to write.

The proposed Common Core Standards include a section for incorporating both reading and writing into the science and social studies curriculum. These standards outline student expectations for both reading and writing in the areas of science and social studies for grades 6-12, with each set of grade level expectations becoming increasingly more complex. For science, the standards require students to be able to "write arguments focused on discipline-specific content, and write informational and explanatory text, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures, and experiments of technical processes." The standards emphasize that students should be able to "incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts." Specifically in science, students must be able to write with p recision in such a way that the step by step processes could be easily replicated by others.

So, how do you move our students toward scientific communication? Dr. Patricia Bowers, Former Associate Director of the Center for Mathematics and Science identifies three key characteristics of effective written scientific communication.

1. Objective - Writers should not offer their own opinions. The writing should be based on facts and should "focus on experimental findings, quantifiable data, and verifiable research."
2. Logical - Writers should take a "rational" sequential approach to investigations and communication.
3. Precise- Writers should focus on the relevant details, use quantitative data whenever appropriate and avoid figurative language.

When students keep those three characteristics in mind as they write, their communication in science becomes more accurate and effective.

Why Write?
The benefits of writing in the science classroom include:

  • Helping students make connections to what they have learned in class

  • Deepening concepts and encourage extended thinking

  • Strengthening written science communication skills

  • Encouraging students to explore beyond the walls of the science classroom

  • Helping students make sense of the world around

  • Allowing students to see the relevance of what they learn

Writing allows you to:

  • Gain insight into the how students think about the content

  • Provide opportunities for differentiation

  • Generate formative assessments to guide instruction

Ideas for Writing in Science

Activating Strategy:

Writing Prompts - "What if" statements or " Suppose" statements Ex. What if nothing ever decayed? Students may express their thoughts on the topic. Once students have been through the Acquisition Lesson on Food Chains, students can go back and respond to the same prompt.

Teaching Strategies:

Students can analyze graphs of data that has been collected and organized. They should summarize their findings based on the three characteristics of effective science communication.

Extending Thinking Activity:

Analyze the perspectives on a controversial topic (Ex. Stem cell research) using scientific journals, discussions, and internet resources.

Formats for writing in science can vary.

Bio poems- In these poems, students are allowed a small amount of creativity while incorporating key information about the topic.

Journal Reflections - use trade books for journaling (Ex. An Island Out of Time, Doomsday)

Songs

Compare and Contrast Essays

Class science journal

Picture Books to be shared with younger children

Writing that is done with a purpose and is authentic is a natural motivator for students. Offering a variety of ways students may communicate in science keeps them from becoming complacent and helps to "grow science".