Literacy in science

Strasbourg September 28, 2012

Sonja M. Mork

Norwegian Centre for Science Education

My background Part of the Norwegian Framework for Basic Skills (FBS) group Leading the science curriculum group in revising the curriculum Research and development on literacy in science

Focus today Experiences from using the FBS in revising the curriculum Examples from the Norwegian Centre for Science Education

Mission impossible?

Clarify literacy/basic skills, but• Not increase the workload• Keep teachers freedom to choose methods• Clarify all five skills• Use the right levels of the FBS grid

FBS and revision of curriculum

Increases awareness and establishes a common understanding of basic skills

Provides a vocabulary for communicating about basic skills

Vital for subject curriculum groups to have the freedom to use the basic skill grids on each subjects premises

Example

All subject curriculum groups should use the term oral texts

Completely unfamiliar term in science

Accepted to not use this term in science

Verb Oral Writing Reading Numeracy Digital Practical

Describe (7) x x x

Converse (7) x

Use (4) x x

Recognise (3) x

Illustrate (2) x x x

Make (2) x x

Sort (2) x x x

Participate x x

Philosophize x x

Explain x x x

Tell x x x

Carry out x x x

Do x x x

Name x x

Ask questions x x x

Explore x x x

Sum 8 8 3 6 6 7

The Budding Science and Literacy Project

• Inspired by Seeds/Roots at Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley• Focus on inquiry-based science and literacy in primary schools• Activities: Do it; read it; write it; say it

naturfagsenteret.no/buddingscience

Do it: Students make their own glue

Read it: Wondering on what things are made of and why

Write it: Students write down the receipe

Talk it: Which glue is the best?

Writing logs in grade 3

We are going to write a log on what we did yesterday and today. You are going to write in your own words. The sentences on the board is only for assistance

After 5 min: A log is that you write about the work we did

After 8 min: A log is to write about what we have done. A kind of report

After 20 min: Uses 2 min to clarify:

Don’t write all you read about in the book yesterday Should write more about what you did when you did researchMust write about the experiment, what you did. That is the part that is exciting to read about afterwardsYou can use concepts from the concept wall

After 32 min: The text should be written in such a way that someone who has not been here can understand what we have done when he reads the text

You are going to make a system for sorting balls in the gymnasium

Working drawings in grade 4

Grade 4 has been exploring the concept of system and they have been introduced to the genre working drawing. The teacher is giving them a new task:

You must make a working drawing and name the different parts. Just like we did with the cherry pitter

What a system!

Before I used to say thing, but now I can say system

Student grade 4

Before I used to say thing, but now I can say system

Student grade 4

Working drawing

• Arranged by the Norwegian Centre for Science Education• All age groups• Combining outdoor and indoor• Explicit task:

– Find letters and numbers in nature

– Make a ppt presentation or a poster

– Write a description of what you have found

Hunting letters and numbers in nature

Observe

…and now I’m a C

Look! I’m a J!

t is made of stone and water

Write a description

Details or big picture?

Water on a birds feather makes an O

Birds in the air make an F

Scientific curiosity

Who made this S on the leaf?

How did it happen?

Present

Observe

CreativityLearn letters

Write

Take pictures

Ask questions

Make presentation Engagement

Talk

Outdoor + indoor

Reflect