Professional Learning Module for the Common Core State Standards

Literacy in Science

Developed by:

• California Department of Education

• California Science Project

• K-12 Alliance/WestEd

• Orange County Office of Education

• Riverside County Office of Education

Goals of This Session

Become familiar with key aspects of the

CCSS Literacy in Science

Highlight the value of integrating CCSS

into science instruction for deeper

student learning

Present an overview of strategies,

instructional practices, and resources

included in the PLM

New Opportunities for All Learners

Common Core

Standards

(ELA and

Mathematics)

Next Generation

Science

Standards

21st Century Skills

BIG IDEA for Science

ELA: read, write, and research across the curriculum, including in history and science

Mathematics: learn and apply concepts and mathematics ways of thinking to real world issues and challenges

NGSS Connection Boxes

Connection boxes provide:

a) connections to topics in other grade levels.

b) articulation across grade levels.

c) connections to Common Core State Standards

What is your definition of

Literacy in Science?

Introduce yourself to an elbow partner.

Discuss for 2 minutes what you think

literacy in science means and why it is

important for students.

Share some ideas.

Guest

Or Log In

for Credit

Link to all

of the

PLMs for

Common

Core

Digital ChalkBoard https://www.mydigitalchalkboard.org

The PLM CCSS:

Literacy in

Science

Module Overview: 6 Units Unit 1: Investigating the CCSS Literacy in Science

Unit 2: Making it Real: Classroom Examples

Unit 3: Looking at Student Work

Unit 4: Science Notebook: A Student’s Writing and Thinking Tool

Unit 5: Science: A Natural Setting for Language Development

Unit 6: Planning For Student Success

Unit 1:

Investigating the Common Core State

Standards Literacy in Science

Quick Note to Self

Think about a science lesson you have taught.

What are the important components of

that science lesson?

Share with a partner.

Lesson Components

In addition to the science components, which of the following literacy components, if any, did you include in your lesson description?

Speaking

Listening

Writing

Reading

Observation: Notebook Entry

Take independent notes as

you observe samples 1 and

2.

Use all senses except

taste.

Next Observation: Add ICE

What do you observe in cup #1 and cup

#2?

Write your observations about this

phenomenon in your notebook.

As a group draw a picture of what you think

is happening, and

Write an explanation of what you think is

happening.

Construct an Explanation:

Read an Informational Text

Read (Why Ice Floats) using “talk to the

text”

Revise your explanation based on the

reading

Finalize your understanding in a

argumentative writing (claims and evidence).

Linking Science to CCSS

How did the ice “lesson” incorporate literacy?

What language processes did you

use in the investigation?

Work in “Common”

Grade 5: SL 5.1 Participate in collaborative

conversations SL 5.5 Add drawings to clarify ideas

Grades 6-8: WHST 6-8.1 Discipline specific claim with

evidence

Grades 9-10: RST9-10.1 Citing evidence from text

ELA Text Type and Purposes:

Middle School

Fold the CCSS Example A (7th grade) in half so

that the left side is facing up.

• Review the ELA standards for text types and

purposes:

• #1 (argument)

• #2 (informative)

• #3 (narrative)

ELA and Literacy in Science

Text Type and Purposes

• Unfold the paper

• Review the

Content Literacy in

Science Standards

in the right column

• What do you

notice?

ELA Text Type and Purposes:

What About Elementary School?

• Fold the CCSS Example B (5th grade) in half so

that the left side is facing up. Notice the

similarity with the ELA middle school standards.

• Unfold the paper. What do you notice?

K-5 Literacy in Science Standards

are embedded

in the K-5 ELA Standards

Unit 2 Overview

Unit 2: Making it Real

Each grade level includes a video that

provides an overview of the learning

sequence and addresses:

speaking and listening

writing.

reading

in the science classroom.

Setting the Stage….

7-day Learning Sequence

Science content: metals have properties

by which they can be identified, such as:

• Shiny, malleable, and ductile;

• Conduct heat and electricity;

• And, in some cases, magnetic.

Learning Goals --5th Grade Lesson

Discover, through experimentation and discussion that some, but not all metals are magnetic.

Deepen learning by reading and finding out why only certain metals are magnetic.

5 -PS1-3 Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties. [Clarification

Statement: Examples of materials to be identified could include baking soda and other powders, metals, minerals, and

liquids. Examples of properties could include color, hardness, reflectivity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity,

response to magnetic forces, and solubility; density is not intended as an identifiable property.] [Assessment Boundary:

Assessment does not include density or distinguishing mass and weight.]

5th Grade Overview Video

While you watch the

video, use the note-

taking page to record

observations about how

literacy elements are

embedded in the lesson.

So, what did you notice?

How were speaking, listening, writing,

and reading integrated with the science?

What ideas about CCSS and literacy did

this process surface or address?

What other aha’s did you have?

CAESL Assessment Knowledge Framework

Assessment Rubric

The student’s assessment prompt is:

“Using evidence from your experiment and reading, write an argument in which you state your claim about metals and support the claim with evidence from two sources.”

Scoring Guide ESRs Component High Medium Low

Science

Understanding

Metals must have

Fe, Co or Ni to be

magnetic

Metals must have

iron

Any metal will

work

Text Type Criteria Stated claim;

used evidence

from experiment

and reading; had

a conclusion

Stated claim, use

1-2 pieces of

evidence; no or

weak conclusion

Series of

information, no

claim, no

conclusion

Use of Academic

Language

Attract Use attract and

stick

stick

Communicating

Information

Links evidence—

metals with Fe,

Co or Ni;

therefore paper

clip must be one

of those

List evidence but

doesn’t link it

Evidence not

supported; claim

is not stated

Samples of Students’ Final Writing

Purposes for Writing

34

Writing to Learn Learning to Write

• Student thinking

• Make visible student’s

prior knowledge of the

content

• Make visible how

student’s understanding

develop through

instruction

• Make visible which

content is still difficult

for students to

understand

• Student production

• Informational and/or

argumentative student

writing

• This product, written

and edited for public

presentation, is graded

and considered a

summative

assessment.

Unit 4 includes: • Examples from scientists’ notebooks

• Links to key research-base resources on the benefits of science notebooks

• Samples of students’ notebooks in grades 1, 5, 8, and HS (from the example classrooms)

• Video of a panel of K-12 teachers discussing the advantages to use science notebooks

Science: A Setting for ELD

Integrate CA CCSS for ELA Literacy in Science and CA ELD Standards into science instruction.

Engage in the following activities

View a classroom video of standards-based instruction that supports ELD

Identify practices in the video that develop speaking and listening skills as a precursor to writing for ELD

Develop a lesson for your classroom that integrates CA ELD standards with science content and CA CCSS for ELA Literacy in Science

Unit 6: Planning for Student

Success

39

• Conceptual Flow

Build coherence

through a 5-step

process to identify

and organize

concepts and plan for

the sequence of

instruction.

from Concept Flow to 5E Lesson Plan

• Develop a 5-E lesson

plan that explicitly

integrates literacy to

increase student

understanding of

science content

40

Module Summary and 3-2-1

• List three ideas for using the module in your context.

• List two challenges you need to address for successful integration in your district or classroom.

• List one action that you will take immediately to integrate literacy with science in your context.