Disciplinary Text- Science

Synthesis

Jetton and Shanahan
The authors of this chapter began by stating that different types of scientists view and use science texts differently.  For example, chemists and biologists do not read science texts the same way because they are looking for different information.  Because the vocabulary in science texts is often difficult, science teachers have a tendency to do away with textbooks entirely.  This is detrimental because students need practice in reading science texts so that they are prepared for college courses and the scientific world.  Science texts are also able to overcome many misconceptions that adolescent students often have.  An example of gravity was given.  In the experiment, students in the class failed to account for errors, and their results were skewed.  Expert scientists spend much of their time reading and writing, so young scientists must learn to do the same.  Something important to note is that scientists generally read for understanding first.  Once they have a good grasp of the given concept, they then go back and critique the text.  The authors of the chapter mention several challenges to reading science texts: vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and writing.  Writing is a particular challenge because students must learn to include graphs, charts, and equations in their explanations.  There are also several different types of writing that one can do for science, and precision is extremely important in all types of scientific writing.  The authors also stated that while general literacy strategies do not need to be thrown completely out the window, they certainly must be modified in order to be useful in the science classroom.  Several specific strategies for helping students through their science texts included vocabulary notebooks, List-Group-Label, and RAFT (Role/Audience/Format/Topic).  In sum, science teachers should work together with literacy specialists to determine what works best for their particular classrooms.

Hinchman and Sheridan-Thomas
This chapter presented an 11th-grade student, Eduardo, who struggled with reading and science, as well as his teacher, Will, and the strategies that Will used to help Eduardo be successful.  At the beginning of the study, Eduardo did not like to participate in class discussions, was frequently absent, and was generally non-compliant in class.  By the end of the study, Eduardo had completely changed.  Not only did he participate in ongoing class discussions, but he even began tutoring other students and made a goal of becoming an engineer one day.  Will used the "Reading Apprenticeship" approach in his Introduction to Chemistry class.  This approach "normalizes struggle" and focuses on effort instead of performance.  As Eduardo began to participate in class assignments such as preambles, reading logs, and expert groups, he found things in common with other student groups and began to contribute to their discussions.  Will taught Eduardo how to ask questions of a text as he was reading it and allowed him to make up late work for up to 80%.  This encouraged Eduardo because he could attain a passing grade in Will's class, even when he was absent.  When Eduardo reflected on the things that made him successful in his Intro to Chemistry class, he talked about Dr. Brown's care for him as an individual, as well as being able to work with partners and using reading logs.  "Negotiating success" had a positive effect on Eduardo and other students in Will's class.

Responses

Text-to-Text
In the Jetton and Shanahan text, I was reminded of the way that other texts have discussed establishing a purpose for reading.  Scientists, as mentioned, usually read for understanding first and then read for critique.  Other texts we have read have talked about the importance of establishing a purpose because this improves comprehension and helps students make appropriate connections to the text.  In the chapter about Eduardo, I was reminded of several other texts we have read which discuss the importance of engagement and motivation.  Much of Eduardo's success can be, I believe, attributed to his teacher's effort to engage him on a personal level and negotiate success.  Literacy skills can be improved this way in many different kinds of classrooms.

Text-to-Self
When I was reading about Eduardo's story, I was reminded of my own experience in eighth grade science.  My lab partner never made any efforts to help me with things I didn't understand, and consequently, I came to hate eighth grade science.  This chapter discussed the importance of collaboration and class discussions, and I think that my experience in and understanding of science in eighth grade would have been much different if these things had occurred.

Text-to-World
I have been thinking about the part at the beginning of the Jetton and Shanahan chapter when it talks about teachers not using science textbooks.  If we want students to be prepared for college, we must teach them how to read science (and other) texts before they get there.  It seems that many high school students are in for a rude awakening when they enter college because they have never been taught to do this.  Consequently, these same students flounder their way through college science classes and are not actually prepared for the real world.  Good instruction in literacy begins well before a student enters a university.

Questions

1.  How do you go about "negotiating success" with a student when your district or school has specific policies about grading that are contrary to what the chapter mentioned?

2.  How do you determine the quality of a science textbook?  The texts mentioned that science textbooks should definitely be used, but surely it is not efficient to just choose any.