Network Connections Conference February 10, 2010

Writing in Science Introductory Comments and Field Guides in the Writer’s Workshop: A Case Study in Science Writing – Joe Burke, The Environmental Charter School at Frick Park Observational Writing: A Gallery of Ideas – Dominic Debellis, South Allegheny Elementary Graphic Literacy: Reading and Writing the Story of Science – Irene Runco, Woodland Hills High School

Writing in Science Western Pennsylvania Writing Project’s Summer Institute for Teachers

Writing in Science Common threads – Writing is a tool for thinking in interdisciplinary ways. – Writing grows the learning community in our classrooms. Writing is a social tool as well as a cognitive one – Modeling-the teacher is a writer. They write with you.

Writing in Science Why write in science? – Writing explains, shows, and describes. – It demonstrates knowledge and understanding. – Scientists publish in scholarly journals in order to contribute to the discipline and to push it forward. – In 1951, Nobel Laureate Erwin Schrodinger wrote in his book Science and Humanism: Physics of Our Time that, “If you cannot-in the long run-tell everyone what you have been doing, your doing has been worthless.”

Writing in Science Why write in science? – Holliday, Yore, and Alvermann (1994) summarize numerous scholars when they say that in addition to communicating thoughts to others, writing is “first a process of polishing one’s thinking for self- edification, and, second, communicating those thoughts to others.”

Writing in Science Why write in science? – Writing is used to not only communicate knowledge or transmit information, but it transforms knowledge. As Holliday, Yore, and Alvermann put it, writing is used to, “emphasize exploration, express inquiry, discovery, problem solving, decision making, and knowledge construction.” – Writing is thinking.

Writing in Science Why write in science? – “My students write to explain, to argue a point of view, to prove a hypothesis. My focus is on their message. Eventually their need to present a clear description or persuasive argument will lead to a concern with the clarity and logic of their message. First and foremost, my students are encouraged to write in order to discover and clarify their ideas.”

Dom starts Here

How many of us have schools that are extremely happy with the PSSA scores?

How many of us have schools that are fearful of Keystone exams ?

Do you feel as though you are expected to be a reading expert in each subject you teach?

Do you feel as though you are being asked to teach writing in the content area? How do you do that? Are you qualified to do that ?

What purpose do graphs play  in our lives  in our classrooms  in science  in math

Graphic Literacy: Reading and Writing the Story of Science

Now it’s your turn With a shoulder partner, compose a story to explain the following graph

Graphs Tell a Story What story does this graph tell?

– Without Labels and units, it is difficult to know the story…. Water depth Time in minutes

It is also important to include a title to specifically describe what the data pertains to. Now tell the story. Bath tub water level Water depth Time in minutes

Your turn…..

Great, you told a story… but where’s the science and math?

Well, let’s try an experiment

With the group at your table Measure the height and arm span of each group memberRecord your resultsTell the story somehow of what you noticed

Your chance to bring it home Use the right words What did you do with your data? How did you tell your story ? Is this how your students would tell the same story ? Choose something easy 4 U

Let’s see how others did the same thing.

1487 Vitruvian Man – Leonardo da Vinci -

Or a more common version

What story was Da Vinci telling ?

What did this man contribute?

What ways do we use now? Let’s use the computer and see what we can do

Did we tell the same story ? How do you want your students to tell the story? What way(s) make sense to them? Is there a best way?

Nice, right ? Where do we go from here?

Here are some ideas Take the worksheet with writing prompts and match the graph Think of an exhibit in the Science Center and write a story of the science at work Match one of the graphs with an exhibit from the Sportsworks

Thank you for your time and attention What is the science story ? What is the graph’s story ? With whom will you share it? What is your story? How did you tell the science story

Writing in Math and Science Joe Burke, The Environmental Charter School at Frick Park – Natalie Destefano, Charleroi Area School District – Irene Runco, Woodland Hills High School – Dr. Matt Luskey –