A presentation to the Public Librarian's Summer Reading Conference October 2013. In general, provides overview of Kentucky Core Academic Standards abd how Next Generation Science Standards tie to literacy, some ideas about building collections around science standards and summer programs.
2. Old definition of science literacy
• Read something
• Do comprehension questions
• Maybe do an activity
• Write something
• Say something
3. New Literacy
• Ask a compelling question
• Students explore the limits of their prior
knowledge in active discussion
• Students develop questions for further inquiry
• Students read and research the texts and
sources that answer their questions with support
• Students make models, create experiments and
studies to confirm or deny their ideas
• Students present their findings in ways that are
visually and intellectually stimulating to
authentic audiences beyond the school
5. Kentucky Core Academic Standards
• English Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science
Common Core
State Standards
Next Generation Science Standards
• In process … Social Studies
6. In a nutshell – ELA Literacy
• The standards insist that instruction
in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and
language be a shared responsibility within the
school.
• The grades 6–12 standards are divided into two
sections, one for ELA and the other for
history/social studies, science, and technical
subjects.
7.
8.
9. Shifts in thinking about literacy with
KCAS Science Standards
Focus more attention on disciplinary practices
10. But let’s take a deeper look at the
identified practices, even the ones
that don’t explicitly mention
argument, reasoning, or talk.
2. Developing and using models
3. Planning and carrying out
investigations
In order to learn HOW to
model,
or analyze data,
or use appropriate tools,
students have to
participate in these
practices, with others.
14. To meet the
standards, students will need
to:
Externalize their thinking;
• Listen carefully to one another
and take one another seriously;
• Dig deeper into the data and
evidence for their positions;
• Work with the reasoning of others.
•
15. How can you help students?
• Have plenty of highly engaging text in all
grades K-12
• Appendix B: Text Exemplars and
Sample Performance Tasks
• Help students and parents understand Lexile
• Understand the three levels of text
complexity used in the ELA standards
(Appendix A)
16. Text Complexity (1:30-2:20)
A Three-Part Model for Measuring Text Complexity
(1)Qualitative dimensions of
text complexity
(2) Quantitative dimensions
of text complexity
(3) Reader and task
considerations
17. Possible activities for Summer
Reading
• Explore a science
topic in your local
community
• Have a guest scientist
come in lay the
ground work
• Read alouds in texts
• Field trip to local site
• Have students use a
science notebook
• Start with compelling
questions
• Have students
research topic
• Record
observations, data, no
tes and results of
research.
18. Guidance
• Appendix J NGSS
Science, technology, s
ociety and the
environment
• Emphasizes
home, community
and school
connections
19. ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS
•
•
•
•
Question, Problem, Purpose
Prediction
Developing a Plan
Observations, Data, Charts, Graphs,
Drawings and Illustrations
• Claims and Evidence
• Drawing Conclusions
• Reflection –next steps and new questions
20. Key points to stress in any activity
1
2
3
4
5
• Content vocabulary
• Exposure to authentic science texts
• Experience reading graphical representations, charts, graphs, infographics
• Student choice
• Opportunity to read, write, observe AND speak and listen in order to
process new information
Thanks to Sarah Michaels Clark University for use of her ideas from NSTA Web Seminar Feb 2013
There was no scaffolding and support for the reading- you did it or didn’t, levels of understanding where not knownYou answered very low level questions regarding the text – again there is no check for understanding or chances to gain information from others in discussionYou might do an activity – the activity may or may not be related to the reading, deepening understanding, it may also rely on low level “right there questions”To summarize what you might know or not – you may be asked to write something or say something in a presentation format. You had no interest in the material, was handed what to read, had no chance of using prior knowledge, had no chance of discovering the material you didn’t understand from reading and then had to summarize what you didn’t know into a final product. The results of this literacy is mass misunderstanding, lack of deep compelling material and a quenching of natural curiosity.
Based on engaging students in the subject matterTopics and material is based on student choicePresentation of ideas involves technology, but also the desire to communicate effectively.
The NGSS – also known now as part of the Kentucky Content Academic Standards
Lingo- time to de bunk some mythsTaking all questions –Myth – that the ELA standards say teach all non fictionMyth- that there are no standards to teach plants and animals in scienceThat the standards are a national plot – See the three documents I have to take back – two from KDE and one about the Common Core as a whole.Combat mis-conceptions when you hear them-
Have more of a focus on increasing the complexity of the texts students read and discuss, and developing skills in argumentative writing and research. Emphasize speaking and listening skills as an avenue to evaluate, integrate and present information from many sources. Call for increased use of technology/multi-media to gather and publish information
ELA on right in yellow is based around capacitiesMath and Science are around practices Still lots of overlap- different words for the same outcomes –Comprehending what they read, asking questions and researching answers, able to argue a point – communicate clearly
My favorite visual- the colorful venn – demonstrates clearly the amount of overlap in content areas
Lets focus on science now -Where do we see literacy (defined as reading, writing, observing, speaking and listening) in these practices?Where do we see sense making? Asking questions, defining problems, interpreting, constructing explanations, engaging in argument from evidence, evaluating, communicatingAre there overlaps?
This occurs primarily through talk, joint attention and shared activity
The NGSS – also known now as part of the Kentucky Content Academic Standards embeds this type of hands on minds on learning – it emphasizes kids natural curiosity and focuses on making connections between scientific ideas and other content areas.
KCAS Science disciplinary ideas – color coded incatagories – may be way to display similar textsThis would be where to go to check on your collections – Engineering and technology is fairly new and woven through the standards- as it is something new- you may need to add more resources there.K-12 progression – of resources
I didn’t want to scare you – here it is in detail
One major difference is that the NGSS have a progression of learning from K-12 – no longer is one subject matter or topic the special “domain” of one grade level – learning builds and gets more complex over time.
Lexile help –Text exemplars are not a required reading list- but teachers may come in looking for these books-An exemplar is a guide of the type and complexity of a book- not a must buy*
Briefly- text complexity should be measured by these three elements….1) best measured or onlymeasurable by an attentive human reader, such as levels ofmeaning or purpose; structure; language conventionality andclarity; and knowledge demands.2) such as word length or frequency,sentence length, and text cohesion, that are difficultif not impossible for a human reader to evaluate efficiently,especially in long texts, and are thus today typically measuredby computer software.(Lexile)3 ) best made by teachers employing their professional judgment, experience, and knowledgeof their students and the subject.
“A science notebook is a central place where language, data, and experience work together to form meaning for the student.” p8Have a public presentation of the information – work with local agencies -4H , agricultural coop, local forester, parks service, farms, water treatment plant, city or county government agencies.
Grades K-5 ISBN 978-1-93353-103-8Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms Michael Klentschy NSTA press
If – then statementsEmphasize cause and effectThink like a scientistWere is the science?Is that science?Deep questions with no clear answers-
Well-structured social interactionbuilds in time to think as anindividual–making robust thinking availableto each and every learner.A final product or presentation shown or shared with the wider community Most important!!!
