Research Summary

Research Summary

Linda McElroy

Interdisciplinary Ideas: Teaching Language Development during Science Instruction

A key component for children in the process of literacy development is the development of language. A recent article in The Reading Teacher reviewed research related to supporting language development in an interdisciplinary fashion by support of children’s use of language during science instruction. This column will review the article, supplementing it with a second article, both from recent issues of International Literacy Association journals, to capture important ideas and resources.

The first article, from The Reading Teacher, reviews previous research (46 cited articles) and presents inquiry-based science instruction as a setting for children to explore and learn about the world as they simultaneously receive support for their language development. The second article, from Reading Research Quarterly, adds important ideas about choosing the most effective science-related trade books. The two reviewed articles were “Developing Language Through Science” (Gerde & Wasik, 2022) and “The Durable, Dynamic Nature of Genre and Science: A Purpose-Driven Typology of Science Trade Books” (May et al., 2020).

Part One: Language Development as a Foundation for Literacy Development

“Developing Language through Science” emphasizes that learning to read is strongly tied to language development. Language skills begin long before children begin formal reading instruction. Continued support in language development will continue to support students’ deep understanding of academic vocabulary, comprehension, and applications of science concepts. Increased emphasis in schools on preparation for literacy and math assessments sometimes limits time available for science instruction. Teaching science and literacy in an interdisciplinary way can be an effective use of time for supporting literacy development, even in upper grades.

From this article, some of the supportive ideas for classroom applications include:

Promote Language and Science in the Classroom Adult-child conversations are vital. High quality exchanges between teachers and children during free play, science explorations, and book readings are linked to gains in children’s language production and comprehension. These types of conversations involve openended questions, invitations for children to talk more, and meaningful adult feedback to children’s responses. Instead of multiple-choice questions or questions that need one-word answers, open-ended questions are more effective. Teachers might ask, “Talk to me about _____,” “Tell me what you noticed about ___________,” “Describe what happened when________,” or “What do you think might happen when _________?”

Provide Scaffolding and Feedback Teachers need to provide feedback that involves complex, conceptually challenging comments in response. Extending children’s language with responses such as, “Tell me more about what you mean when you say _________,” or “How did you decide to __________,” is much more effective than general comments such as “Good idea” or “Nice work.”

Model Scientists’ Language and Thinking When teachers use the language of scientists, they lay a foundation for children’s understanding of the science concepts in disciplinary literacy. Children learn academic language as they explore scientific questions, make claims, consider evidence to support their claims, and use science vocabulary as they engage in scientific explorations. Children can go beyond simple definitions and work toward in-depth understandings of scientific terms such as observation, hypothesis, and evidence. They begin to use the academic language in their own investigations.

The authors provided some examples of questions that are effective. Questions to Promote Observation: What do you observe? Describe what you see. What is happening? Tell me what you see. What happened when ___________? What are you doing? What do we know about __________? What changes do you notice? What differences/similarities do you see? What patterns do we see in the properties (shape, size, movement, texture, etc.)? Questions to Promote Investigation: What do we want to know about __________? How could you/we find out the answer? How could you/we find out __________? Why are you doing __________? What do you wonder? Can you explain more about __________? What do you predict will happen when _________? How could we test your idea?

Use Wait Time and Listen to Children’s Responses Children need time to think about their responses to open-ended questions. Listen carefully to their responses and modify your feedback. Encourage children to also listen to one another and to expand the conversations. Demonstrate that you value their varied ideas and opinions. Probe with follow-up questions that scaffold children’s learning and their language.

Provide ideas and materials to help with testing a hypothesis and follow with questions to help them think more deeply, consider evidence, and make connections to experiences they have had in and out of school. Incorporate thoughtful conversations (back-and-forth questions, feedback) to support higher-order scientific sensemaking and to expand their language.

Part Two: Effective Science Trade Books for Use in Interdisciplinary Lessons

Teachers need varied resources to support their science instruction. An article in Reading Research Quarterly (May et al., 2020) described a research study which examined a large collection of science trade books selected for their instructional usefulness in science classrooms. The researchers analyzed their design, genres, scientific discourses, and features. The existing research on scientific trade books has typically oversimplified the categories as simply narrative or expository. These researchers developed a more detailed typology of different types of science trade books.

The research study analyzed 400 trade books identified by the National Science Teachers Association on their list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 from 2010-2017. This organization has published similar lists annually since 1973 as a joint venture with the Children’s Book Council, based on their belief quoted on their website that, in conjunction with hands-on exploration, “reading science trade books is the perfect way for students to build literacy skills while learning science content” (National Science Teaching Association [NSTA], 2022). These annual lists, available on the NSTA website, can be helpful as teachers explore books published each year. The research study centered on analyzing how the trade books were organized and how they presented and represented scientific knowledge for readers.

The lead researcher read each of the 400 books and kept a researcher notebook focused on how the books were designed, the content, the focal characters, linguistic and graphic features, and sometimes quotations about a book’s approach to science. Other researchers coded the books as nonfiction or fiction, expository or narrative, presence of images (yes or no), types of images (photographic or artist drawn), presence of features such as graphical devices (e.g., diagrams, charts), and navigational aids (e.g., indexes, headings). Each book was then sorted into one of two categories, based on whether it focused on the communication of accepted science knowledge or was designed to allow readers to learn more about how science is generated. In this categorization, the researchers examined the main body (the primary text) of the books and the peritextual elements (e.g., author’s notes, afterword, timeline). They sorted each book according to its primary purpose related to the teaching of science and subdivided the categories into genres. The books used varied language types, text structures, book designs, and types of images. The researchers identified the category of science content, the grade level bands identified for the books, the types of images, and the prevailing text structures used. They identified whether the book included photographs, artist-created illustrations, or a combination.

The researchers found that most of the Outstanding Science Trade Books prioritized one of two functions:

1. Presenting already identified knowledge The researchers found that many of the Outstanding Science Trade Books presented knowledge that had already been identified. Related to the content, books were subcategorized into genres related to typical content domains, prevailing text structures, and types of science education such as life science or earth science. Books in this category are written by a knowledgeable author who is translating adult knowledge into forms that are understandable to younger audiences. Some of these are described as browsable books, with descriptions in short, titled sections, with large print, text features, and captivating images designed for child engagement. Other types of books include: ● Experiencing a day in the life (animals and ecosystems recounts) ● Expository literature (animals and ecosystems explanation) ● Traditional survey books (animals and ecosystems classification, description, and explanation) ● Resources for scientific inquiry (biological and earth sciences classification, description, and explanation) or for Observing in Nature (suggestions for the reader to notice while observing) ● Refutation Texts (addressing common misconceptions about a scientific topic such as human-caused climate change) ● Science-themed poetry (animals and ecosystems) 2. Teaching the nature of science and science inquiry Books in this category include books that the researchers described as the lived lives of individual scientists, recounts of scientists working together to address a problem, and recounts of individuals and groups working to explain how people develop and change scientific understandings. Examples include: ● Biographies of scientists, the life stories of individual scientists presented as literary, artist-illustrated picture books and traditional and illustrated chapter books ● Fictional accounts of realistic fiction ● Fictional accounts of science fiction ● Fictional accounts of children as scientists, either science fiction or realistic fiction accounts of children solving problems (picture books with narrative language or chapter books with a narrative arc that is typical of fiction) ● Literature of problem solving (recounts of the work of contemporary scientists, told in a narrative style with suspense-building language and photographs) ● Books about history and science (recounts of ways that historical events and science intertwine, recounts of historically significant events, as well as recounts

of the scientific development of a topic over time, some of which were told as a chronologically organized narrative)

Summary

The two reviewed articles provide support for teachers who are balancing time restraints against the importance of both literacy and science instruction. Language development is a vital scaffold as children learn and elaborate on new understandings in all content areas, including science concepts. The types of interactions and questioning suggested by the researchers for the first article are flexible for application in many types of lessons and experiences for children. Locating appropriate books to use in instruction is an ongoing challenge. Thus, the second article can be of invaluable help as teachers analyze science trade books for varied features and types of texts through the initially reviewed 400 books from 2010 to 2017 lists of Outstanding Science Trade Books on the website of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA, 2022). Updates of lists of newly published Outstanding Science Trade Books are added to the website each year, and these new books can support teachers in planning and implementing lessons. Enjoyable and memorable interdisciplinary literacy/science instruction can support children’s language development, as well as their science knowledge.

References

Gerde, H. K., & Wasik, B.A. (2022). Developing language through science. The Reading Teacher, 75(5), 535-544.

May, L., Crisp, T., Bingham, G.E., Schwartz, R.E., Pickens, M.T., & Woodbridge, K. (2020) The durable, dynamic nature of genre and science: A purpose-driven typology of science trade books. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(3), 399-418.

National Science Teaching Association. (2022.). Outstanding science trade books for students K12. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.nsta.org/outstanding-sciencetrade-books-students-k-12

Dr. Linda McElroy is a professor at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. She previously taught in Oklahoma schools as a classroom teacher and as a reading specialist.