What Is Happening? Science Classrooms Around The Country?

As a biology major, I will be writing quite a bit. In lab classes that I will be taking, we will be conducting many experiments. In order to create a hypothesis, typically you read a publication that sparks your interest. Next, you must conduct an experiment and publish those results as well. It is a cycle. Biology majors require writing to communicate data that is found in the lab. As a student however, I may not see this as much as I will when I become a medical

Zangori and Forbes (2014) conducted a study “to (a) examine third-grade students’ formulation of explanations about seed structure and function within the context of a commercially published science unit and (b) examine their teachers’ ideas about and instructional practices to support students’ formulation of scientific explanations” (p. 614). For their study, they addressed two research questions that were: (1) How do third-grade students formulate written scientific explanations about seed structure and function? and (2) In what ways and why do third-grade teachers provide instructional support for students’ formulation of scientific explanations about seed structure and function? The researchers examined both teachers and students in three third-grade classrooms during a unit on plant growth and development. They used qualitative and quantitative methods in order to analyze students’ written work and video-recorded observations of teachers to see if they supported their students while they formulated scientific explanations.

It provides a clear guideline for what every student should know and be able to do in math and in English language arts at the end of each grade (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2010a). The English language arts and literacy standards were written to help students meet the particular challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language in their respective fields, such as science. Great emphasis is placed on literacy skills within the context of science learning characterize “science teachers as sharing responsibility for literacy acquisition” (Scruggs, Brigham, & Mastropieri, 2013, p.50). However, it is important to note that “literacy standards in history, social science, science, and technical subjects are meant to supplement content standards in those areas, not replace them” (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2010b, p.

Sharing ideas and beliefs, free from consequences, is one of the most essential forms of freedom. Taking charge of individual beliefs and having the courage to share and support them is liberation at its best. From Common Sense by Thomas Paine to Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, words, and their resulting messages, have immense power to influence viewpoints and ideals, ultimately sparking change. However, words, and punctuation, come with risk; if the words and punctuation employed fail to clearly and concisely express the message, the message loses all meaning. Therefore, not only is the message behind the words important, but also the way in which the message is articulated.

In the midst of preparing for a recent classroom essay using exploration and reaction, several scientific research papers were examined. The documents were long, often complex and somewhat boring. For an individual who enjoys creative versus factual reading (and writing), reviewing each one was like watching Charlie Brown listening to the “wha-wha-wha” trombone notes representing the unseen teacher in an animated episode of the “Peanuts.” A simple translation (or different writing style) would have been welcomed. Perhaps something less specialized that could have been quickly perused, easily understood and more engaging to the average lay

Facing the pressure of standardized tests, students try to cram too much information in a short period of time. The memory capacity decreases from the stress of the one high-pressure test that can decide whether they well get held back and redo the entire year over. When a student receive poor test results, this may also make them feel insecure about their intelligence and encourage them to give up and possibly drop out of school later on. It is evident that many students have weakened their ability to think creatively, in the United States. Christopher Longo states that Inquiry-based science instruction has led the way in assisting students in the process of discovering knowledge for themselves instead of simply being asked to recall information. Inquiry learning promotes creativity by increasing motivation, wonderment, and curiosity. The author proposes that inquiry is the key to enhancing creativity, while still meeting the demands of standardize testing. (Longo) Inquiry based learning is a form of teaching which involves the teacher as a guide on the side. In

Scientific literacy is not defined by what the person knows in science but defined by how they perceive the information that is given. Nevertheless, in my content area literacy skills could be life or death. In science when dealing with chemicals individuals must read thoroughly. It is easy to misread a chemical that can be hazardous and mistake it for one that is not. For example, hydrogen peroxide and dihydrogen monoxide are two different chemicals, but could easily get mixed up by a student. Another situation where literacy plays an important role in science is understanding the directions. If a student does not comprehend the directions accordingly, then they may be misinformed on what to do with the assignment. In addition to these particular literacy skills, the ability to analyze is also crucial to the scientific field. One of the first objectives, students learn in science is the scientific method. The key component in the scientific method is the hypothesis and the ability to analyze the results. Students who lack the ability to analyze text or results will most likely not understand what occurred in the experiment. They will also not be able to elaborate and discuss their results. A great intervention to reduce error and to build on student’s literacy skills is to provide students with

The final step in the approach that the authors present is to include a writing component within a lesson. There is no wrong way to include writing in any classroom. Teachers have to choose what mode of writing best fits each individual student. Again, there is technology available to use with students in order to aid with

Without thoughtful consideration from teachers, writing across the curriculum becomes busy work and loses its value. In addition, students will put less effort into writing when they know it will not be carefully read. Writing must be graded based content in addition to grammar, and should not require students to summarize, but to create a valid argument and provide support for this argument. When students are required to write across the curriculum, learning is enriched and the possibilities are endless.

The purpose of this article is to inspect the possible link between teachers’ visions of the growth of scientific knowledge and the methods they use to help students construct a knowledge of science. Teachers’ views about science influenced not only lessons about the nature of science but also shaped an implicit curriculum concerning the nature of scientific knowledge. The study used sampling to find seven teachers. During the interview, the teachers were questioned about their syntactical knowledge. Syntactical knowledge refers to by Brickhouse as the methods used in a discipline to construct knowledge (e. g. , how experimentation and evidence influence the generation of scientific theories, how theories are used in generating new knowledge,

Writing has been in the human civilization for thousands of years ago and it has been a way to convey messages and laws. It has evolved as time passes by. Now, writing is used for everyday activities. Some people really are passionate in writing. However, some people do not feel the same. They tend to be stressed when they write because they do not know what to write, and I am one of them.

The National Curriculum for Science (2013), anticipates to advance all pupils’ scientific knowledge and conceptualise understanding through the segmented scientific approaches; biology, chemistry and physics. In addition, pupils should have an awareness of the nature, processes and approaches used within science, through the various scientific enquires that enable pupils to answer questions related to the world and life. Finally, the aims of the science curriculum also consider that children must have the resources to fund the knowledge that is necessary to use science in the, present and future tense states the Department of Education (2013).

One of the objectives behind this research is to find out what is working in ELI classrooms, and what is not. In order to get a clear visualization on this issue, teachers were asked if they used different mediums to teach writing. Some teachers hold the perception that students only want to pass the subject, and therefore according to their outlook for the teacher to know what learning style is preferred, is no longer a worthy element to investigate. One of the teachers explains her perspective saying:

Currently, there is a major problem regarding STEM and that there are not enough skills to develop and Science may die out due to uninterested youth. This report will summarise the information which I have gathered through the course of this investigation and will also include information on where STEM research can be found. What courses and preventions can be put in place, and how can awareness can be created. My report will also include research on general STEM, and what it is about.

I believe that Science is a very important part of the New Zealand Curriculum, because it provides children with valuable knowledge that they can use in their lives, while also helping to develop critical thinking. Teaching Science in primary schools can be broken down into two different parts, the Nature of Science strands and also contextual strands. The Nature of Science is the core strand of science in the New Zealand Curriculum. The strands include investigating, communicating, understanding, and participating and contributing. The contextual strands are the topics that can be taught, which are the living world, planet Earth and beyond, physical world, and material world. In this essay, I will discuss my current understanding of teaching Science in New Zealand primary schools, both through my own experience and knowledge gathered from selected articles, I will also discuss my understanding of the Nature of Science strands, and finally talk about the Nature of Science strands referring to the Building Science Concepts book, Where’s the water?.