A scientifically and technologically literate person is one who can read and understand common media reports about science and technology, critically evaluate the information presented, and confidently engage in discussions and decision-making activities regarding issues that involve science and technology.

"When reading in science, students use a different set of skills than they do when reading fiction or general non-fiction. They need to understand vocabulary and terminology that are unique to science, and must be able to interpret symbols, charts, diagrams, and graphs. In addition, as they progress through secondary school, it becomes critically important for them to have the ability to make sense of the organization of science textbooks, scientific journals, and research papers. To help students construct meaning from scientific texts, it is essential that teachers of science model and teach the strategies that support learning to read while students are reading to learn in science."

The Ministry of Education has facilitated the development of materials to support literacy instruction across the curriculum. Helpful advice for integrating literacy instruction in Science courses may be found in the following resource documents: