Science
What is disciplinary literacy in science?
Science and engineering would be impossible without the foundational literacy skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening (Norris and Phillips 2003). When asked what a scientist does, the majority of people describe scientists performing experiments, but scientists actually spend a great deal of time reading, writing and talking about ideas (Tenopir and King, 2004) to:
- Communicate clearly with the public to inform public policy
- Learn from the work of other scientists
- Design experiments
- Communicate findings
Adapted from California Science Framework Chapter 1. "Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Findings." Curriculum Frameworks. CA Department of Education (2016).
How do the Science Discussion Cards Support Science and Engineering Practice (SEP) 8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information?
Any education in science and engineering needs to develop students' ability to read and produce domain-specific text. As such, every science or engineering lesson is in part a language lesson, particularly reading and producing the genres of texts that are intrinsic to science and engineering. (National Research Council Framework 2012, p. 76)
Being able to read, interpret, and produce scientific and technical text are fundamental practices of science and engineering, as is the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively. Being a critical consumer of information about science and engineering requires the ability to read or view reports of scientific or technological advances or applications (whether found in the press, the Internet, or in a town meeting) and to recognize the salient ideas, identify sources of error and methodological flaws, and distinguish observations from inferences, arguments from explanations, and claims from evidence. See the San Diego County Office of Education's Science Resource Center for more information including a learning progression, performance expectations, and additional resources for SEP 8.
How do the Science Discussion Cards Develop Global Competencies and 21st -Century Skills?
The Discussion Cards for science help students better access and think about complex text that might pique their curiosity about phenomena. The text might also help students respond to global and local problems that would be better understood through the disciplinary core ideas of earth and space science, physical science, and life science. In using the cards, students are frequently prompted to make sense of the author's central question or problem, the credibility of the evidence, or potential bias that may be inherent in the presentation of data. Other questions ask students to consider how the information fits within what is already accepted by the scientific community, and which community groups should be interested in this phenomena or problem and why.
Rather than relying on the teacher to provide all of the information with the hope of adequately covering a topic, the Discussion Cards support students in becoming independent and collaborative learners in the 21st Century. Teachers are encouraged to use the cards routinely with a range of different types of texts throughout the year. That way, students learn how to make meaning from text and from each other through a scientific habit of mind – a way of building knowledge from text where they learn how to read the world through cross-cutting concepts such as patterns, structure and function, systems, timescale, stability and change.
How do I get started?
You will see that there are a lot of questions on the discussion cards. Therefore, students must learn to prioritize which question or questions are the best match between the reading and their intended learning outcome. Inspired by the Right Question Institute's Question Formation Technique, students and teachers would know if a question is the right question for a particular text and at a given particular point in the learning if it satisfies all three of the following criteria:
- Is it important or interesting?
- Will it help with my research or understanding?
- Can it be answered from the reading?
The point is for students to have rich discussions and as a result enrich their understanding of the text. These questions are great for students to use both while they make sense of the reading and when they demonstrate their current understanding after the reading and the discussion.
Examples of Texts to Read, View or Listen to in Science: Excerpts from science trade books, articles, essays, textbooks, literary nonfiction, notebooks, journals, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, interviews, conclusions drawn from panels and organizations, studies, policy reports, research synthesis, lab and other investigative reports, diagrams, charts, graphs, data sets, and data visualizations. Adapted from California Science Framework Chapter 1. Curriculum Frameworks. CA Department of Education (2016).
Examples of Oral Discourse Structures to Use While Students Make Sense of the Reading: Save the Last for Me, Reciprocal Teaching, Think-Ink-Pair-Share, Inside-Outside Circles, Jigsaw
Examples of Brief Assignments for Students to Use to Demonstrate Their Understanding of the Reading: oral or written reflections or explanations, one-page arguments, 1-2 paragraph constructed response, charts, graphs, data visualization sketches, narrative pieces to describe phenomena or process, etc. Try these as independent or shared writing experiences.
Downloadable Formats
- Three per page - a PDF that is ready to print and cut. Best if printed on card stock.
- Digital e-reader - a PDF that has one two-sided discussion card for electronic distribution.
- Editable Word Doc - easy to customize to suit your students' needs
Order Now!
- Order discussion cards and sample packs using this form. The SDCOE Print Shop will create and deliver each order directly to you, or you can arrange for pickup at the SDCOE main campus. TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE DUE TO SCHOOL CLOSURES.