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As a new teacher, I was taught to begin classes with 'do now' questions from old state exams. When my kids came late, I was told to motivate them by giving 'do now quizzes' made of multiple state exam questions. Although these practices were supposed to prepare students for end-of-year exams, they actually harmed my students' performance.
Kids who knew the answers didn't learn anything new. Kids who didn't know the answers weren't able to meaningfully participate. Everyone was bored and disengaged. I was teaching students that science was about knowing the answers to test questions.
Science stories teach students that science is interesting, that science is dynamic, and that they can make sense of it. If you can get a kid hooked on Science Friday or IFL Science, that kid is going to do fine in your class and beyond.
Some Research
Some Research
A disciplinary adaptation of book talks
A disciplinary adaptation of book talks
Interacting with text in this way builds student efficacy and interest, encouraging them to become independent consumers of text. Don't we want kids to feel this way about science about texts too?
When used at the beginning of a class, they activate disciplinary schema and prepare students for additional thinking in the content area.
Hallmarks of Advanced Literacy
Hallmarks of Advanced Literacy
Hallmark 1: Science stories are far more engaging than the bulk of Do Now texts.
Hallmark 2: Science stories require students to discuss their ideas using academic language and content in context.
Hallmark 3, optional: Science stories can be expanded to include a written component or reflection.
Hallmark 4: Science stories provide opportunities for teachers to emphasize key vocabulary and for students to practice using it.
Hallmark 5: Science stories are a routine that can be shared vertically among science courses and be adapted to other content areas i.e. book talks, current events in social studies, and applications of mathematics.
In combination, these hallmarks are present in classrooms where all students learn. They are necessary for learning environments that close achievement gaps.
Lesaux, N. K., Galloway, E. P., & Marietta, S. H. (2016). Teaching advanced literacy skills: A guide for leaders in linguistically diverse schools. Guilford Publications.Â
The self-explanation effect
The self-explanation effect
By encouraging students to first explain to themselves how the story connects to larger themes, students develop expertise in applying the tools of scientific sensemaking. They can apply these skills to novel scientific texts (e.g. the stimulus for a stimulus-based exam question).
Routines optimize for increased germane cognitive loads
Routines optimize for increased germane cognitive loads
Human beings have limited working memories. When students use a routine to engage in rigorous work, more of their working memory is available for the rigorous stuff because a routinized routine doesn't require working memory to execute.
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