Writing+in+Science

=**Writing in Science - A Collaborative Book Review**= ===This page is a review and summary of the book Writing in Science: //How to Scaffold Instruction to Support Learning// by Betsy Rupp Fulwiler. It is available on [|Amazon].===

__**Chapter 1**__ - Understanding the Basics of This Integrated Science-Writing Approach and What Research Says About It
There are 5 assumptions: students are motivated when they are engaged in meaningful learning experiences, goal is for students to develop an understanding of science concepts through thinking scientifically, learning scientific skills and expository writing forms, scaffolding and modeling is needed by students, and in elementary school students have limited time/energy so notebooks should focus on what will deepen their conceptual understanding and develop their scientific thinking skills.

Needs: 2 sessions of 45-60 minutes for inquiry-based science; 2 sessions of 20-30 minutes for science writing; teach 1 full unit when you first start inquiry-based science; notebooks need to be an integral part of the teaching and learning process

This book is based on Seattle's Science Notebook Programs and they found that after teaching science and writing separately, students had improved learning in science content, scientific thinking, scientific skills, and expository writing.

__**Chapter 2**__ - Using Science Notebooks in Integrating Science and Expository Writing Instruction
The author suggests that students need to be provided separate time for writing about their science experiences that is provided as soon as possible after the science session has ended. There are to sessions, the Science Session and the Science-Writing Session (see below for more information). Student notebook entries should be written to other scientists (instead of the teacher) and referred to appropriately. For example, students are not "notebooking", they are "making entries in their science notebooks". The purpose of the notebook needs to be considered before the process begins. The focus of the notebook is to teach students to think scientifically and learn expository writing structures. Notebooks should be used as a formative assessment tool (and not scored), to developing student ability to write about science content knowledge, and improve student scientific understanding and thinking and scientific skills. Notebooks should not be used for students to talk about how they felt, what they learned, what they liked - these topics do not encourage students to think and write scientifically. Not using a rubric system for grading allows for a variety of content expectations but there are 4 basics: 1) date on each page, 2) focus/investigative question, 3) write something about science session, and 4) write legibly. In addition, the focus should be on content, organization, and word choice. The teacher needs to remember that the notebook entries are only a rough draft and do not have to be perfect.Notebooks should be at least 8 1/2 by 11 to provide students more space to write. Its useful to use facing pages (ex: data table/graph and analysis on right) for student work. Larger pages allow for data that is collected over time to be kept together and additional pages can be taped in. Pages should be lined and somehow bound. The notebook should be referred to as a notebook and not a log (that is ongoing) or a journal (where students dictate content).

__**The Science Session**__ has 4 stages and the time required depends on the activity.
 * **Engagement** - Students write date and focus or investigative question in their notebook. They then go back and circle key words from the question and identify variables. Students write a prediction with a "because" statement to provide reasoning. Students also use this stage to create tables, graphs, and charts to collect and organize data.
 * **Active Investigation** - Students work in groups to actively investigate the science concept. Teacher needs to provide adequate time for students to work, think, and discuss the investigation with minimal writing.
 * **Shared Reflection** - Students meet all together (in a new place) with a set of the materials they were working with to discuss and collaborate. The teacher facilitates the addition of new vocabulary words, creation of graphic organizers, the creation of class data tables and calculations.
 * **Application** - Students focus on thinking about how their learning applies to the real world or lead to new investigations and use their notebooks for evidence while they discuss. Again, the students are not writing at this time but trying to apply their learning.

__**The Science Writing Session**__ has 4 stages that need to be done in a separate 20 to 30 minute session on the same day as the Science Session or the next day (the sooner the better).
 * **Shared Review** - Teacher helps students to review content by asking students questions but do not summarize the results of the Science Session. Again, the students should be provided the physical materials they used in their investigation.
 * **Shared Writing** - Teacher guides shared writing work or provides a mini-lesson to model expected structure. During this phase students contribute the content for the writing and use their notebooks to support their ideas with evidence and data from the investigation. Discuss how evidence can be used to construct conclusion including identifying the relationship between variables,
 * **Scaffolding** - The teacher then removes the shared writing and replaces it with the scaffolding tools for students to work independently.
 * **Independent Writing** - Students write conclusions using scaffolding as needed. The teacher can facilitate the writing development by asking students what other writing techniques they could use to present the same content and that writing frames are simply a starting point.