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Can you write

it down, please?
Writing in the Science classroom
Writing, I think, is not apart from living. Writing
is a kind of double living. The writer experiences
everything twice. Once in reality and once in that
mirror, which waits always before or behind.
Catherine DRINKER BOWEN, american writer

I hate
writing

Writing is remembering

Writing can be boring

Do you usually write down everything you want

to remember? Have you noticed that your learners
tend to pay more attention to what they see
written down than what is said to them?
Do students often ask you to write things they
dont understand on the board?

How many times do your students whine when

you tell them to write something?

But, why should only teachers write? Writing

exercises are very important for students learning
Science in English and help learners master new
words and concepts. Writing gives learners an
opportunity to think about the language they are
using and helps them really learn new structures
and new vocabulary.

If you see that your students avoid individual

writing, transform it into a collaborative task!
In this way writing will become a creative part
of the classroom routine and not a boring activity
the students are reluctant to carry out. On the
following pages are some entertaining writing
activities you can use in your Science classes.

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Classroom magazines

Science diaries

Divide your class into teams and tell them they are
going to create their own monthly (or bimonthly)
classroom magazine and that they can write
down everything they want about the topics
they learned. Tell students to include pictures
and drawings to illustrate their news.

Science diaries are an excellent way to keep

records of class or home experiments. Take seed
germination: ask learners to put a lentil in a glass
of water and keep a diary with their own drawings
and observations explaining what happens over
the course of time. After the experiment is over,
students bring their diaries into class and compare
their observations.

For example, if the topic you have just covered

is planets the learners could:
draw and describe a planet of their choice.
write imaginary news, such as the discovery
of a new planet.
make up funny news like the price of flats
on Mars.
publish an interview with an alien.

Extra suggestions
To foster speaking, use brainstorming to

choose the name of the magazine. Ask every

group to come up with a name. Then the class
votes for the best name.
Keep the magazine in the classroom library
for everybody to read. It will give an extra
sense of pride to your students.
Class magazines are a great revision tool!
At the beginning of new school year take
out old classroom magazines and go through
the content.

Suggested activity
Sprouting seeds
Place 8 seeds on a damp paper towel, put the
seeds and paper towel carefully in a plastic
sandwich bag. After seven days, observe,
compare, and record the root length, root
thickness, and number of root hairs using
a hand lens.
Use the photocopiable sheet on the next page.

Storyboards and cartoons

The best way to make writing fun! If youre

teaching the digestive system, tell students to
draw or write a story entitled A small apple got
lost in a big stomach.
What happened to the apple?

Poster writing

A poster is a creative summary of one lesson.

They are similar to classroom magazines,
but instead of including different texts and
different topics, students centre on just one.
Learners are given less freedom, but focus
more on scientific content.
For example, if youre teaching different types
of energy, tell each group of students to look
for and include photos and texts about one type
of energy: what it is, how we use it, where we can
find it. Students will read all the posters sooner
or later, even if they have only worked on one.

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Where did the apple go first?

And then? How did it get lost?
Dont forget to publish students stories and
cartoons in the class magazine!

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Sprouting seeds
Scientist:

My list of material

Preparation
Date:
What I did:

Prediction
What do you think will happen after one week?
I think that

Observation
Date:
What really happened after one week? Describe everything you see.

My prediction was right: Yes No

What did you discover in this experiment?

EDELVIVES Photocopiable sheet

Conclusion

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Running dictations

Writers circle

1. Photocopy 3 or 4 texts of the unit you are

teaching and cut every text into several parts
(not necessarily paragraphs).

By participating in this co-operative writing task

students revise vocabulary and check content
understanding, as well as focus on problematic
language areas.

2. Make sure the texts are clearly different (use

different colours to print them or glue them
on coloured cardboard).
3. Use blu-tack to display the different parts
of the texts on the walls, the board,
the windows, the door anywhere!
4. Divide students into groups of 4 or 5, choose
a captain and tell every group which colour
they are.
5. Students go round the classroom looking
for their pieces of text and dictate it to
the captain in the correct order.
6. The first group to finish writing their text
(in the correct order!) wins the game.

ups of 5

gro
1 Put students in
in a circle.
and sit them

2 Give each student in a group

a slip of paper.

erybody has to

3 Tell them that ev

e
n connected to th
write a questio
the Universe?
topic (e.g. What is
How many
What is an asteroid?
Universe?)
e
th
stars are there in

Classroom management tips

Make sure that all students in a team dont

run at the same time. They dictate in turns,

so that only one student per team is moving
around at one time! The rest are helping the
captain and putting the pieces of text in order.

4 Each student passes the question

to the student on his or
her right
and that student writes
their
answer to the question.

answered

can be
5 Questions that
no are not allowed.
with yes or

6 In this way every student can

answer 5 questions and

can check
and compare the answers
with
other members in the gro
up.

Follow-up task
At the end ask students to collect all slips, look
at the answers and decide on the most correct
or most appropriate ones. Tell them to discuss
and correct language mistakes together.

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Can you write it down, please?

Trivial pursuit

Classroom management tips

1. Divide your students into groups of 4 or 5 and

read aloud a few questions you have prepared.
Avoid yes/no questions.

If you use multiple choice questions, add more

2. Students can write the answer down on a slip of

paper (use one slip per team) or raise their
hands and say the answer.
3. Questions can also be multiple choice. For
example, Which one is not a healthy habit?

variety to the game and prepare 3 coloured

pieces of paper with big letters A, B and C so
that all learners show their answers at the
same time and nobody can cheat!
And just in case: tell your students that they
should know the answer to the questions
they ask!

a) Visiting the dentist.

b) Eating hamburgers.
c) Going to bed early.
4. After answering your questions, ask students to
write their own questions (2-3 questions per
team is enough, depending on how much time
you have). Set a time limit for question writing!
5. Students ask other teams their questions in
turns. The teacher monitors and helps with
vocabulary if necessary.

Photocopiable Activity Key (next page):

Soil: 1. C / 2. C / 3. Hardy plants, like cactus. /
4. worm, mole, rabbit, etc. / 5. fertile, poor and
dry soil.
Body systems: 1. B / 2. A / 3. Capillaries are tiny
blood vessels that take blood to every corner
of our body / 4. blood, arteries, veins, heart,
capillaries, etc. / 5. Lungs, nose, mouth, larynx,
windpipe, etc.

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Topic: Soil
My name and surname:
1. What is a mole?
a) A bird.
b) A fish.
c) A mammal.
2. What is humus made of?
a) Dead animals.
b) Dead plants.
c) Dead plants and animal matter.
3. What plants can grow in dry soil?

4. Name three animals that dig passages or make their homes in the soil:

5. Name three layers of soil:

EDELVIVES Photocopiable sheet

Now write your questions. Be creative!

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Topic: Body systems

My name and surname:
1. We break food into pieces with our:
a) Stomach.
b) Teeth.
c) Large intestine.
2. Pieces of food dissolve into a liquid in the:
a) Stomach.
b) Small intestine.
c) Oesophagus.
3. What are capillaries?

4. Name three words related to the circulatory system:

5. Name three words related to the respiratory system:

EDELVIVES Photocopiable sheet

Now write your questions. Be creative!

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