Running head: CONNECTING SCIENCE WITH LITERACY THROUGH WRITING

Connecting Science with Literacy through Writing

Kendraya Chester
University of Nevada Las Vegas

Running head: CONNECTING SCIENCE WITH LITERACY THROUGH WRITING

In the education field there is a constant struggle with being able to fit everything in.
As teachers we are forced to hit many different subjects areas, some more difficult than others. In
trying to cover major content areas others that might seem to be not as important or pushed to the
side. One subject in particular is science. Science may be one of the most important content
areas but it is often the first forgotten. Instead of eliminating certain content areas like science it
would be beneficial to try and integrate with core subjects like writing and literacy. When
merging the two content areas a beautiful marriage happens.
When integrating content areas some might wonder if teaching two subjects at one time is
more work than beneficial. But implementing activities that develop science literacy isnt about
teaching another subject, and its not just an add on. Its about making sure that students
understand what we teach them. (Weiss-Magasic, 2012, p. 41) Writing is of course already apart
of science when using lab reports and books. How do you make theories, data, and hypothesis
exciting? With the integration of writing and science literacy it can take writing to a whole new
level. Often times we find that writing within science can be very bland and dry. Instead of just
integrating the basic writing process integrating creative writing with science According to
Weiss-Magasic (2012), there are many different ways students to get creative when writing in
science. The different activities and strategies Weiss-Magasic uses are science cartoons,
celebrations: the science coffeehouse, science fiction, one word, and create a virus. Each of those
activities provides a creative way for students to apply the knowledge that they learned during a
science lesson. With science cartoons the teacher presents a scientific cartoon based on the area
of study from a cartoonist like Gary Larson. At the end of the unit students reflect on the cartoon
and the content provided by the teacher in a written form. With the science fiction activity,
students again focus on the specific topic being taught. Students are prompted to think like

Running head: CONNECTING SCIENCE WITH LITERACY THROUGH WRITING

science-fiction writers and use their lab observations or current events as springboards for
creative writing. (Weiss-Magasic, 2012, p. 43) Students are encouraged to get creative with the
way that they want to present their knowledge. When studying bacteria, Weiss-Magasic (2012)
had her students create a newspaper article on bacteria that they found to be interesting.
When trying to integrate science and writing finding the write text to use may present a
challenge. Will this book align with my science standards? Will this book provide enough
scientific knowledge? Two teachers, one a science and the other a writing teacher found a way to
not only integrate science and reading, they also found a way to tie writing into the mix as well.
I, a science teacher, wanted to help students develop their science investigation skills while
making connections to the writing process. (Edison, Fournier, 2009, p. 41) These two teachers
created a lesson inspired by the book, Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. The writing teacher
shared different books and facts about the author and introduced the science and language arts
skill that would be covered in the unit. According to Edison and Fournier, students listen to the
story Two Bad Ants and listen to the description on each page and make predictions about what
the ants are seeing and feeling. Afterwards, students made charts comparing hum and ant points
of view from various situations not described in the book. (Edison, Fournier, 2009, p. 41) The
students then go to science class and begin to research ants for hands on lesson that will follow
the next day. In an ideal world specialists would build on the concepts we are teaching in school
like these two teachers have.
In the early elementary school grades centers are a big thing. In the grade in which I
teach, second grade we use centers on a daily basis. These centers normally focus on literacy and
mathematics. Beth Van Meeteren and Lawrence Escalada have come up with a way to enhance
science teaching by integrating them not only with literacy and mathematics but integrating them

Running head: CONNECTING SCIENCE WITH LITERACY THROUGH WRITING

with literacy centers. With the integration of science and literacy centers it allows hands on
experiences and explorations. Often times the science that we look at are biological science,
those involving animals and life cycles. There are many resources that address life science, but
fewer address the physical sciences. (Escalada, Meeteren, 2010, p. 74) Escalada and Meeteren
know that finding resources for certain science areas can be difficult. One of the biggest
struggles is not only integrating science but also how to integrate it and make it fun and exciting
for the students. Naturally, children are explorers and hands on. Physical science can be an easy
one to integrate with literacy skills. Second grade teacher Beth Van Meeteren has discovered
away to use students natural curiosity about how the world and things work and underline the
connections between inquiry science and literacy skills by adding a hands on science center into
guided reading and literacy centers. The inclined plane center is the center that Escalada and
Meeteren often use in their classrooms. This center is set up with different types of blocks, track
pieces, various objects that roll, and objects that slide, wobble, spin, and do not move. The
children are allowed to go to the center and explore the different materials and create ways to
make the different objects roll. During this time the teacher is meeting with guided reading
groups. The teacher calls the students back from the center and asks the students what they
discovered from the center. While the students are discussing with each other the teacher is
taking anecdotal notes. The class will then come together for a class and discuss the center as a
group. This allows the students to build knowledge off of each other and the teacher facilitates
and takes anecdotal notes once again. After the discussion the students will then write about their
experience at the center and what worked or did not work and why. Finding ways to integrate
science into literacy centers can change the way we teach and students learn in a remarkable way.

Running head: CONNECTING SCIENCE WITH LITERACY THROUGH WRITING

Teaching is an amazingly rewarding career. It is also a busy, stressful, and demanding

job. I often times struggle with finding the time to cover everything that I need to. Of course, we
are told to integrate, integrate, integrate but integration can be a very difficult task. Science can
be a tricky subject to teach on its own. Finding a way to integrate it with other subject areas is
even more difficult. From my research I found fantastic and realistic ways to integrate science
learning into literacy and writing. Being in the last nine weeks of school it is crunch time.
Making sure I cover all the standards that I need to is at times frustrating and overwhelming.
With the help of the articles I feel that I have found great resources for being able to successfully
teach my students multiple subject areas at one time.

Running head: CONNECTING SCIENCE WITH LITERACY THROUGH WRITING

References
Van Meeteren, B., & Escalada, L. (2010). Science and Literacy Centers. Science and Children,
47(7), 74-78.
Edison, L., & Fournier, I. (2009). Linking Science and Writing with Two Band Ants. Science and
Children, 46(9), 41-43.
Weiss-Magasic, C. (2012). Writing and Science Literacy. The Science Teacher, 79(1), 41-43.