Portfolio

Part one of the final paper is the best evidence of my rationale for scientific literacy. This assignment requested that we identify areas of need in content area literacy. In my paper, I focused on student’s comprehension of primary source material (specifically their textbook), the specialization of the vocabulary in those primary sources and I gave suggestions on how a science classroom can improve scientific literacy. This assignment made me look into the areas that students may feel are limiting their ability to translate concepts from primary sources into a common language. From this assignment, I noticed that studies reflected a common ground when it came to student performance in science classrooms. Many students have difficulty reading the textbooks, a resource that is taken for granted as being the primary source for students to rely on. These studies encouraged science educators to incorporate scientific vocabulary into the student’s common language and requesting that they encourage students to continue doing so themselves. If this is incorporated into science classrooms, there is a chance we may see an increase in the reading and writing skills of students across the board. The studies also showed that students have difficulty understanding concepts when introduced after or along with the formulas and mathematical components. The mathematical components involved in science are what trip up students the most. I see this often in introductory biology classrooms to microbiology classrooms. The students forgo trying to understand the science concepts and focus on the numbers. The studies indicated that students should be directed to focusing on the concepts even while working with the math. Including this in science instruction has the benefit of aiding students in both math and science classrooms. I feel this assignment should be an important step for all education students to complete because it helps point out areas of need that can be addressed in the future. Without this assignment, I would have relied heavily on the textbook my first year and neglected to see students struggling to interpret the language the textbook uses. At this point, I have been trained to understand the specialized language of science and do not see areas where things may become confusing. As I had addressed in my paper, words such as haphazard have vastly different meanings than what the student is used to. Textbooks are written and reviewed by people who have a firm grasp of the language involved so miscommunication errors can be seen as common in a science classroom. As a future educator, I feel this assignment gave me a sense of where to start when it comes to giving reading assignments. If students have difficulty understanding the text, they may have difficulty with any supplementary reading materials I include. I would have to incorporate areas of instruction dedicated to determining the student’s ability to comprehend scientific texts as well as monitoring their progress throughout the semester/ year I have those students. I feel that science education is very important in shaping our society because science is the backbone of everything. Increasing the student’s scientific literacy can lead to increasing the students overall reading and writing abilities.
 * Goal 1**: Articulate a personal rationale for content area literacy instruction.

I believe that part two of my final paper addresses this goal the best. Part two of the final paper required us to determine strategies to improve the areas of need we addressed in part one of the final paper. In my part two, I focus on incorporating the scientific language into the student’s conversational language. My approach called for science instructors to use the vocabulary during instruction as often as possible and encouraging students to translate everyday writing into scientific writing. For this assignment, I noticed that many studies backed up my ideas and gave me a little push as to how to focus this ongoing activity. One particular study involved taking students out of the classroom and introducing the terminology through physical examples found on their school grounds. By giving this physical example and later discussing the lesson, the students have a clearer focus on the vocabulary and they have a resource to go back to (on the school grounds) whenever they want. I felt that this assignment was important because it made us discuss and come up with plans on how to incorporate reading comprehension in the classroom. Typically, assignments only require students to point out areas that are lacking and discuss why. This assignment made us take that to another level. We not only had to point out areas of need but give detailed examples and suggestions on how we plan on improving these faults in the future. Reading and writing is just as important in science as it is in English. Without the ability to take concepts from primary sources and explain them through writing, a person will not have the support of the scientific community. Writing in science (usually in the form of journal articles and other such publications at the professional level) is the most basic way to get your thoughts and ideas to the world. Understanding the vernacular is just the first of many steps in becoming a competent writer of any discipline. After observing my cooperating teacher’s classroom, I noticed that there seemed to be a language barrier when it came down to understanding concepts. For student ease, it is encouraged that they translate the scientific vocabulary introduced into common language. However, it is not suggested that students retain the source language. The students then only remember their translated versions of the vocabulary rather than the appropriate language. I believe that if students are encouraged to continue using the scientific language rather than their translated terms, it would increase the student’s vocabulary retention rate. The strategies I selected in my paper would be interesting to try in a science classroom. I see a potential for unmotivated students to neglect any encouragement I may give for following my plans. I also believe there will be higher comprehension in subsequent chapters if students are encouraged to maintain the vocabulary into conversational language.
 * Goal 2**: State techniques for helping students use reading and writing as tools for learning.

I believe my anticipatory activity touches into this goal but the science section in my interdisciplinary planning wheel shows this the best. I selected both of these assignments because I feel both are strong resources I can utilize to fulfill this goal in my own classroom. The anticipatory assignment’s requirements involved formulating an activity to engage students before reading assignments are given as a way to encourage reading. My anticipatory activity was on angular momentum and was broken down into three sections; before reading, during the reading, and after the reading. The “before reading” section requested students to define terms introduced in previous sections and to give an educated guess on what the section would be focusing on. The “as you read” section asked students to write down formulas introduced in the section. The “after reading” section asked the students to relate concepts introduced in the section to the concepts/ terms they defined earlier as well as a conceptual question. The interdisciplinary planning wheel’s requirements were to create assignments in different courses using one central theme. My central theme was bacteria/ bacterial diseases. The science section required students to watch a video on bacteria and then compare and contrast eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. I then request that students read a select passage from //The Jungle// by Upton Sinclair and describe where in the text they believe bacteria would come in contact with the meat products. I then ask students to research the meat packing process during the 1930’s and using what information of transference that would have been discussed in he movie, how would they change the conditions of the meat packing plant to reduce bacteria spreading on the meat products. My anticipatory activity is more of an “as you are reading” guide than a preliminary assignment for introducing a section for reading but it encourages students to write more than just definitions from the textbook. I specifically added a question that required students to write about a paragraph on a conceptual question of which will not be found in their textbook. From my interdisciplinary planning wheel assignment, there is a focus on writing that is typically reserved for larger assignments in science courses. My anticipatory activity is an assignment that will come often in the classroom and it a prime location for a minor critical thinking writing assignment to introduce the students to scientific writing and thinking. Both of the assignments require students to write and think critically about the concepts. The anticipatory activity is an example of how I would incorporate critical thinking writing components into the regular curriculum. The interdisciplinary planning wheel would be an example of how I would incorporate writing into a large science assignment that may occur three to four times in my classroom. I believe that every student should know how to research and write scientifically. While the assignment form the interdisciplinary planning wheel will not be required as often as the anticipatory activity, I feel it is extremely important for every student to be able to complete research assignments adequately. Writing in the sciences is vastly different than in other disciplines. The language is very focused and must be supported within the text. An example would be saying two items are significantly different. Not supporting how they are significantly different with statistics would make that viewpoint invalid in science writing. Again, encouraging students to write in the classroom at many opportunities would increase the writing abilities of students not only in science classrooms but in all disciplines.
 * Goal 5**: Identify strategies for incorporating writing opportunities in content area instruction.