Reducing the Cognitive Load of Reading in Science Lessons

I suspect we all tried to get pupils to read a science explanation when we were training. I did. It was a mess. My classes could barely answer the simplest question based on the text. So I explained verbally instead. For 25 years.

Imagine how powerful it would be if your pupils could read a science text and understand it. You could set reading revision; pupils who missed lessons could read the text book; you could cover the curriculum quickly through setting reading at home.

Most of us can’t learn complex ideas from texts – it’s too difficult. It’s much easier to learn from a verbal explanation – the teacher has so many additional tricks and tools to use to support comprehension (see here). But reading could help them become lifelong science learners.

I propose a technique that primary teachers are expert at: the read aloud.

AI generated image

You have a great text and you read it to the class. Not in one big chunk: break it down. Model how to read for comprehension. You wonder aloud what the author means; why they chose this word and not that one; how the diagram matches the words. You ask the class questions. You construct the meaning with the class.

I never ask pupils to read along with me… the added cognitive load is unhelpful. But I often read it to them once and then ask them to read it to themselves.

How long is this explanation text? We’re usually talking about a paragraph or two in science. Rarely a page. A couple of read throughs isn’t going to take long. The benefits are:

• You model high quality reading with intonation, self monitoring questions and rephrasing.
• You get to work with highly polished explanations using the key terminology accurately.
• You can hand out the text for independent reading.
• You can pre-read the text with lower-attaining pupils.
• You can prepare simplified versions of the text (chat GTP is good at this).

The big picture

You can cover a lot more curriculum ground if your students can read texts for themselves. They can read about the applications of the science you’re teaching; the history of how the idea was developed; careers that use it.

But before you begin…

Subject knowledge is the big secret key to comprehension… if an pupil doesn’t know enough about the subject, you’ll be wasting your time reading in class. Tomorrow, I’ll share some quick pre-read assessment techniques.

Thanks for reading,

Ben