Reading texts in science lessons is the best way to develop rich and connected knowledge.
How many science lessons do you think are built around a well written text, or series of texts? I believe that the best way to help learners know more and do more in science is to read more.Before I start though, I want to give a short outline of what I think a typical sequence of lessons should probably include and in what order.
Lesson#1
- Retrieval practice of previous learning – let’s not forget everything they’ve spent hours learning!
- A brief physical experience of the new phenomena top be studied. Perhaps you’ve set up a circuit for your students to experience, or given them a flower to look at closely with a magnifying glass. This should probably take less than 5 minutes.
- A knowledge re-heat. They’ve probably learnt at least some of this before. This is probably 10-15 minutes at the start of the sequence.
- New teaching – broken down into small chunks with opportunities to practice each now concept in some way. Each lesson in the sequence is likely to include this. 20 minutes per lesson? You will need to check every child has understood each stage (not just a sample).
- Using the new knowledge to do something. This is about integrating the new knowledge. It might be solving problems; writing an explanation; discussing a problem or any number of other applications including short practical activities. Typically, this will be modeled first (I do / we do / you do). You will need to give additional support to some learners. Make sure your checking for understanding is efficient. This is likely to take between 15 and 30 minutes.
You’ll notice there is no reading yet! Reading isn’t the most effective way to build new learning – it’s super-power is to enrich and connect learning.
Lessons #2, 3, 4…
- Retrieval practice of last lesson (plus key knowledge prom previous sequences of lessons).
- If you are teaching more content, repeat the stages from lesson #1.
- Integrate the learning from the previous lessons. You will want to make the links between the learning explicit. This is probably best done through explicitly teaching them.
- At the end of the lesson, spend 5 minutes reading a text which makes use of the learning from the lessons so far. Don’t stray too far from what you’ve taught at first – learners find it really difficult to apply new learning to new situations. I am in favour of teachers reading aloud, interjecting with observations, questions and opportunities to discuss. – much like you’d do when reading a story to a younger child. I don’t think the learners need to read along – just listen.
Make reading a short, relevant article part of your lesson routine. Make the texts coherent: that is, make them explicitly linked to each other. Repeat key concepts and vocabulary. Each text should focus on examples that are increasingly exotic – for example, in habitats, start with the classics (deserts, arctic, rain forests) before choosing texts which explore more exotic habitats (ponds, coral reefs, cities, deep sea vents etc.)
Where to Get These Texts?
This is the trick. You won’t have time to write them from scratch. Finding them is tricky and then generally require editing to boost the coherence.AI can be your friend here. If you develop a decent prompt, you can ask the AI to repeat the writing task but using another example. Just don’t assume you can use the outcome without proof reading and editing for yourself.
“Please write an article about the Arctic habitat for a well informed 10 year old, using a formal academic style. Include these key ideas…..”
Science Enquiries
Save any science enquiries until the end of the teaching sequence. Think of them as an application of the learning, rather than an opportunity to learn more content. They play a valuable role in enrichment and deepening understanding, but only when the foundations are well established. I like to use the enquiry as an end of unit performance.
Reading for Learning 