Professional Learning Module for the Common Core State Standards
Literacy in Science
Developed by:
• California Department of Education
• California Science Project
• K-12 Alliance/WestEd
• Orange County Office of Education
• Riverside County Office of Education
Goals of This Session
Become familiar with key aspects of the
CCSS Literacy in Science
Highlight the value of integrating CCSS
into science instruction for deeper
student learning
Present an overview of strategies,
instructional practices, and resources
included in the PLM
New Opportunities for All Learners
Common Core
Standards
(ELA and
Mathematics)
Next Generation
Science
Standards
21st Century Skills
BIG IDEA for Science
ELA: read, write, and research across the curriculum, including in history and science
Mathematics: learn and apply concepts and mathematics ways of thinking to real world issues and challenges
NGSS Connection Boxes
Connection boxes provide:
a) connections to topics in other grade levels.
b) articulation across grade levels.
c) connections to Common Core State Standards
What is your definition of
Literacy in Science?
Introduce yourself to an elbow partner.
Discuss for 2 minutes what you think
literacy in science means and why it is
important for students.
Share some ideas.
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Link to all
of the
PLMs for
Common
Core
Digital ChalkBoard https://www.mydigitalchalkboard.org
The PLM CCSS:
Literacy in
Science
Module Overview: 6 Units Unit 1: Investigating the CCSS Literacy in Science
Unit 2: Making it Real: Classroom Examples
Unit 3: Looking at Student Work
Unit 4: Science Notebook: A Student’s Writing and Thinking Tool
Unit 5: Science: A Natural Setting for Language Development
Unit 6: Planning For Student Success
Unit 1:
Investigating the Common Core State
Standards Literacy in Science
Quick Note to Self
Think about a science lesson you have taught.
What are the important components of
that science lesson?
Share with a partner.
Lesson Components
In addition to the science components, which of the following literacy components, if any, did you include in your lesson description?
Speaking
Listening
Writing
Reading
Observation: Notebook Entry
Take independent notes as
you observe samples 1 and
2.
Use all senses except
taste.
Next Observation: Add ICE
What do you observe in cup #1 and cup
#2?
Write your observations about this
phenomenon in your notebook.
As a group draw a picture of what you think
is happening, and
Write an explanation of what you think is
happening.
Construct an Explanation:
Read an Informational Text
Read (Why Ice Floats) using “talk to the
text”
Revise your explanation based on the
reading
Finalize your understanding in a
argumentative writing (claims and evidence).
Linking Science to CCSS
How did the ice “lesson” incorporate literacy?
What language processes did you
use in the investigation?
Work in “Common”
Grade 5: SL 5.1 Participate in collaborative
conversations SL 5.5 Add drawings to clarify ideas
Grades 6-8: WHST 6-8.1 Discipline specific claim with
evidence
Grades 9-10: RST9-10.1 Citing evidence from text
ELA Text Type and Purposes:
Middle School
Fold the CCSS Example A (7th grade) in half so
that the left side is facing up.
• Review the ELA standards for text types and
purposes:
• #1 (argument)
• #2 (informative)
• #3 (narrative)
ELA and Literacy in Science
Text Type and Purposes
• Unfold the paper
• Review the
Content Literacy in
Science Standards
in the right column
• What do you
notice?
ELA Text Type and Purposes:
What About Elementary School?
• Fold the CCSS Example B (5th grade) in half so
that the left side is facing up. Notice the
similarity with the ELA middle school standards.
• Unfold the paper. What do you notice?
K-5 Literacy in Science Standards
are embedded
in the K-5 ELA Standards
Unit 2 Overview
Unit 2: Making it Real
Each grade level includes a video that
provides an overview of the learning
sequence and addresses:
speaking and listening
writing.
reading
in the science classroom.
Setting the Stage….
7-day Learning Sequence
Science content: metals have properties
by which they can be identified, such as:
• Shiny, malleable, and ductile;
• Conduct heat and electricity;
• And, in some cases, magnetic.
Learning Goals --5th Grade Lesson
Discover, through experimentation and discussion that some, but not all metals are magnetic.
Deepen learning by reading and finding out why only certain metals are magnetic.
5 -PS1-3 Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties. [Clarification
Statement: Examples of materials to be identified could include baking soda and other powders, metals, minerals, and
liquids. Examples of properties could include color, hardness, reflectivity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity,
response to magnetic forces, and solubility; density is not intended as an identifiable property.] [Assessment Boundary:
Assessment does not include density or distinguishing mass and weight.]
5th Grade Overview Video
While you watch the
video, use the note-
taking page to record
observations about how
literacy elements are
embedded in the lesson.
So, what did you notice?
How were speaking, listening, writing,
and reading integrated with the science?
What ideas about CCSS and literacy did
this process surface or address?
What other aha’s did you have?
CAESL Assessment Knowledge Framework
Assessment Rubric
The student’s assessment prompt is:
“Using evidence from your experiment and reading, write an argument in which you state your claim about metals and support the claim with evidence from two sources.”
Scoring Guide ESRs Component High Medium Low
Science
Understanding
Metals must have
Fe, Co or Ni to be
magnetic
Metals must have
iron
Any metal will
work
Text Type Criteria Stated claim;
used evidence
from experiment
and reading; had
a conclusion
Stated claim, use
1-2 pieces of
evidence; no or
weak conclusion
Series of
information, no
claim, no
conclusion
Use of Academic
Language
Attract Use attract and
stick
stick
Communicating
Information
Links evidence—
metals with Fe,
Co or Ni;
therefore paper
clip must be one
of those
List evidence but
doesn’t link it
Evidence not
supported; claim
is not stated
Samples of Students’ Final Writing
Purposes for Writing
34
Writing to Learn Learning to Write
• Student thinking
• Make visible student’s
prior knowledge of the
content
• Make visible how
student’s understanding
develop through
instruction
• Make visible which
content is still difficult
for students to
understand
• Student production
• Informational and/or
argumentative student
writing
• This product, written
and edited for public
presentation, is graded
and considered a
summative
assessment.
Unit 4 includes: • Examples from scientists’ notebooks
• Links to key research-base resources on the benefits of science notebooks
• Samples of students’ notebooks in grades 1, 5, 8, and HS (from the example classrooms)
• Video of a panel of K-12 teachers discussing the advantages to use science notebooks
Science: A Setting for ELD
Integrate CA CCSS for ELA Literacy in Science and CA ELD Standards into science instruction.
Engage in the following activities
View a classroom video of standards-based instruction that supports ELD
Identify practices in the video that develop speaking and listening skills as a precursor to writing for ELD
Develop a lesson for your classroom that integrates CA ELD standards with science content and CA CCSS for ELA Literacy in Science
Unit 6: Planning for Student
Success
39
• Conceptual Flow
Build coherence
through a 5-step
process to identify
and organize
concepts and plan for
the sequence of
instruction.
from Concept Flow to 5E Lesson Plan
• Develop a 5-E lesson
plan that explicitly
integrates literacy to
increase student
understanding of
science content
40
Module Summary and 3-2-1
• List three ideas for using the module in your context.
• List two challenges you need to address for successful integration in your district or classroom.
• List one action that you will take immediately to integrate literacy with science in your context.