Closing the Achievement Gap: Science Notebook Writing

1. Closing the Achievement Gap:Science Notebook Writing Lorraine S. Theroux

2. Table of Contents • Intro: Why teach science? • The Key Components • Workshop • Inquiry Science • Vocabulary Development • Notebook – reasoning, components, PD • Assessment and feedback • Teaching Tips – How to start • Looking at Student Science Notebooks • Adult Science Notebooks – from the workplace

3. Intro • Closing the gap in ELA and math • Brain Research on Learning • The El Centro and Fresno experience • Why Science? • Develops Critical Thinking Skills

4. Science – Key Components • Workshop: A Best Practice • Guided Inquiry with Quality Kits • Conceptual Understand Emphasized and Memorization De-emphasized • Notebooks – Not Worksheets • Feedback – Immediate and meaningful • Compliance with Learning Standards

5. Inquiry • Guided inquiry, with structured activities • Opening up inquiry; Asking ‘what if’; Asking ‘what would you change’ • 5Es: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation

6. Notebook • Value & Goals • communicates conceptual understandings • teaches features of text and informational books • improves test-taking skills • structures conversations between learner and teacher • Use is developmental (for teacher and learner) • Expectations are specific and explicit • First-draft writing so spelling and mechanics can be approximate

7. Notebook - Its Structure • Notebook as a whole • Cover, page numbering, glossary, table of contents • Consider student-assembled options (stapled or 3-ring) - it’s ‘fixable’ • Each entry – these are the ‘bones’ • Date • “The Question” – serves as the title • Drawing, & labels – bridge between conceptual knowledge and language • “The Answer” (must be connected to all the other parts) • Develop Drawings and Labels into Observations • details, data, tables and charts, explanations • More Components • May be introduced once the ‘bones’ are mastered

8. Drawings • Provide insight into student thinking • Gets around poor writing skills • Very different from artistic drawings • Emphasis is to show observed parts and changes • animal body parts are correct in number and location • All significant features must be labeled • Any observed change is evident • May do a ‘before’ and ‘after’ set of drawings

9. Sharing Work • Important Part of Workshop • Pair Share • Notebook Walk • Line of Learning

10. Assessment and Feedback • Four-point rubric • (1, 2, 3, 4) – simple, universal criteria for each, • Level 3 = meets expectations • student completes all requirements of work • mostly correct • Stamp grades onto notebook pages • 3 stamps = L3

11. Vocabulary • Glossary • student should add personal definitions as they add words

12. Learning Text Features • Table of Contents • Page numbering • Captions • Graphics: • Tables and Charts • Graphs • Photos and drawings • Plan view, side view, cut-away

13. Standards • Local, State, and National • Local Assessment • High-Stakes Assessments

14. Teaching Tips • IF science, inquiry, and science notebooks are all new to you (or to the students): • Routinely have students use notebooks, only require date and title and labeled drawings.

15. Looking at Student Notebooks

16. Adult Science Notebooks • From the workplace • Crossing out errors • No blank sheets • Dates and page numbering • Work from ONE person

17. References • Books • Online references • Further resources