Developing Literacy through Writing in Science

Andrea Butzler Southwest Baptist University Educational Administration

Writing Literacy and Science

CHA !E" # #ntroduction Developing Literacy through Writing in Science #ntroduction Literacy has always been a part of American public schools. Since the 17th century, emphasis has been put on the ability to read and write. Yet there is an e er increasing need for new and impro ed literacy teaching strategies. !or so long the norm has been that reading and writing are taught in isolation of other content areas, howe er it is not news that students struggle to comprehend and e aluate te"ts. Scientific literacy has been pursued by education reformers since 1##2 with many other countries outperforming the $nited States on science assessments. According to %er etti &2'12( and )earson, *positioning te"t and language e"periences as tools for in ol ement in in+uiry and the de elopment of conceptual understanding, actually benefit literacy de elopment,and, of course, science learning- &p. ./1(. %ross0circular lessons that lend themsel es to the elementary classrooms seem to be non0e"istent in the secondary setting. 1he researcher considers the idea that these practices ha e led to a lac2 of the reading and writing literacy in si"th grade students in science classes at 3illcrest School in Lebanon, 4issouri. Students in the researcher5s class struggle to complete arious writing tas2s and some students are unable to compose a written response independently. 1he lac2 of writing s2ill in these students raises a concern. 1his study see2s to e"plore how through technology, student moti ation to write

Writing Literacy and Science and literacy teaching strategies can be incorporated into the researcher5s science classroom. ro$lem Statement

Students struggle to write in the researcher5s si"th grade science class at 3illcrest School in Lebanon, 4issouri. "esearch %uestions 1. Why are literacy s2ills rele ant in the field of science7 2. What literacy teaching strategies can be integrated into the science classroom7 6. What effect does technology ha e on student moti ation to write7 8. 3ow does the use of added technology increase student moti ation to write and the +uality of student writing7 urpose Statement 1he purpose of this study is to research the effect of technology on the writing s2ills of si"th grade science students. 1he researcher will also study how technology effects student moti ation to write. 1he researcher will then identify teaching strategies that can be effecti ely integrated in the science classroom. 1he researcher will collect data pertaining to students5 writing preferences and performance. A plan of action will then be de eloped in attempt to impro e the writing s2ills of students at 3illcrest School. Signi&icance o& the Study Literacy in science is important to educators as reading and writing literacy is becoming the responsibility of all teachers. 1he 4issouri State 9oard of :ducation adopted %ommon %ore State Standards &%%SS( and implementation is set to begin during

Writing Literacy and Science the 2'1602'18 school year. %ommon %ore specifically addresses literacy across disciplines such as 3istory;Social Studies, Science, and 1echnical Studies. Literacy in science is also important to students as college readiness is an issue

that many students are facing. <ne aspect of reading, students struggle with is the ability to analy=e and e aluate te"ts. 1he need for literacy e"ists in all fields of study. Students with the ability to read and across the curriculum will be better prepared for college and careers in science and technical fields. Bac'ground o& the ro$lem 1he demand for literacy s2ills in science related careers is greatly underestimated. Students and teachers participate in science in a more hands on manner while real world scientists spend much of their time reading and writing. :lementary and secondary science students then fail to see the connection science has to reading and writing. Students5 lac2 of understanding of the rele ance that these s2ills ha e in any classroom, especially the science classroom may be leading to a lac2 of moti ation to complete writing tas2s. 1he structure of most secondary schools does not lend itself to cross0 curricular lessons and so students often do not understand the importance of literacy in areas such as social studies and science. Adults wor2ing in science related careers spend a great deal of time reading and researching as well as writing to communicate their findings. Students in the researcher5s si"th grade science class are often unmoti ated to complete writing tas2s and it is the researcher5s opinion that the lac2 of moti ation stems from primarily from lac2 of understanding of the rele ance of writing in the field of science. Limitations and Delimitations

Writing Literacy and Science 1. 1his study will be conducted in the researcher5s si"th grade classroom at 3illcrest School. 2. 1he researcher has no control of honesty of student responses. 6. 1he researcher has no control of the degree to which action plan will be implemented. Summary >n chapter one, the researcher presented the problem along with research +uestions, purpose statement, significance of the study, bac2ground information, limitations and delimitations.

>n chapter two, the researcher will present a re iew of the literature. 1he literature re iew will focus on three themes? teaching literacy and science, rele ance for learning writing in science, and the effect of technology on moti ation to write. %hapter two will describe what current literature tells us about these topics. >n chapter three, the researcher will present the methodology and procedures for the study. 1he researcher will pro ide details including materials and process of data collection including how data collected will be implemented in the study. >n chapter four, the researcher will present the data collected through the use of tables and graphs detailing student in entory of preferences and writing samples. 1he researcher will include analysis and e aluation of the data. >n chapter fi e, the researcher will summari=e the study and outline a suggested action plan for implementation.

Writing Literacy and Science

CHA !E" ## "eview o& Literature #ntroduction As students mo e from elementary to middle school, instruction of the disciplines becomes more and more di ided causing students to lac2 the understanding of how learning can be transferred from one content area to another. <ften students do not understand the importance of reading and writing in areas such as math, social studies, and science. >t is the obser ation of the researcher that the misconception of the importance of writing across the curriculum has led to a lac2 of s2ill and moti ation to write in the science classroom. 1he following is a re iew of current literature will present the rele ancy of writing s2ills in science, two teaching strategies that can be incorporated into the science classroom for the purpose of helping students understand te"t structure and impro e the organi=ation of their writing, and finally how through technology teachers can moti ate students to write with thoughtfulness. >t should be said that while this study focuses primarily on writing literacy and science, the ability to read and write is what ma2es a person literate so at times, it is difficult to address writing without addressing reading. "eview o& Literature "elevance o& Literacy in Science >n many classroom and schools, reading and writing literacy is taught solely in the language arts or communication arts classroom causing misconceptions of the importance

Writing Literacy and Science of writing in science. *Students fre+uently misunderstand the nature of disciplinary boundaries,belie ing, for instance, that writing is only important in :nglish classes&Yule, Wolf, A Young, 2'1', p. 1.(. 3owe er, scientists spend a great deal of time in+uiring about the scientific wor2 of others as well as communicating their own findings. *Bo scientist simply wal2s into a lab and starts manipulating materials, tools, and phenomena. >n estigations are always framed by other in estigations. 1e"ts are the artifacts of those past in estigations- &)earson, 4oCe A Dreenleaf, 2'1', p. 8@'(. Scientists use literacy s2ills in e ery aspect of their wor2. According to Yore, !lorence, )earson, and A Wea er &2''@( printed language is essential to the research, documentation, and communication of scientific processes and findings. All the necessary s2ills of scientists re+uire the ability to not Cust read science, but also to write science &Subramaniam, 2'1'(. Literacy plays a part in both in+uiry0dri en and research0based in estigations. Science pro ides a setting in which students must use the same s2ills that define good readers and writers such as ma2ing inferences, constructing arguments, and drawing conclusions &)earson, 4oCe, A Dreenleaf, 2'1'(. Students must 2now how to read and interpret te"ts but they also must be able to use writing as a way to report their findings &)earson, 4oCe, A Dreenleaf, 2'1'(. *1he communication of scientific findings is the final critical step in the process of science. %onse+uently, education in a scientific discipline should also de elop scientific writing s2ills- &4organ, !raga A 4acauley, 2'11, p. 18#(. Writing instruction, howe er, should not ta2e o er the science classroom, but rather support science instruction. When literacy s2ills are embedded in the curriculum,

Writing Literacy and Science students gain a deeper understanding of the concepts being taught &!reidus, 2'1'(.

Literacy instruction placed in a secondary role can actually be used to support and enrich the pursuit of 2nowledge and proficiency in other disciplines &%er etti A )earson, 2'12(. According to )earson, 4oCe and Dreenleaf &2'1'( *When science literacy is conceptuali=ed as a form of in+uiry, reading and writing acti ities can be used to ad ance scientific in+uiry, rather than substitute for it- &p. 8.#(. 1eachers and students must understand that writing in science is a tool for communication Cust as reading in science is a tool for gaining information. >t is ital that scientists ha e good literacy s2ills to carry out the process of scientific in+uiry. Literacy !eaching Strategies &or the Science Classroom : eryday teachers incorporate literacy acti ities in their classrooms to assist students in the organi=ation and clarity of their writing. Dina %er etti and )earson offer the following as guidelines for allowing students to participate in in+uiry0based literacy acti ities, :ngineer teachable moments by using baffling te"t that create the need to use a clarifying or other sense0ma2ing strategy for e eryone, including youE and always 2eep a mini lesson for e ery useful strategy in your hip poc2et so you can pounce on real teachable moments whene er they present themsel es,for a whole class, a small wor2 group, or an indi idual student &2'12, p. ./2(. Science teachers can meet the challenges that students face when trying to comprehend and e aluate science content by scaffolding their learning through e"ercises in ol ing the reading and writing of e"pository te"ts and ocabulary &4ontelongo A 3erter, 2'1'(. Fose 4ontelongo and 3erter suggest that one way to scaffold literacy acti ities in science

Writing Literacy and Science

is through the use of a modified sentence completion tas2 &2'1'(. >n a modified sentence completion tas2 the teacher separates and mi"es up the sentences from an e"pository te"t. 1he teacher then replaces one 2ey word in each sentence with a blan2. 1he students are gi en the mi"ed up sentences to fill in the blan2 with a word from the word ban2. Students must then wor2 to organi=e the sentences into a paragraph that uses te"t structures and ma2es sense. 1he modified sentence completion acti ity may include the use of graphic organi=ers as well as a lesson on signal words that teach s2ills such as cause0and0effect and compare0and0contrast. 1he purpose of this acti ity is to help students see how the organi=ation of a piece of writing can ha e an effect on the reader. Gathigeyan Subramaniam &2'1'( promotes the use writing frames as *a method to foster scientific writing s2ills in the in+uiry0based science classroom- &p. 61(. A writing frame is a s2eleton outline of a non0fiction piece of writing designed to *enable students to organi=e and construct the written te"t- &Subramanium, 2'1' p. 62(. Writing frames also gi e the students a list of leads and starters that can be used for the topic and each section of the writing piece. 1he goal of writing frames is to open0up student5s thoughts past the mechanics of writing while still e"posing them to the patterns that e"ist in scientific writing &Subramaniam, 2'1'(. Strategies such as the modified sentence completion tas2 and writing frames can be easily incorporated into science to help students learn how to organi=e their own writing. Feffery Yule, Wolf and Young &2'1'(, suggest that when integrating writing into science class, *a two0part approach, focusing first on content and subse+uently on grammar, punctuation, and format- &p. 17(. 1he primary goal of the science teacher is to

Writing Literacy and Science gi e feedbac2 on the students writing, not to proofread. 1his practice will encourage students to ta2e writing seriously as a way to communicate ideas &Yule et al, 2'1'(. 1here are times, howe er, when a student5s writing contains accurate content and displays understanding of the topic but it is ob ious that the student has not proof0read their wor2. Anne Ha is and 4cDrail suggest a strategy called )roof0Ie ising. )roof0 Ie ising in ol es the use of podcasts and blogs to moti ate students to do their best

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writing. 1he teacher ma2es an audio recording of a student5s writing, reading the words e"actly as the words are written. *Such reading shows them where their writing is not understood and where it is enCoyable, engaging, and clear for the readers- &Ha is A 4cDrail, 2''#, p. .22(. 1he audio recording is posted as a podcast on the student5s blog for students to re iew and use when re ising their writing. 1here are many writing acti ities that can be incorporated into the science classroom. 9oth the modified sentence completion tas2 and writing frames can be integrated easily into the science classroom through the use of technology. )roof0 Ie ising could be as simple as using a tape recorder and allowing the student to play bac2 the recording as they are editing their wor2. >t is the obser ation of the researcher that added technology leads to increased student moti ation. E&&ect o& !echnology on Writing (otivation 1he challenged offered by science concepts coupled with the misconceptions of the rele ancy of writing in science can impact student moti ation to write. According to %er etti and )earson reading and writing, *in the interest to understand Jscience conceptsK demands persistence, attention, and application of strategies- &2'12, p. ./2(. 1his demand placed on students can often cause students to shut down because they lac2

Writing Literacy and Science the confidence needed to perse ere through the more difficult tas2s such as writing to

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show understanding of a concept. Student5s moti ation plays a large part in the success of students especially when dealing with challenging concepts. 1echnology pro ides a enue for the scaffolding of student learning resulting in increased student moti ation. 1he way people are gaining and communicating information has led to an increased need for digital media use in the classroom. <utside of the school setting, people depend on technologies such as tele ision, cell phones, computers and gaming systems in their e eryday life for the purpose of communication and entertainment. >t is unrealistic to then insist that students only perform school tas2s using strictly pencil and paper. 1eachers must use technology to dri e learning in content area s2ills that are less than moti ating. %urrent technologies offer ways for students to collaborate and share their 2nowledge including blogs, wi2is, podcasts, online chat, and social networ2ing. 1hrough these types of collaboration, students are moti ated to participate because they can see the alue in their wor2 2nowing that their wor2 will be iewed by others &9each, 2'12(. 9logging can moti ate students to write better because of the e"tended audience they ha e the ability to connect with &Ha is A 4cDrail, 2''#, p. .22( 1he use of multimedia resources with informational te"ts increases science learning &4ontelongo A 3erter, 2'1'(. 1he modified sentence completion tas2 is an

acti ity that could be incorporated into multimedia programs and websites to increase moti ation and participation from students. <ne benefit of creating a website for student learning is it allows students to participate in the learning from home as well as in the classroom.

Writing Literacy and Science %urrent research also shows that science0literacy integration offers compelling

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moti es for students to use and learn literacy s2ills &%er etti A )earson, 2'12(. 1he 2ey component to this research is that student in estigation must be purposeful and include student reading and composition of meaningful te"ts. Learners typically write for e aluation by teachers with little attention being paid to who the audience is. Learners that are allowed to write in more authentic situations ha e increasing amounts of success &4agnifico, 2'1'(. 1eachers can create those authentic situations for students through the use of message boards, wi2is, and blogs. 1hese online situations offer students an audience capable of immediate feedbac2 which moti ates writers to be more purposeful in their writing &4agnifico, 2'1'(. 9logging pro ides a no ice writer with an opportunity to gain nearly instant feedbac2 allowing the writer to grow in their s2ills &Lapp, Shea, A He ere, 2'11(. Di en the primary purpose of writing in science is to communicate findings, the addition of blogs and wi2is for the purpose of communication results as well as for +uestioning and in+uiry, allows students to create te"t that is meaningful for them while practicing the scientific process. >n traditional classroom settings, the student ma2es decisions alone or with a peer for how to impro e their writing. Writing is then submitted to the teacher and the student must then wait for additional feedbac2. <nline blogging pro ides the opportunity for students to not only recei e feedbac2 from the teacher but prompt, sometimes instant feedbac2 from peers and parents. >n addition to prompt feedbac2 ha ing students submit writing through a blog allows for meaningful whole group instruction. Hiane Lapp, Shea, and He ere state that, *each time the instructor pro ides feedbac2 to one student, the

Writing Literacy and Science

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entire class recei es feedbac2- &2'11, p. 68( creating an acti e learning en ironment for all students. Students are often moti ated by acti ities that they can relate to their own li es. 1here are many ways to moti ate students to complete a tas2, howe er by incorporating technology and the internet into the classroom, the audience for a student writing piece is immediately e"panded ma2ing the tas2 seem more purposeful for the student. Summary >n chapter two, the researcher presented a re iew of the literature. 1he literature re iew focused on three themes? teaching literacy and science, rele ance for learning writing in science, and the effect of technology on moti ation to write. %hapter two described what current literature tells us about these topics. >n chapter three, the researcher will present the methodology and procedures for the study. 1he researcher will pro ide details including materials and process of data collection including how data collected will be implemented in the study. >n chapter four, the researcher will present the data collected through the use of tables and graphs detailing student in entory of preferences and writing samples. 1he researcher will include analysis and e aluation of the data. >n chapter fi e, the researcher will summari=e the study and outline a suggested action plan for implementation.

Writing Literacy and Science CHA !E" ### (ethodology #ntroduction 1he ability to write is Cust as important across the curriculum as it is in the

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communication arts classroom as application of literacy s2ills is necessary in nearly e ery profession, especially in the field of science. >n the researcher5s science classroom there is a problem with student willingness to write to demonstrate understanding as well as the le el of s2ill being demonstrated in students5 writing assignments. 1his study see2s to understand student preferences for writing in the science classroom as well as effecti e ways that technology can be incorporated into the science classroom for the purpose of increasing student moti ation to write and ultimately student writing le els. opulation 1he Lebanon I0>>> School Histrict is located in Lebanon, 4issouri. Lebanon is an industrial community located on >nterstate 88, appro"imately .8 miles east of Springfield and 1@6 miles southwest of St. Louis. According to the 2'1' census information from the 4issouri %ensus Hata %enter Lebanon is a community stretching 1. s+uare miles with a population of 18,878 people. 1he Lebanon I0>>> School Histrict consisted of 8,@@# students enrolled in pre0 2indergarten through 12th grade during the 2'1202'16 school year. According to the 4issouri Hepartment of :lementary and Secondary :ducation &H:S:(, #2 percent of students enrolled in the district are white and .7 fifty0se en percent of students in the district are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program. 1he 4issouri Hepartment of :lementary and Secondary :ducation pro ided no other information on ethnic

Writing Literacy and Science demographics due to the small number of students falling into categories other than white. 1he Lebanon I0>>> School Histrict is made up of se en buildings separated by

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grade le els. 1his includes four elementary buildings, one Cunior high, one high school, an alternati e education center, and the Lebanon 1echnology and %areer %enter which is housed at Lebanon 3igh School. 3illcrest School is part of the Lebanon I0>>> School Histrict and ser ices all si"th grade students in the district with an enrollment of 626 students during the 2'1202'16 school year. 3illcrest faculty consists of 16 homeroom teachers, fi e special area teachers, two special education teachers, three special education paraprofessionals, and two at0ris2 paraprofessionals. Students are placed into a homeroom teacher5s class and each homeroom teacher is part of four teacher team. :ach teaching team consists of two communication arts teachers, one science teacher, and one math teacher. Students recei e appro"imately 12' minutes of reading and writing instruction each day, @' minutes of science, and @' minutes of math. Social studies is integrated into communication arts. 3illcrest school also includes one self0contained classroom for the purpose of ser icing students who ha e been identified as being at0ris2 not to graduate. 1his classroom consists of ten students, one teacher, and one paraprofessional. 1his study will be conducted in the researcher5s four science classes. :ach class has from 2.027 students for a total of 1'8 students. 1here are a total of .. male and 8# female students. 1he teacher will present the same lesson and acti ities to each class each day.

Writing Literacy and Science (ethodology 1he research study on student writing in science will be conducted during the 2'1602'18 school year. 1he study is two0fold in that data will be collected on student

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writing preferences through a sur ey administered to students during class. 1he second part of the study in ol es the collection of student writing samples which will be used to gage student progress. A letter of consent addressing both the sur ey and collection of the writing samples will be sent to parents prior to any data being collected. A letter of assent addressing both the sur ey and student writing samples will also be gi en to students at this time. 1he researcher will see2 help from her communication arts teaching partners to administer a sur ey on writing preferences. 1he sur ey will be administered in the communications arts classroom to the same population of students as are in the researcher5s science classes. 1hird party administration and collection of student writing preferences sur eys will ensure confidentiality of student responses. 1he sur ey will be administered twice during the 2'16018 academic year. 1he first administration will be in August with the second administration in April of 2'16. Bames will not be used in the sur ey data collection. 1he researcher will collect two writing assignments, one traditional &paper;pencil or typed( and one non0traditional &:dmodo post, Do Animate script and ideo, Gerpoof digital story boo2( from each student. 1he first traditional sample will ser e as baseline data for students5 writing s2ill le el. 1he second, non0 traditional writing sample will ser e as a point of comparison used to assess student progress and growth. 1he data from both the student sur ey and writing samples will be reported by gender, homeroom teacher, type of sample &traditional or non0traditioanl(, and date ta2en.

Writing Literacy and Science #nstrumentation

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1he writing preferences sur ey will consist of a ran2 order scaling +uestion. 1he sur ey will as2 students about their preferences for publishing a writing piece with and without the use technology, specifically focusing on traditional writing with pencil and paper and four digital tools that incorporate writing. Students will ran2 the items &pencil;paper, 4icrosoft Word, :dmodo, Do Animate, and Gerpoof( in order with 1 being the most preferred writing medium and . being the least preferred writing medium. preferences for writing without the use of technology or hand0written wor2. Hata from writing preferences sur ey will be reported by gender, homeroom teacher, and pre0 or post0sur ey. 1he researcher will use the sur ey data to gear student writing acti ities for the purpose of moti ating students to write. 1he sur ey data may also show that students5 writing preferences change after the introduction of new technologies in the classroom. 1he researcher will use a rubric to score student writing samples for pre0 determined writing s2ills. 1he rubric score the +uality of student writing by ta2ing into account sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and content of writing. Hata collected from writing samples will be reported by gender, homeroom teacher, +uarter, and hand0written ersus electronic sample. Hata collected from student writing samples will be used to determine if students5 writing s2ills ha e impro ed through the use of added technology. Statistical rocess 1he statistical treatment of the student sur ey and writing sample data will be based on fre+uency counts. 1he data collected will be disaggregated by gender, homeroom teacher, handwritten or electronic writing sample, and date.

Writing Literacy and Science A one0sample t0test will be used to determine if there is a significant difference between student writing s2ills before instruction and student writing s2ills after instruction. 1he researcher will compare before and after writing samples to determine

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the effecti eness of using writing teaching strategies and added technology in the science classroom. Duplication o& ro)ect 1his research proCect may not be generali=able in other school districts. 1he intention of this research proCect is to identify the preferences and writing s2ill le els of si"th grade science students in the researcher5s science classes. 1he o erall design of this research proCect is intended for the researcher5s science classes may not be suitable for duplication. Summary >n chapter three, the researcher presented the methodology and procedures for the study. 1he researcher pro ided details including materials and process of data collection including how data collected will be implemented in the study. >n chapter four, the researcher will present the data collected through the use of tables and graphs detailing student in entory of preferences and writing samples. 1he researcher will include analysis and e aluation of the data. >n chapter fi e, the researcher will summari=e the study and outline a suggested action plan for implementation.

Writing Literacy and Science CHA !E" #* Analysis o& Data !eam 1he Action Iesearch 1eam consists of the blue team at 3illcrest School? :LA teacher, Ashley Sutherland, :LA teacher, Andrea Lewis, and science teacher, Andrea 9ut=ler. 1hese teachers were chosen to be part of the team because they are @th grade teachers at 3illcrest School and members of the blue team. 1his is a collaborati e teaching team that wor2s with the same group of students.

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Agenda and (inutes 1'0/02'16 >ntroduce )roCect o Andrea 9ut=ler introduced her proposed proCect. o Huring 1st semester, students on the 9lue 1eam will write a narrati e in :LA class. o Scoring guides will be collected and gi en to 9ut=ler for use in this study. o Writing strategies will be taught in both the :LA and science classrooms throughout 1st and 2nd semester. o 1he primary focus of the study is to assess student moti ation in relationship to student performance. )lan to collect Hata o :LA teachers will gi e copies of scoring guides to 9ut=ler upon the completion of the narrati e writing piece in :LA class. o 9ut=ler will sur ey all students participating in the study twice &Fanuary and 4arch(

Writing Literacy and Science o 9ut=ler will collect performance data using a comparable scoring guide &science content specific( to assess performance of writing when technology is incorporated.

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201.02'18 >nput Hata o 1he research team wor2ed to organi=e sur ey and performance data. Analy=e Hata o 1he research team analy=ed data for student moti ation and performance. o 1he team noticed a lac2 of moti ation to write when technology was not in ol ed. o Student needs include writing for content and mechanics. 801.02'18 %omplete )roCect 4anagement Drid o 1he 9lue team chose to use :dmodo for the upcoming school year. o Iesearch team discussed and then completed proCect management grid.

#ntroduction 1he researcher conducted a sur ey of four si"th grade classes at 3illcrest School in Lebanon, 4issouri during second semester of the 2'16 L 2'18 school years. Binety0three students were sur eyed, 8/ girls and 8. boys. 1he researcher as2ed students to order their preference for fi e different writing mediums with 1 being the least preferred method of writing and . being the most preferred method of writing. Students also were as2ed to rate their moti ation to write in science class on a 101' scale. Students were sur eyed twice, once in Fanuary and once in April to see if writing preferences had

Writing Literacy and Science changed once students were introduced to the programs included in the sur ey. 1he sur ey did not +uestion student familiarity of the programs listed. 1he research team

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hypothesi=ed that with some instruction in each of the programs student preference may change. Huring the months of !ebruary and 4arch students were gi en the opportunity to learn one or more of the programs and then students were sur eyed again in April. 1he post0sur ey gi en in April was similar to the post0sur ey gi en in Fanuary. Huring the post0sur ey students were as2ed to rate their moti ation to write in science class with technology on a 101' scale. See the Appendi" for a sample of the sur eys completed. Student performance data was collected in the :nglish Language Arts &:LA( and Science classrooms. 1his data was collected on a summati e proCect that included writing s2ills such as organi=ation and mechanics as a graded criterion. 1he scoring rubrics used also scored students in the content areas of science and social studies. See the appendi" sample of the scoring guides used to assess student performance. 1his chapter see2s to analy=e the data collected. %harts and graphs are included about student writing preferences and performance. Written summaries identifying relationships and themes are also included. 1able 1? Student 4oti ation to Write in Science %lass shows the results of the writing preferences sur ey. Hata was collected in a pre0sur ey during Fanuary 2'16. 1wenty0eight percent of students rated their moti ation to write in the science classroom at a # or 1' on a scale of 101', with 1 being ery uninterested and 1' being ery interested. !orty percent of students oiced some lac2 of moti ation by answering a 1, 2, 6, or 8 to the same +uestion. Hata from the post0sur ey shown in 1able 2? Student 4oti ation to Write in Science %lass using technology indicated a slight increase in the

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boy5s moti ation to write with technology, after a ariety of technology had been used to complete the final summati e proCect. 1wenty0four percent of boys responded that they were either somewhat moti ated or highly moti ated to write in science class using technology compared to the thirty0fi e percent of boys that responded in the pre0sur ey that they were somewhat or highly moti ated to write. 4oti ation increased among female students as well when comparing moti ation to write with technology and moti ation to write without technology. 1able 1? Student 4oti ation to Write in Science %lass Bumber of 4ale 4oti ation Le el Students Students $nmoti ated &1( 1. 1' Somewhat $nmoti ated &208( 22 12 Beutral &.( 16 . Somewhat 4oti ated &@0/( 18 . 3ighly 4oti ated &#01'( 2@ 11

!emale Students . 1' / # 1.

1able 2? Student 4oti ation to Write in Science %lass with 1echnology Bumber of 4ale !emale 4oti ation Le el Students Students Students $nmoti ated &1( Somewhat $nmoti ated &208( Beutral &.( Somewhat 4oti ated &@0/( 3ighly 4oti ated &#01'( # 1/ 12 26 61 7 11 6 / 1@ 2 7 # 1. 1.

1he maCority of students that oiced a reluctance to write were boys. Lac2 of moti ation to write in science class was oiced more by male students. 1he data from table 1 is shown in Draph 1 in a circle graph that compares boys and girls that are unmoti ated or somewhat unmoti ated to write. !ifty0nine percent of students that rated their moti ation le el at a 8 or below were boys compared to 81M girls.

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>n addition, to rating their moti ation to write students were as2ed to ran2 teacher0chosen programs in order of their preference for using these programs to write and demonstrate understanding of a topic or s2ill. Students were as2ed to rate fi e different programs that could be used to demonstrate understanding of a topic. Students ordered each program se+uentially with 1 being the most preferred writing method and . being the least preferred writing medium. Draph 2? 4ost )referred Writing 4edium &)re0Sur ey( shows that a maCority of students prefer to use some sort of technology when completing a proCect to demonstrate understanding of a topic or s2ill. Se enty0 nine percent of students? /@M of boys and 72M of girls, prefer to use some 2ind of technology to complete a proCect or piece of writing. 1he boys were more interested in +raph ,- (ost re&erred Writing (edium . re/Survey0

Writing Literacy and Science programs usch as Animoto and Do Animate which the girls were more interested in

28

)owerpoint and )re=i. !ollowing the pre0sur ey students were gi en instruction and the opportunity to one or more of the programs from the sur ey. 1he post0sur ey data showed changes in what student said was their most0preferred writing medium compared to the pre0sur ey. Draph 6? 4ost )referred Writing 4edium shows that more students now prefer using programs such as Do Animate, )owerpoint, )re=i, and Animoto. +raph 1- (ost re&erred Writing (edium . ost/Survey0

>n :LA class, students were assigned the tas2 of completing a personal narrati e to demonstrate understanding of social studies content. Students used a combination of pencil;paper and 4icrosoft Word to create re ise drafts of their narrati e writing, and used 4icrosoft word to publish their final writing pieces. 1he research team scored each student5s writing using the scoring guide found in the appendi". A summary of student performance can be found below. 1able 6 displays the pre0assessment data and shows the a erage score for all students in each criteria s2ill that was assessed during this writing tas2. 1he table also

Writing Literacy and Science

2.

includes male and female subgroups. Draph 6 gi es a pictorial representation of the data. A slight discrepancy can be seen been the female performance and the male performance in the areas of dialogue, organi=ation, content, and mechanics. 1his data shows student needs in the area of mechanics which includes sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and spelling as well as organi=ation of their writing.
Table 3 Writing Performance Score on Pre-Assessment

Criteria
Point of View !ialog"e 'rgani(ation 'rgani(ation Content ,ec-anics

Average Score
5. 3.#$ ). 5 3.** ). 5 %.33

Boys
5. 3.5% ). * 3.*3 3.+) %.$)

Girls
5. 3.&3 ). $ ). ) ).$5 %.)$

Points Possible
5. 5. 5. 5. 5. $.

+raph 1- Writing er&ormance Score on re/Assessment

Writing Literacy and Science After the initial data was collected including the writing preferences sur ey and

2@

performance data. 1he research team met to discuss and identify student needs and plan science instruction to include research and writing s2ills. !ollowing instruction in science which included a mini0lesson on research techni+ues, writing complete sentences, and citing sourcesE students completed a technological proCect which re+uired them to research an in ention or scientist and produce a proCect that they would present to the class. Students had the option to produce their final proCect using paper;pencil, 4icrosoft word, )re=i, )ower)oint, Animoto, or Do Animate. 1hese proCects were chosen by the research team because they all re+uire the students to either write or type their information. 1able 8? )roCect %hoices shows how many students chose each of the a ailable proCect mediums. Do Animate was a popular choice among both boys and girls, with o er ..M of boys and 66M of girls choosing to create a ideo s2it using dialogue. >t was also noticed that although 21 students stated that their most preferred writing medium was paper;pencil during the pre0sur ey, no students chose to use paper;pencil to produce their proCect.
Table ). Pro/ect C-oices 0"mber of C-oice of Pro/ect Boys Pa1er2Pencil or Wor3 !oc"ment Pre(i & PowerPoint * Animoto ) Go Animate $5

0"mber of Girls %$ %) # %#

Tota l %* $3 % )%

1able .? Writing )erformance Score on )ost0Assessment shows the a erage score of students for each criterion included on the post0assessment scoring guide. Draph 8?

Writing Literacy and Science Writing )erformance on )ost0Assessment shows how performance of boys and girls compares to each other. >n both table and graph ., it is e ident that students needs include the areas of mechanics and content. >nstruction in the science and :LA classrooms should focus on strategies that students can use to both read and write for content information as well as the mechanical structures of writing.
Table 5. Writing Performance Score on Post-Assessment

27

Criteria
Content Content Content Content 'rgani(ation Presentation Citation ,ec-anics

Average Score
).$3 ).3# 3.#& 3.&+ %.* %.+ %.#& %.$)

Boys
).%+ ).5) 3.5) 3.#& %.#& %.+* %.)$ %.%#

Girls
).)) ).$5 3.++ 3.+& $. & %.&5 %.+& %.3)

Points Possible
5. 5. 5. 5. $. $. $. $.

+raph 2- Writing er&ormance Score on ost/Assessment

Writing Literacy and Science Student sur ey data showed an increase in moti ation to write when using technology. Student performance data showed a need in the areas of mechanics and writing for content. :dmodo is a web0based free tool that allows teachers to in ite

2/

students to participate in an online ersion of the classroom. 1he literature re iew spo2e of a difference in student moti ation and performance when writing was authentic. :dmodo will offer this authentic writing by allowing students to blog and participate in online discussion board posts. All students and their parents will be in ited to participate which is increase the audience and authenticity of the writing.

Writing Literacy and Science Chapter * resentation o& ro)ect

2#

3$)ective
Students will participate in authentic writing acti ities in :LA, Science, 4ath, and Social Studies.

Steps
1. Set up teacher :dmodo account. 2. Send home :dmodo information to parents. 6. %ollect parental permission for students to use :dmodo. 8. )ro ide password information to parents and administrator. 1. Ie iew literacy standards. 2. )lan for mini lessons to increase performance in wea2 areas in writing. 6. >mplement writing strategies and %%SS into the science classroom,.

erson "esponsi$le
9lue 1eam e4>B1s 1eachers &Sutherland, Doans, 9ut=ler(

"esources 4eeded
1ime :dmodo >nformation sheet and permission slip %omputer w;internet

!imeline
1st semester

Budget
Bone L )aper, in2, and computer resources already budgeted. :dmodo is free to teachers and students.

>ncorporate %%SS literacy standards into science and social studies instruction.

Science teacher

1ime %urrent %urriculum DL:5s %%SS

1st and 2nd semester

)aper, in2, and computer resources already budgeted. N2'' 0 %%SS teacher resources to assist in implementing literacy standards in the science classroom.

Writing Literacy and Science

6'

3$)ective
Students will participate in authentic writing acti ities in :LA, Science, 4ath, and Social Studies.

Steps
1. >nstruct students on how to use the discussion board;bloggin g feature of :dmodo. 2. Assign discussion board posts +uestions. 6. 4oderate student discussions. 8. Allow students to comment on each other5s post. .. >n ite parents to iew;commen t on their child5s posts.

erson "esponsi$le
9lue 1eam e4>B1s 1eachers &Sutherland, Doans, 9ut=ler(

"esources 4eeded
1ime %omputer w;internet

!imeline
1st and 2nd Semester

Budget
Bone L )aper, in2, and computer resources already budgeted. :dmodo is free to teachers and students.

Writing Literacy and Science

61

Writing Literacy and Science

62

Writing Literacy and Science

66

Writing Literacy and Science

68

Writing Literacy and Science

6.

Writing Literacy and Science

6@

Writing Literacy and Science

67

Writing Literacy and Science Appendi5 A Writing )references Sur ey 3omeroom teacher? OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO %ircle one? male female

6/

"an' the &ollowing methods &or writing in order &rom 6/7 to show your pre&erence &or how you li'e or would li'e to pu$lish a piece o& writing8 #& you are not &amiliar with the writing method9 read the description $e&ore ran'ing8 6 : most pre&erred writing medium 7 : least pre&erred writing medium8 ;3U (A; 34L; USE EACH 4U(BE" 34CE< OOOOOO )encil;paper 0 &Writing assignment is handwritten. All drafts are completed with paper and pencil(. OOOOOO 4icrosoft Word 0 &Student types writing assignment and sa es document so that multiple drafts may be created during re ision(. OOOOOO )owerpoint or )re=i L &Student presents written information in the form of a presentation using isual aids and animations.( OOOOOO:dmodo L &Student5s blog ideas and understanding of a subCect to a real life audience.( OOOOOO Do Animate;Animoto &<nline ideo ma2er turns pictures, te"t, and;or music into a ideo.(

Using a 6/6= scale9 with 6= $eing very interested and 6 $eing very uninterested9 how willing are you to complete a pro)ect involving writing in science class> ?????????

Writing Literacy and Science Appendi5 B Barrati e Writing Iubric 5 Points Voice: Point of View Voice: Dialogue
Exemplary use of 1st person point of view 4 Examples of dialogue meeting all criteria

6#

4 Points
1st person point of view used accurately with 2 or less mistakes 3 Examples of dialogue meeting criteria with no more than 2 mistakes "lear lead "lear #ut unsatisfying ending

3 Point
1st person point of view used accurately most of the time 2 Examples of dialogue meeting criteria with 3-4 mistakes $redicta#le lead %orced ending

2 Points
Very little evidence of 1st person point of view 1 Example of dialogue with or more mistakes

1 Point
No evidence of point of view

No examples of dialogue

Organi atio n: !eginning an" #n" Organi atio n: !o"$ of Stor$

Effective! appropria te lead Natural! thoughtfu l ending Excellent use of se'uenc e and transition words (ogical! wellpaced details

$urpose of lead unclear &neffective ending

No real lead No real conclusi on *andom thoughts with no connecti ons No sense of order or logic

)ood use of se'uence and transition words *easona#ly well-paced details

"ommon se'uence and transition words "anned structure

"onnections #etween ideas only implied &llogical structure

%ontent& 'rea (acts Su))ort To)ic *on& *egotia+le

%our contentarea facts to support topic

+hree contentarea facts to support topic

+wo contentarea facts to support topic citation

,ne contentarea facts to support social role with citation NonNegotia#le-s are met

No contentarea facts to support social role with citation NonNegotia#le-s are not met

Total Score ________/27 ______%

Writing Literacy and Science Appendi5 C

8'

CAT4G'56 ) 3 7ntro3"ction of Gives a Gives a 7nventor or 3etaile3 satisfactory Literacy and Scientist Writing intro3"ction of Science intro3"ction of t-e inventor or t-e inventor or scientist8 scientist8 incl"3ing at incl"3ing at least 3 least 3 notewort-y notewort-y facts. Also8 facts. incl"3es 3iffic"lties t-at t-is inventor2scienti st face3 3"ring t-eir lifetime t-at may -ave infl"ence3 t-eir invention23isco very. !escri1tion of Gives a Gives a 7nventor or 3etaile3 satisfactory Scientific 3escri1tion of 3escri1tion of !iscovery t-e invention or t-e invention scientific or 3iscovery8 3iscovery8 incl"3ing at incl"3ing at least 3 least 3 notewort-y notewort-y facts. facts. Also8 incl"3es t-e benefits an3 3rawbac9s associate3 witt-is invention or 3iscovery. Society:s 4;1lains in 4;1lains in 7nfl"ence 3etail -ow 3etail -ow society -a3 an society -a3 an effect on t-is effect on t-is invention or invention or 3iscovery. Also 3iscovery. incl"3es any inventions or 3iscoveries t-at le3 "1 to t-is one. 4;1lains in 3etail w-y t-e invention or 3iscovery is im1ortant to Science8 Tec-nology8 an3 <"man Activity. ="lly s"11orts e;1lanation wit- 3etails of -ow mo3ern life -as

$ Gives an intro3"ction of t-e inventor or scientist8 incl"3ing at least $ notewort-y fact.

% Gives an intro3"ction of t-e inventor or scientist8 incl"3ing at least % notewort-y fact.

T-is com1onent 81 is missing.

Gives a satisfactory 3escri1tion of t-e invention or 3iscovery8 incl"3ing at least $ notewort-y fact.

Gives a satisfactory 3escri1tion of invention or 3iscovery is incl"3ing at least % notewort-y fact.

T-is com1onent is missing.

4;1lains -ow society society:s infl"ence of invention or 3iscovery b"t e;1lanation lac9s some 3etails.

4;1lains -ow society society:s infl"ence of invention or 3iscovery b"t e;1lanation lac9s ma/or 3etails.

T-is com1onent is missing.

Contrib"tions to Science8 Tec-nology8 an3 <"man Activity

4;1lains in 3etail w-y t-e invention or 3iscovery is im1ortant to Science8 Tec-nology8 an3 <"man Activity. ="lly s"11orts e;1lanation wit- 3etails of -ow mo3ern life -as

7ncl"3es w-y t-e invention or 3iscovery is im1ortant to Science8 Tec-nology8 an3 <"man Activity. 'ffers an e;1lanation b"t lac9s ma/or 3etails.

7ncl"3es w-y t-e invention or 3iscovery is im1ortant to Science8 Tec-nology8 an3 <"man Activity. 'ffers not e;1lanation or e;1lanation lac9s ma/or 3etails.

T-is com1onent is missing.

Writing Literacy and Science

82

Category 'rgani(at ion

% Content is well organi(e3 "sing -ea3ings or b"llete3 lists. Presentation is strong. Presenters are 9nowle3geable of t-e to1ic an3 maintain eye contact wit- t-e a"3ience. A list of reso"rces "se3 is incl"3e3.

T-ere was no clear or logical organi(ational str"ct"re8 /"st lots of facts. Presenter lac9s 9nowle3ge of t-e to1ic. !oes not maintain eye contact an32or rea3s from notes for t-e ma/ority of 1resentation. A list of reso"rces "se3 is not incl"3e3.

Presentat ion

So"rces

Writing Literacy and Science

,ec-anic s 0o grammar8 s1elling8 or 1"nct"ation errors.

86
Vario"s errors in grammar8 s1elling8 an32or 1"nct"ation.

Writing Literacy and Science "e&erences 9each, I. &2'12(. %onstructing Higital Learning %ommons in the Literacy %lassroom. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55&.(, 88/08.1.

88

%er etti, D., A )earson, ). &2'12(. Ieading, Writing, and 1hin2ing Li2e a Scientist. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55&7(, ./'0./@.

Ha is, A., A 4cDrail, :. &2''#(. P)roof0Ie isingP With )odcasting? Geeping Ieaders in 4ind as Students Listen 1o and Iethin2 1heir Writing. Reading Teacher, 62&@(, .220.2#.

!reidus, 3. &2'1'(. !ind the )assion in 1eaching and Learning? :mbedding literacy s2ills in content0rich curriculum. The New Educator, 6, 1/101#..

Lapp, H., Shea, A., A Wolsey, 1. &2'11(. 9logging and Audience Awareness. Journal Of Education, 1 1&1(, 66088. 4agnifico, A. &2'1'(. Writing for Whom7 %ognition, 4oti ation, and a WriterQs Audience. Educational !sychologist, "5&6(, 1@701/8. 4ontelongo, F. A., A 3erter, I. F. &2'1'(. $sing 1echnology to Support :"pository Ieading and Writing in Science %lasses. #cience Acti$ities, "%&6(, /#01'2.

Writing Literacy and Science 4organ, W., !raga, H., A 4acauley, W. F. &2'11(. An >ntegrated Approach to >mpro e the Scientific Writing of >ntroductory 9iology Students. A&erican 'iology Teacher, %(&6(, 18#01.6.

8.

)earson, ).H., 4oCe, :., A Dreenleaf, %. &2'1'(. Literacy and Science? :ach in the Ser ice of the <ther. #cience, (2)&1(, 8.#08@6.

Subramaniam, G. &2'1'(. >ntegrated writing frams into in+uiry0based instruction. #cience Educator, 1 &2(, 61068.

Yule, F. R., William, W. %., A Young, B. L. &2'1'(. :mphasi=ing the *Literacy- in *Scientific Literacy-? A concise blueprint for integrating writing into biology classes. #cientific Literacy, (6&2(, 1.021.

Yore, L. H., !lorence, 4. G., )earson, 1. W., A Wea er, A. F. &2''@(. Written Hiscourse in Scientific %ommunities? A con ersation with two scientists about their iews of science, use of language, role of writing in doing science, and compatibility between their epistemic iews and language. *nternational Journal of #cience Education, 2)&2;6(, 1'#0181.