- The science students of today will be the decisions-makers of tomorrow.
- Students must be able to function in a technical world.
- It is increasingly important that students be able to discern fact from fiction, and fact from opinion.
- The reading of "science informational text" helps students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Reading scientific text can help students develop the language and vocabulary necessary to communicate effectively about scientific topics.
- Reading and comprehending scientific text is a fundamental skill required for students to score well on college admission tests, such as the ACT.
- Basic life decisions depend on the ability to read and understand science informational text. For example, "What are the pros and cons of purchasing an electric vehicle?"
The face of science teaching is changing. Common Core Science Standards, as well as the Next Generation Science Standards, are asking teachers to emphasis scientific concepts, rather than the memorization of large amounts of factual data.
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For many science teachers, the thought of having to teach students "how to read science" can be overwhelming. However, it's actually a lot easier than you might think. After all, we are already asking our science students to read the textbook, lab handouts, etc. With a few simple tools (Try my Science Reading Task Cards!) and a little planning, you can easily teach your students how to be better readers of science informational passages.
Students need to practice the skill of reading in science. When students are reading, they need to be given prompts on what to look for in the reading. To accomplish this, I developed a set of 75 Science Reading Task Cards that can be used with ANY type of science reading material. These task cards can be used in all science classes and with students in Grades 6 - 12.
Each task card asks students to pull out specific information from the material they are reading. The task cards focus student attention and help them to determine the main idea, the purpose of an experiment, how to read a chart or graph, or whether the reading passage is based on fact or opinion.
Start by using a reading passage that we science teachers already use every day .... the TEXTBOOK! Ask the students to read a short section from their textbook. Provide 3 to 4 task cards to go along with the reading and ask students to write out answers for each task card question.
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Tired of trying to get your students to read the lab handouts before lab day? Ten of the task cards from the set are designed just for this purpose. By answering these ten task card questions, students must read the lab handouts to write a hypothesis, identify variables, and make predictions about the outcome.
Once your students become familiar with using the task cards while reading their textbook and lab handouts, start adding in an occasional current event article from a newspaper or magazine. You might even work up to assigning a book such as "The Double Helix" or "The Hot Zone."
The set of "Science Reading Task Cards" is available in my TPT store. Additional information about the task cards includes:
- The set contains 75 task cards.
- There are different formats included: (1) Printable and editable version, (2) PowerPoint version to use with your classroom projection system, (3) Google Slides version with included text boxes for students to write in answers, (4) Google Forms version.
- The cards can be used with any type of science reading material.
- The cards are appropriate for Grades 6 - 12.
- PLEASE NOTE: Science reading passages are NOT included. The teacher must find and choose appropriate reading passages to use.
- The set includes a detailed Teacher Guide as well as correlation to Common Core (CCSS) Standards.
Wow. These sound like a fantastic idea. What a great way to get students to read and understand, while also making them more science literate.
ReplyDeleteAs a veteran teacher I say thank you for this resource . The students that I am teaching are getting progressively worse, year after year, at reading any science text I put in front of them.
ReplyDeleteThis will be an amazing addition to my classroom. My PLC and I have started “summary Fridays” into our bellringers. We give students an article (usually from NewsELA), and they have to summarize it in 3 sentences or less. We are finding more and kore that they are having trouble pulling out the important ideas. This resource would be an invaluable addition to our science classes. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI have found it difficult to have students read science texts. Even the textbook are not read. Students skim the text and go directly for the answer they are looking for.These cards will facilitate the “speaking to the text” exercise I give my students. I do not accept highlighting as an annotating tool anymore. I am definitely going to try these!
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! My school is focused on reading nonfiction texts and being able to answer questions based on what they read. I love that this gives them a way to focus their attention to the most important facts and information. Thank you for creating these task cards!!
ReplyDeleteI have tried various methods to get students read their labs ahead of time, with varied success. Breaking it down into individual task cards should have occurred to me before! My students love using task cards and I love the results I obtain when I use them for introductory lab stations or as review. These will be great!
ReplyDeleteOur state adopted new Biology standards and this is our first semester with the new EOC (have to take to graduate) test. Like you said, the new test is very much relying on the students ability to be a critical reader first and then a scientific reader. I’m sure I’m not letting the cat out of the bag here….but my students are not reading anywhere near grade level. We’ve really been focusing on breaking down questions and these cards will certainly help!
ReplyDeleteFirst year teaching science, this sounds like it would help my students and I so much. So many of my students don't read on grade level and are afraid to share their thoughts with the class thinking that it will be wrong. If each student had a different task, I would be able to help students that are really struggling. I love how this connects to ELA, they think that each subject is separate. Love the task card idea!!!
ReplyDeleteHi! I love this! We spend a lot of time on science writing and this could be a great way to incorporate reading as well. We don't use a textbook so having something like task cards for articles and short passages would be wonderful. Thank you for creating and sharing this idea!
ReplyDeleteThis looks awesome! My students struggle with comprehending what they are reading.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in helping students learn to read scientific content more intentionally and have been looking for resources. Close reading of the myriad of scientific texts available to us these days is a necessary skill. Discernment of valid and accurate science information will build an informed citizenry.
ReplyDeleteThis might be a nice change from annotated text. Kim Q
ReplyDeleteAt our school students take the MAP test and understanding nonfiction readings is always a challenge for our 6th graders. These cards look like a great way to incorporate needed skills with current materials. thanks, Sheila H
ReplyDeleteMy Science Team was just discussing this very thing. One of our resources that the district provides took away a major component of the “Scientific Terminology” to expand our student’s knowledge of the concept. Very frustrating. So, we have had to pull resources from other sources to supplement the informational dialogue for our students. Time consuming for us Science teachers, but priceless for our students. We have seen improvements on their benchmarks and assessments for having them read and digest these Scientific informational articles on our concepts. We chose a lot of real world examples so students are able to relate to them and ask those critical thinking questions.
ReplyDeleteThank you for making this resource! I've done close reading strategies with science articles and these task cards will help improve my close reading lessons. I also love how I can incorporate these task cards into reading a lab. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have a subscription with Science Today magazine and these task cards will come in handy to increase my students literacy skills. A big thank you!
ReplyDeleteI've done close reading strategies but these seems more targeted and would help my scholars to better understand the informational texts.
ReplyDeleteI love these! Such great ideas right at your fingertips!
ReplyDeleteWe’re trained to build literacy skills into our lessons, but it is easy to get caught up in teaching content and skills and forget that our students have a wide range of learning and reading abilities. These would be an excellent and easy way to build regular practice into a weekly routine or a “do now”” after completing a lab or assessment.
ReplyDeleteThe comment above are as inspiring as your task cards. I have thought about wanting/ needing to incorporate more opportunities for reading in my biology classes and these task cards are the help I need to get started!
ReplyDeleteExcellent idea! I love how this breaks down reading for students!! It has been a post-covid struggle to get students to read anything! I believe these task cards will help them understand how they easily break down any reading passage to better understand!
ReplyDeleteGreat tools for assessment as well....data interpretation and use of reading strategies are what our students need!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteScience literacy is an important part of my lesson - helping students improve their reading and analysis skills is foundational to success in so many of their mandated assessments. Thanks for a great resource!
ReplyDeleteTheses look fantastic! My students struggle to read our text and many just google the answers. It is SO frustrating!! They need to be able to evaluate information and tell fact from fiction. I love all of your amazing products and blogs! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteStudents of today are not too keen about reading especially textbooks or material which they perceive to be challenging due to the presence of the high volume of academic language. These task cards will serve to focus their thinking as they engage with the informational text. I can't wait to try them and collect data about the impact on student engagement and learning. Great work. Keep on making these student-centred, useful resources.
ReplyDeleteI like this approach - it's a method to attack informational text that can be applied to any piece of writing. It links nicely with C-E-R. I'd like that it links to data analysis, a skill that becomes more and more important every day. P.S. I also like the reference, intended or not, to the "airborne toxic event" of White Noise.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting a way to encourage students to read more "actively", but just highlighting the text wasn't enough. I'm excited to see these cards and hope they will be just what will support reading in my classes.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for ideas to use as stations in my Biology class and these are perfect! Just like your other activities, these are just what students need to gain the knowledge needed to be successful! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat resource. I'm coming to teaching as a scientist and need reminders that the students do not have experience reading journal articles or other technical texts. This is an extremely helpful way to breakdown the skill of reading scientific text.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, secondary teachers are not trained on how to help students read with understanding. Every year I try to incorporate literacy skills in my class but am not sure how to do it. These task cards will be an easier way to bring in those reading skills I want my students to have.
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to incorporate more reading if informational texts in my science classes. As a department, we discussed this as a way to prep for ACT and state assessments. These task cards would be a great resource. I already have an idea on how I would use them!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful idea! Many of the reading task cards are very basic for wlementary age so having a middle/high school would be great. I am def curious to see how I could incorporate into AP level and dual-enrollment college- they hate reading the textbook but it is a necessary skill for college
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! We are currently doing our student learning objective with TEK 2G which deal with data analysis. I have seen many students struggle with reading skills. These task cards will build confidence with our students and allow them to be more successful on the STAAR assessment.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great resource to build skills with our students! Thank you for all of your hard work with these products!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you sharing your work even if we have to purchase it on Tpt. I am impressed that you are still coming up with ideas to change the way you teach. I am 12 years in and I have been thinking about all the things I used to do. I don't know if I am getting tired or what, but I need to get a little pep in my step! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure how I missed this resource, but this looks like what I need to help my students engage in and in some cases, access the curriculum. I have students on prek and 1st grade reading levels with students up to 10th grade level all in the same 7th grade class. Thank you for creating something I can put in their hands! Jen Patterson
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great! I have also noticed that students tend to read just to find answers to questions rather than interacting with/evaluating the text. Having a task card is a good way to give a broader purpose to reading and have the students stretch a bit. How do you grade/evaluate what the students produce for these cards?
ReplyDeleteReading in science seems to be a lost art. Students will become better scientists with these task cards since they'll be asked to look deeper into the text. Thank you for creating the task cards!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea!
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