Teaching Students to Read Science Informational Text

Science surrounds us every single day. From shopping at the grocery store for probiotic yogurts and organically grown produce to news stories on earthquakes, climate change, vaccines, and toxic chemical clouds produced from a train derailment. As a result, it is more important than ever that we teach our science students how to read "science informational text." 

In today’s world, students must be able to read, comprehend, and analyze science informational reading passages!

• 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. 

Click any image to view in my TPT store.

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.

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.

Informational Text Reading with Graphic Organizers

Here's a great new free item for your science classroom:  

DNA Informational Text Reading with Graphic Organizers

I teach in a Common Core state, and in a school that is really pushing the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.  We have to show evidence of this implementation in our classroom.  I obviously have to do what is required of me by my admin, but at the same time, I do not want to lose valuable classroom teaching time and get behind on the vast amount of course content that I am also required to teach.

I recently developed this lesson for my students.  In our unit on DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis, I love to tell the history of Watson and Crick and their discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule.  In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick rocked the scientific world with their discovery, and with the publication of their one-page paper in Science magazine describing the DNA molecule.  This one-page paper is a marvelous bit of history, and it is a fascinating read.  It is also a perfect piece of informational text that can be used to teach the Common Core State Standards.

The one-page article can be printed and used in your science classroom.  I developed a 4-page set of graphic organizers to go along with this article.  As students read the article they are required to complete the graphic organizers. You can have your students complete all four organizers (I usually do!) or each graphic organizer can be used alone. The printable lesson is perfect for traditional classroom settings, and the paperless, digital Google Apps version is perfect for distance learning and 1:1 classrooms.

You can, of course, use class time for this activity, but I usually assign this as a homework assignment.  I assign this at the beginning of my unit on DNA, and usually give a week to complete the assignment. The article and the graphic organizers provide great review on the topics I am teaching in class, as well as a lesson in the reading of informational text.  It's a win-win!  (Pssst...This is also a great activity to leave in your sub folder in the event of your unexpected absence from school!)

Here is a look at each of the graphic organizers:

(They look best if printed in color, but print perfectly fine in grayscale.)

This is a free download, and will always remain a free download.  Enjoy!

Related products include:

DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis Complete Unit Plan Bundle

Genetics Complete Unit Plan Bundle

FREE DNA Extraction Lab

Common Core Back-to-School eBooks!

The Common Core State Standards Back-to-School eBooks

Packed with Tips and Freebies!

Welcome back to school, teachers!  Many of us have already started back to school, and many of you will soon join us. The implementation of Common Core standards is weighing heavily on many teachers as we return to the classroom this fall.

These Common Core eBooks are just the ticket to help you get started. Over the summer, over 200 teacher/authors submitted pages for the eBooks.  There are 8 different eBooks, each one specific to a certain grade range and subject area.

The woman behind the idea is my good friend, Tracee Orman.  She has spent countless hours contacting teachers, organizing, and directing the publication of these 8 fantastic eBooks.

What will you find in the eBook?

Each teacher in the eBook submitted a single page.  Each page has a tip for implementing the Common Core standards, and most importantly, each page contains a link to a free CCSS lesson.  

So let's get started! There are 8 different eBooks.  Below are the links to each. Please download and share with your friends and fellow teachers.

We hope you have a great school year!

Click on the pictures below to download your FREE eBook.

Common Core Graphic Organizers for Science Informational Text

Be sure to download the free graphic organizers!

Let's just face it....  Most of us have to start implementing the Common Core standards into our science classrooms. The standards cover many skills and components, but the majority of the standards deal with the reading of informational text.

I have been contending all along, that ALL reading passages in a science class involve informational text.  Our students read the textbook, current events articles, the lab manual / handouts, etc.  Out class is nothing BUT informational text.   So what needs to change in our science classroom?

Many of us need to change the WAY we teach our students to read science passages:

• We must move away from the memorization of large volumes of facts.
• We must teach our students how to identify the main idea, the author's purpose, etc.
• Our students must be able to cite evidence to support scientific claims.
• Students must be able to compare and contrast.
• Students must be able to summarize.
• Students must be able to identify the control and experimental variables in an experiment, citing evidence to support conclusions reached in an experiment.
• Students must be able to express quantitative information in words.
• Students must be able to express technical information in a flow chart or concept map.

To sum it up, we must do a better job in teaching critical reading, critical thinking, problem solving, and how to pull out the important information in a reading passage.

Like you, I have been looking for the best ways to accomplish all of this in my classroom.  To date, the most effective tool I have is ... the graphic organizer.

What is so great about the graphic organizer?  First and foremost, it gives the student a place to start.  If you hand a student a reading passage and a blank sheet of paper and instruct them to "analyze the passage", most of them are overwhelmed and have no idea how to begin.  A graphic organizer is not a crutch, it is a tool.  It helps to guide the student through the reading passage.  The graphic organizer teaches the student how to read the informational text.  

Take as an example, the graphic organizer in the above photo.  The instructions say:  As you read the passage, identify the claims being made by the author.  What evidence does the author provide to support his/her claim?"  Now the student has a reason to read the text.  Now the student knows what to look for while reading the text.

I have together a bundle of different types of graphic organizers.  Many graphic organizers I have seen are rather generic in nature.  I have tried to make mine a bit more specific.  Each is designed for a particular type of text and a particular Common Core standard.  They look the best in color, but print out just fine in black and white.  I am unable to make color copies at my school, and the black/white copies work just as well.

I have both free and paid graphic organizer products in my TpT store.  

Here are the free ones!  :)

Click above photo to download.

Good luck with your implementation of the Common core standards, and have a great school year!

Common Core Science & Technical Standards: Let's Get Organized!

Lesson Planning Grids, and Checklists!

The day has come.  You cannot put it off any longer.  Sticking your head in the sand isn't going to make it go away.  Common Core is here (has been for a while now!) and you cannot put it off any longer.  It is time to get organized and begin to tailor your teaching and lesson planning around these standards.

Don't despair. If you are a science teacher that has been doing what a science teacher is supposed to do (experimentation, problem solving, critical thinking, etc.) then you probably will not have to make major changes to your teaching style or curriculum.

For example, in looking at the standards for the Science and Technical Subjects, the third standard for the various grade levels says:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks."  
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks; analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text.

I have already been doing this in my classes, and I bet you have many activities and teaching lessons that would cover this standard, too.  So, for me, I first needed to get familiar with the standards for the Science and Technical Subjects, and then get organized to insure I was covering them in my daily planning and teaching.

For organizational purposes, I developed a set of  lesson planning grids and checklists.  I am a meticulous and careful planner, as most teachers are apt to be.  I needed to be able to prove to myself (and to my admin) that I was addressing the CCSS standards in my classroom. 

Lesson Planning Grids:

These Lesson Planning Grids will save you time and will help you become better organized in your daily planning of the Common Core Science & Technical Subjects.  I included one page for each of the 10 standards.  This is an easy way to keep track of the standards you have covered and when you covered them. Use them to record plans for the entire class, or to provide an individualized plan for a special-needs student.

Student Checklists:  Four Different Versions.

At my school, teachers belong to small groups called PLC's (Professional Learning Community).  At various points during the school year our PLC must provide evidence of our CCSS planning and teaching.  These student checklists are a great record-keeping method. You can record each time a standard is introduced, reinforced, or practiced for mastery.  The checklists allow you to provide evidence of your teaching of the CCSS Science & Technology standards, and they can be organized  for class progress or for individual student progress.

Checklist #1:  All 10 Science & Technical Standards are listed on one page.

Checklist #2:  This three-page document for each individual student allows you to monitor individual student progress, how the standard was assessed and the outcome of the assessment.

Checklist #3:  This class record allows you to monitor one standard at a time for the entire class.  

Checklist #4:  This class record allows you to see at a glance which students have mastered the standards, and which students have not.

In my lesson planning grids and student checklists, I have focused on the standards for only the Science and Technical Subjects.  As science teachers, we are going to be expected to cover many of the ELA standards on informational text. As the new school year quickly approaches for many of us, I wish you good luck in your teaching and in your implementation of the Common Core standards.

Links to a few of my Common Core  products:

CCSS Lesson Plan Grids and Student Checklists Grades 6-8

CCSS Lesson Plan Grids and Student Checklists Grades 9-10

CCSS Lesson Plan Grids and Student Checklists Grades 11-12

Task Cards for Any Science Informational Text

Scientific Method Task Cards

Common Core Science Informational Text Task Cards

These task cards can be used with ANY science reading passage.

In my school, every teacher is required to teach subject area lessons that emphasize or reinforce Common Core standards.  One day each week, we run a special schedule in order to accomplish this.  During this time, I meet with a small group of my students to apply the Common Core standards to a science-related lesson.  It is my responsibility to provide my students with a science reading passage and to use this passage to practice one or more of the Common Core standards.  I have used the following:

• Students read a passage from the textbook on a topic we are currently studying. 
• Students read science-related current events articles.
• I write my own passages that describe a particular lab experiment.  I include charts and graphs and tables that require analyzing.
• Students read science-reasoning passages from ACT Prep books.
• Students read chapters from science-themed books, such as The Double Helix, The Hot Zone, Your Inner Fish, etc.

As a result, I developed a set of “Common Core Science Task Cards” to use with my students each week.  Different task cards are used each week depending on the type of informational text I present to them.  

This has very much simplified my weekly lesson planning.  All I have to do is choose a reading passage, and select the task cards to use with it.  Not every card is used every time, and not all cards will be applicable to every reading passage.  Certain task cards are more applicable to a particular passage than others.  I try to vary the passages each week so that different Common Core standards are being reinforced.

These common core science task cards are incredibly easy to use!  Print them out, laminate them, cut them apart, and you are ready to go.  

I like to punch a hole in the corner and place all of the cards on a ring.  I found the rings at my local Wal Mart. They were very cheap and they came in a package containing quite a few rings.

I have correlated each task card with the appropriate CCSS standards from:

1.  English Language Arts Standards >> Science & Technical Subjects (Grades 6 – 12)

2.  English Language Arts Standards >> Reading: Informational Text (Grades 6 – 12)

Now that I have the set fully developed, I am looking forward to school starting back.  My weekly Common Core lesson planning is going to be a snap!

Have fun teaching!

Common Core Science Informational Text Task Cards

Microscope Task Cards

Scientific Method Task Cards

Informational Text in the High School Biology Class

Changes in Education? ..... Always!

In my 29 years of teaching, I have learned many, many things.  What lessons do I learn over and over, year after year?

• There is always something new in education!  
• The old tried and true ways are no longer acceptable.  
• Out with the old trends, and in with the new trends.
• Every 2-3 years brings in a new curriculum.

Don't misunderstand.  I am not one who opposes change.  Change is good. Our world is in a constant state of change:  There are changes in societal issues, there are changes in technologies , and there are changes in the students we teach.  The good news is that classroom teachers are the most adaptable people I know!  Each year brings us a new set of students with different ability levels, with different personalities, and with different needs. We adapt every year and we adapt to the teaching of these new students accordingly.

So what is new?  Everyone involved in education knows about the new Common Core Reading Standards and the push to teach critical reading through the use of informational text. Our world today is packed with information, and I agree that we must insure that our students are being taught to read, understand and comprehend informational passages. We must teach our science students to read critically, to answer questions of a problem solving nature, to read charts, data tables, and graphs, and to form accurate conclusions.

My question is:  Haven't we science teachers been doing this all along?

What is a science book, if not a huge selection of informational text readings?  

Our high school is being very proactive in addressing the new Common Core standards.  We have been directed by our administration to incorporate informational text and critical reading into all subject areas.   We have even worked a special time into our weekly schedule for this.  One day each week, 45 minutes is set aside to address the Common Core standards.  (Clarification: Each teacher is addressing Common Core standards in every class, every day. The 45-minute, weekly time is devoted to "extra" informational text reading practice.)  Each and every teacher in our school meets with a group of students and teaches a lesson that involves information text, writing, and critical reading.  Teachers have been charged with writing materials related to their subject area that can be used during this time. Each week I meet with a different group of students and provide them with a lesson on reading informational text in science.  Students meet with a different teacher each week in order to be exposed to texts of varying subject areas.

At this point, I have developed two exercises that I have used with these groups of students.

The first involves the predator/prey relationship.  It does contain an informational text passage, but I just could not help myself. I included a graphing activity along with it!

The second is a rather lengthy reading about lichens.  It includes facts about the mutualistic nature of lichens, structure of lichens, and the important role that lichens play in the environment.  Pictures are included to enhance the text.   I thought it would be nice to have the students read about an organism that they might not know a lot about.

The days of Common Core are upon us.  Let us embrace it as we have with all of the trends of the past.  There is good news..... If we don't like this, all we have to do is wait for a year or two, and we will be challenged with something new!  ;)

Have fun teaching!  

A Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer

With the increasing amount of information that our students are expected to learn and master, it is more important than ever to provide them with the tools they need to organize and study difficult concepts.

This free graphic organizer can help your students learn to delve deeper into the content to search for similarities and differences between two topics or concepts.

Click image for free download.

This can be used in all subject areas and in grades 4 and up.  My students even admit that this technique has improved the way they view the content that we cover each day.  The graphic organizer can be used to compare and contrast any two topics or concepts.  I have used this organizer to have my students compare and contrast:

• Photosynthesis to cellular respiration
• Mitosis to meiosis
• Protostomes to deuterostomes
• Vascular plants to nonvascular plants
• Systems of the body
• DNA to RNA

The printable version is perfect for traditional classroom settings, and the paperless, digital Google Apps version is perfect for distance learning and 1:1 classrooms.

You can download this free graphic organizer by clicking on any of the above pictures, or on this link:

Study Skill:  A Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer

Enjoy!  ...And have fun teaching!