A disciplinary literacy approach to learning Science

Literacy is an integral part of science. Scientists talk, read, and write in order to obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the natural world. They explain their findings, conduct research, connect to the work of other scientists, and communicate ideas to a variety of audiences. In the Amplify Science curriculum, students learn to talk, read, and write as scientists do as they acquire facility with the academic language and vocabulary of science. Through the seamless integration of science and literacy instruction, students also learn that talking, reading, and writing are essential practices of science and that all scientists use these practices to gather information, communicate claims, leverage evidence, draw conclusions from data, and share their ideas through oral and written explanations and arguments.

Situating literacy instruction in a content area such as science has several benefits. First, it helps students develop ways of thinking that are characteristic to the discipline. Second, building background knowledge in a discipline also helps students access complex content in texts that can be difficult to grasp. Finally, situating literacy in a content area such as science provides an authentic reason for talking, reading, and writing—to better understand the science ideas under study. Reading, like science, can be an act of inquiry when there are genuine questions to be investigated.

Following are the guiding principles for disciplinary literacy in the Amplify Science curriculum:

• Students can acquire literacy expertise through the pursuit of science knowledge and by engaging in scientific and engineering practices.
• Attention to disciplinary literacy instruction should begin as soon as students enter school and should continue throughout the grades.
• Participation in a community is key to acquiring disciplinary expertise and literacy.
• Argumentation and explanation are the central enterprises of science and, thus, are the focus of talking, reading, and writing in science.