ERIC Number: EJ1114757
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Apr
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8148
EISSN: N/A
How about Teaching Literacy with Science? Strategies Employing Whiteboards Can Be Used to Address "Common Core" Literacy Standards While Including Science Practices
West, Andrew; Sullivan, Kelsey; Kirchner, Jana
Science and Children, v53 n8 p47-53 Apr 2016
To an outside observer, there is nothing really novel about whiteboarding. An observer passing a classroom would see students using dry-erase markers to write and sketch their ideas on large, dry-erase-type boards. However, like so many things in education, the subtleties that an outside observer might not notice are the precise things that make whiteboarding a powerful strategy for supporting student learning in science and literacy. First, students generate (or are presented with) some sort of prompt or question and they use the whiteboards to write about and/or draw their initial ideas (usually in pairs or in small groups). Second, students share their initial ideas by presenting their whiteboards in front of the class and by talking about their ideas. This portion of the lesson always includes questions from the audience and responses from the presenters. Third, the teacher and students synthesize the big ideas that emerged from the sharing time and make decisions about "next steps." Finally, whiteboards are used to capture and share any data collected or ideas generated during the "next steps." This cycle can be repeated as many times as needed. This article highlights the authors' whiteboarding cycle using a vignette-type description of a fourth-grade science lesson focused on weathering. The lesson that they describe is the first lesson in a four-day unit on weathering and erosion.
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Literacy Education, Science Instruction, Prompting, Freehand Drawing, Grade 4, Vignettes, Elementary School Students, Weather, Lesson Plans, Units of Study, Scientific Concepts, Educational Equipment, Visual Aids, Common Core State Standards
National Science Teachers Association. 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782; Fax: 703-243-3924; e-mail: membership@nsta.org; Web site: http://www.nsta.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Elementary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A