Science and Literacy Instruction: You Don’t Have to Choose

Presented by Jacqueline Barber, Associate Director, University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science

Sponsored by Amplify Science

Watch the Recording

Get a CE Certificate for this edWebinar Learn more

How is knowledge-rich curriculum essential for the development of literacy proficiency? How can making room for science in Grades K-5 enable you to prepare your students to make sense of the world in which we live while strengthening their abilities to read, write, listen and speak? Watch Jacqueline Barber from the University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science to explore the relationship between literacy and science instruction.

In this edWebinar, Jacqueline examines how the shifts in the science standards invite convergence with ELA and math. She shares research that shows how this can not only help strategically make room for science in packed instructional calendars but also results in more effective ways for students to learn both science and literacy. Viewers will see examples to help them envision how a focus on science can help achieve instructional goals in their classrooms and remotely.

So much of what scientists do is reading, writing, listening, and speaking in order to obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the natural world. To prepare the next generation of scientists and critical thinkers, we need to combine what we know about excellent literacy instruction with what we know about excellent science instruction. Situating literacy instruction in a content area like science brings with it several benefits:

• It helps students develop ways of thinking that are characteristic to the discipline
• It offers opportunities to refine sense-making skills that are essential to both disciplines
• It provides an authentic reason for reading and writing—to better understand science ideas under study

This recorded edWebinar will be of interest to elementary and middle school teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders.

About the Presenter

Jacqueline Barber is Associate Director of the University of California Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. In her many years at The Lawrence, Jacquey has been engaged in creating an award-winning collection of curriculum products for teachers and students in preschool through grade eight and supporting the use of these materials through a robust curriculum-implementation network. She and her team use what they learn from broad implementation to revise and improve the materials. Jacquey’s particular focus on the interface of science and literacy has yielded dozens of research presentations and publications as well as two literacy-rich science curriculum programs: Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading and Amplify Science.

Join the Teaching Next Generation Scientists community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

Amplify is dedicated to collaborating with educators to create learning experiences that are rigorous and riveting for all students. Amplify creates K–8 core and supplemental curriculum, assessment, and intervention programs for today’s students.