Writing in Science Success Stories
As a beginning teacher, [the Writing in Science approach] was a difficult process to start because I had to learn the science unit itself. Then adding on a writing component to that, it at first seemed like one more step, one more thing that I had to do.
But as the second year came and the third year came, I began to see that one without the other was not a strong science program—that the science facilitated the writing and the writing made the science even stronger because it was allowing students to think at a higher level that made them even more successful throughout other science units and going into the next grade.
Second-grade teacher in school with 72% Free or Reduced Lunch, 27% ELL*
I think this writing approach has greatly improved my students’ writing. It has given me the support to provide my students with consistent, structured lessons in expository writing that both strengthen their science understandings and strengthen their expository writing skills. I have many ELL students and low-income students, many of whom perform below standards in basic skills, and the science writing approach has helped them come closer to or even surpass writing standards.
Fourth-fifth–grade teacher in school with 63% Free or Reduced Lunch, 40% ELL
Doing the science writing has affected my students tremendously! The vocabulary has carried over into all content areas . . . I think the biggest part that I have seen improve is the use of different sentence structures. . . . I think that all teachers need to see how science writing/expository writing makes a difference in writing in all content areas!
Third-grade teacher in school with 78% Free or Reduced Lunch, 1% ELL
The Writing in Science Approach has helped me to realize that kindergartners can be taught to explain their answers just by adding the word “because.” This one word has made my students aware that they are going to have to give an explanation or more details to help someone else better understand what they are saying.
Kindergarten teacher in school with 64% Free or Reduced Lunch, 15% ELL
I’ve been teaching over 30 years. And the [Writing in Science Approach] has been helpful to me as well as to the students. Things I didn’t think the children could learn, they can learn. [For example, I model how they can make their own data tables.] I don’t think they’re too young. I think the more you use them and the more you talk about the parts of them and show them how to read them, the easier it is for them to use them. And it’s also setting the expectation that I want them to start thinking and acting like scientists.
First-grade teacher in school with 90% Free or Reduced Lunch, 39% ELL
My students love science! In science they know they need to give their evidence for their thinking and now I see this in their math writing, their journal writing, and in the writing they do in response to literature.
First-grade teacher in school with 59% Free or Reduced Lunch, 26% ELL
* Note that this is the percentage of students in the school who qualify for ELL services, not who speak a language other than English at home
But as the second year came and the third year came, I began to see that one without the other was not a strong science program—that the science facilitated the writing and the writing made the science even stronger because it was allowing students to think at a higher level that made them even more successful throughout other science units and going into the next grade.
Second-grade teacher in school with 72% Free or Reduced Lunch, 27% ELL*
I think this writing approach has greatly improved my students’ writing. It has given me the support to provide my students with consistent, structured lessons in expository writing that both strengthen their science understandings and strengthen their expository writing skills. I have many ELL students and low-income students, many of whom perform below standards in basic skills, and the science writing approach has helped them come closer to or even surpass writing standards.
Fourth-fifth–grade teacher in school with 63% Free or Reduced Lunch, 40% ELL
Doing the science writing has affected my students tremendously! The vocabulary has carried over into all content areas . . . I think the biggest part that I have seen improve is the use of different sentence structures. . . . I think that all teachers need to see how science writing/expository writing makes a difference in writing in all content areas!
Third-grade teacher in school with 78% Free or Reduced Lunch, 1% ELL
The Writing in Science Approach has helped me to realize that kindergartners can be taught to explain their answers just by adding the word “because.” This one word has made my students aware that they are going to have to give an explanation or more details to help someone else better understand what they are saying.
Kindergarten teacher in school with 64% Free or Reduced Lunch, 15% ELL
I’ve been teaching over 30 years. And the [Writing in Science Approach] has been helpful to me as well as to the students. Things I didn’t think the children could learn, they can learn. [For example, I model how they can make their own data tables.] I don’t think they’re too young. I think the more you use them and the more you talk about the parts of them and show them how to read them, the easier it is for them to use them. And it’s also setting the expectation that I want them to start thinking and acting like scientists.
First-grade teacher in school with 90% Free or Reduced Lunch, 39% ELL
My students love science! In science they know they need to give their evidence for their thinking and now I see this in their math writing, their journal writing, and in the writing they do in response to literature.
First-grade teacher in school with 59% Free or Reduced Lunch, 26% ELL
* Note that this is the percentage of students in the school who qualify for ELL services, not who speak a language other than English at home