0.6 Gresham, g. (october 2011). a university/school partnership  (Page 3/10)

For students to understand the content knowledge of science, they have to understand the language of science. Direct and explicit vocabulary instruction is the underpinning of this understanding and provides a bridge to reading comprehension.

Reading comprehension strategies. Science textbooks contain difficult vocabulary and syntax which places greater cognitive demands on the reader (Best, Rowe, Ozuru,&McNamara, (2005). Implementing reading modeling strategies and graphic organizers assists teachers in meeting these demands. In content area classrooms, students are presented with reading material that, oftentimes, is not on their instructional level (two to five word-calling errors per 100 words or 95% accuracy or better). According to Carbo (1997), shared reading, echo reading, choral reading, and paired reading are reading modeling strategies teachers may employ to assist readers with challenging material. Shared reading involves the teacher placing text in front of students, reading the text while pointing to vocabulary words, and pausing to ask questions. Echo reading, according to Carbo (1997), is when the teacher discusses a passage and reads the text aloud while the students follow along in the text. Then, the teacher reads a small portion of the text, and students read it back. Choral reading involves reading a passage in unison, and paired reading is when two students take turns reading a passage. Modeling strategies allow struggling readers many opportunities to see good reading modeled and at the same time, provide supported reading practice.

Reading practice is not enough. As students read or directly after they read, responding to text increases comprehension. Marzano, Pickering,&Pollock (2006) found that using nonlinguistic organizers and identifying similarities and differences increased student performance. Graphic organizers are tools that provide students with the means to construct knowledge, and when discussing reading comprehension, they provide avenues to respond to text. If teachers marry a thinking skill to a specific organizer, then student metacognition is improved because students have a common visual language (Hyerle, 1996). Graphic organizers enhance comprehension, but integrating reading and writing in the content area also improves reading comprehension and the gaining of content knowledge.

Reading and writing in the content area. During this time of high stakes testing, teachers are asked to teach content knowledge but at the same time, keep reading and writing skills at high performance levels. Integrating reading and writing in the content areas makes sense and fosters acquiring content knowledge. Reading and then writing about what one reads promotes critical-thinking and conceptual understanding (Baker, et al., 2008; Wallace, Hand,&Prain, 2004). According to Ryan and Walking-Woman (2000), exploratory writing, field notes, description, and written discussion are critical parts of inquiry learning. When students respond to a reading or a science inquiry, they retrieve, synthesize, and organize information as they construct meaning (Keys, 1994). It is reflecting that allows students a means to challenge their misconceptions (Baker, et al., 2008). Reading, writing, comprehension skills, and vocabulary are essential parts of good science instruction but are only tools without deliberate, explicit instruction.