Search

Too many middle school students struggle to comprehend their textbooks in science and other content areas. Thus, many adolescent learners lag behind in developing scientific literacy, which the National Research Council has defined as sufficient understanding of the scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic life, and economic productivity. With these concerns in mind, professors and doctoral students from the University of Florida at Gainesville collaborated with two middle school teachers in the 2004-05 academic year to integrate reading instruction and a wide range of science readings into these teachers' 6th grade science classrooms. Their action research team provided students with explicit instruction in reading strategies, exposure to award-winning science books and related activities, and professional development focused on building teachers' comfort with integrating reading into science. End-of-year test results showed that students who received this intervention achieved higher scores in both science and reading than did students whose teachers didn't participate.