We’re having a discussion in our secondary school science department. Some of us think our lessons should incorporate more opportunities for students to learn how to write, while others maintain there’s little time for writing and that’s the job of the English teachers. Who is correct?
—Mitch from Ohio
Yours is a timely question. I’m currently reading The Framework for K-12 Science Education  The Framework describes eight “practices” scientists and engineers use, including Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information.* As described in the Framework, “…learning how to produce scientific texts is as essential to developing an understanding of science as learning how to draw is to appreciating the skill of the visual artist.” (p. 75) Even if our students do not become professional scientists or engineers, writing is part of many jobs and careers in business, medicine, the arts, and the social sciences.
At an inservice event I attended, a museum herpetologist described his work to a group of teachers. His research focused on a longitudinal study of frog populations in the Northeast United States, but he said that a good portion of his day was spent writing—notes, memos, observations, summaries, reports, journal articles, blog entries, and letters.
This type of writing is different from the narrative and creative writing that students do in Language Arts (LA) classes. While our LA colleagues teach sentence structure and correct usage that applies to all writing, it’s unrealistic to assume they will also teach students the nuances of writing for science purposes. So it is indeed the job of the science teacher to help students learn to communicate what they know and understand through informational writing.
In terms of writing, according to the Framework, by grade 12 students should be able to

• Use words, tables, diagrams, and graphs to communicate their understanding.
• Recognize the major features of science and engineering writing and produce written and illustrated text that communicates their ideas and accomplishments.

Writing in science is not necessarily limited to traditional term papers or reports. If you have students write lab reports, make journal entries, summarize their learning, contribute to a class blog, take their own notes, or respond to open-ended items on an assessment, you’re already helping students develop their writing skills.
It’s interesting that the Framework seems to go beyond traditional writing to include organizing information and communicating through diagrams, graphs, mathematical expressions, tables, and other illustrations. I attended a professional development workshop during which a college physics professor eloquently described graphs and tables as ways of telling stories. He displayed a graph and asked the teachers to create a narrative of what the graph said. Seeing their questioning looks, he modeled how to do this. When the light bulbs went off, he displayed another graph and the teachers responded enthusiastically.
You can’t assume students will come to your secondary classes with all the writing skills they need. You can teach students about writing, but the best way to develop skills is to have them write—often and a lot—through planned and purposeful activities. Just as the physics professor did, modeling is essential. Show students what effective science writing looks like (using both words and illustrations). Show them examples of ineffective writing and ask them to clarify it. Write along with the students yourself and display your work. Show them how to format text structures such as bulleted or numbered lists, headings, or tables.
When evaluating student writing, it’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to edit their work. Commenting on every misspelled word and every grammatical error is time consuming, and seeing a page full of corrections can be discouraging for any writer. I took the advice of the LA staff and focused less on conventions and usage and more on the content and clarity of the writing (I did require students use complete sentences, spell the words on the word wall correctly, and label all numbers). I framed this in the context of communicating clearly—”You have important things to say. When you write clearly, we can all understand what you mean.” Your rubrics may need to be adjusted for the grade level of the students, their prior experiences in science writing, and their facility with the English language.
Like many of your students, I was a reluctant writer. But thanks to the persistence and feedback from one of my high school teachers (thank you, Sister Elizabeth), I realized I could write informational text. I hope you will take the time to help your students develop their own skills and confidence in science writing.
*Resources
 The Framework for K-12 Science Education – Free PDF version from National Academies Press
The NSTA Reader’s Guide to A Framework for K–12 Science Education – Free e-book with overviews and synopses of key ideas, an analysis of what is similar to and what is different from the NSES, and suggested action to help readers understand and start preparing for the Next Generation Science Standards.
NSTA will be hosting a web seminar on Preparing for the Next Generation Science Standards—Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information. In addition to the live session, it will be archived for future viewing.
From NSTA Press:
How to… Write to Learn Science
Science the “Write” Way
Images: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/3110638201_0b7e66a19a.jpg and http://farm1.staticflickr.com/66/198046070_730a2474d2_q.jpg

Middle school students are curious about genetics, and most have an awareness of the use of genetic testing and DNA samples from popular television programs. The featured articles this month show how teachers can capitalize on this interest with interesting and relevant learning experiences.
Genes Are Us describes two activities that can help students understand the uniqueness of an organisms DNA and the concept of DNA fingerprinting. Who done it? The case of the suicidal murder victim shows a real-life application of the processes of microscopy, chromatography, blood typing, and gel electrophoresis as students attempt to collect and analyze evidence. Both of these classroom-tested activities capitalize on the interests and experiences of middle schoolers.  [SciLinks: Blood Type, DNA Fingerprinting, Electrophoresis, Forensic Science, Microscopes, Paper Chromatography]
According to the author, the activities in Natural Selection and Evolution: Using Multimedia Slide Shows to Emphasize the Role of Genetic Variation evolved from a student misconception that adaptations are a result of environmental challenges rather than from genetic variations. She uses resources from Learn.Genetics, a comprehensive collection of information and activities on genetics, bioscience and health topics (there’s enough on this site for an entire course).

Creative Natural Selection takes traditional activities and kicks them up a notch to involve student creativity and creativity. The article contains resources, rubrics, and descriptions of  “Predict a Pollinator” and “Predicting Natural Selection with Camouflage” [SciLinks: Pollination, Animal Camouflage]
In a Phenylketonuria Genetic Screening Simulation, students assume the role of lab technician as they engage in a simulation of this common test for newborns. The author provides samples documents for student notes and data entry, the procedure for the simulation, and background resources.  [SciLinks: Genetic Diseases, Screening, Counseling]
The authors of Learning About Genetic Inheritance Through Technology-Enhanced Instruction used the WISE 4 resource to develop a module in which students use technology to “see” the possible phenotypes and genotypes of offspring. The module has embedded assessments and the article has a daily overview and screen shots of the unit. [SciLinks: Heredity, Genotype / Phenotype, Punnett Squares]

Students at Bailey’s Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences are finding out how many different kinds of invertebrates live in their schoolyard. Using a poster showing the invertebrates that are common in a Northern Virginia pollinator garden to familiarize themselves with these small animals, second-graders went out into the garden to see what they could find. They also used the poster to collect data. Every time they saw an animal such as a roly-poly or Monarch butterfly caterpillar, they put a tally mark on the laminated poster using a dry erase marker. The purpose of this activity was to notice how many kinds of invertebrates there are in a small garden, a diversity of life. Most of the classes found about 25 different species during their 15 minute search. Students may come up with questions while searching. Teachers can record the students’ questions and later talk about how the class might find answers to the questions. Are any of the questions investigable, that is, can the students investigate to find answers or is that beyond their capabilities or the scope of a school year? Some questions can be researched in books, online, or by asking experts. Others can be answered with student data collection, analysis and discussion. One such question might be, “Will we always find roly-polies under the log?” How many days would your students have to collect data to feel that they had answered this question?
 Editor Linda Froschauer wrote in her column in the December 2010 Science & Children, “Students have many questions, but in an inquiry setting they need to be taught how to formulate questions that will provide them with opportunities to investigate and ultimately develop understanding.” She says that students need ample time to explore a phenomenon before they can design questions that they can investigate.
To ask questions and share your experience with science inquiry, join the conversation in The NSTA Learning Center’s Elementary Science Forum, “Helping Elementary Teachers Embrace Inquiry.” Register at no cost to read and participate.