Crossing Borders in Literacy and Science Instruction

Book excerpt: Although there is little argument that an important connection exists between literacy and science, much is not known about how literacy-science learning takes place. How does knowledge in one area affect learning in the other? How can teachers provide meaningul literacy-science connections in the classroom? How important are these connections? Teacher educators, reading educators, and science educators answer questions such as these in this collection that aime to reduce the competition of lack of understanding between the science and humanities communities. Editor E. Wendy Saul offers a variety of pieces to help educators address the literacy-science connection: quasi-theoretical pieces to help you think differently about how language and the specific discourse of science work together; literature reviews to help you understand trends in the literature; case studies to help you recognize exemplary teacher practices; and evaluations of particular interventions to help you forgo the assumption that there is agreement on best practices. Each thought-provoking chapter encourages you to reflect on you own beliefs and find new ways to foster the literacy-science connection among your students and colleagues.