Reports on two inter-related studies that examined the use of non-traditional writing strategies within secondary school science classrooms. The first study involved Year 10 students who incorporated one letter writing experience into the learning sequence when studying genetics. The second study was with Year 9 students who used both a…

Discusses writing for learning within science classrooms. Presents a model that can be used by teachers to promote a greater variety of writing types. Includes examples of its use and an explanation of learning strategies students use in these activities. Discusses the value of the model in framing the planning of writing-for-learning tasks.…

Discusses students' perceptions of using writing as a component of their science learning. Results, collected over four years, are organized to include students' perceptions of writing in science, learning, ownership, purpose, and science. These results are then discussed in terms of students' developing metacognition and epistemologies of…

Reports on a study of seven experienced secondary school writing teachers in Victoria, Australia. Focuses on how their own writing or lack of writing affects their teaching practices and effectiveness. Finds that the issue of becoming an effective writing teacher is more complex than the seemingly straightforward prescription that writing teachers…

Presents an overview of claims and counterclaims in the debate over the kinds of writing tasks that enable secondary students to learn about science and demonstrate scientific understanding. Constructivist views on language and learning are examined, and a model is proposed to guide writing for learning in secondary science. (SM)