ERIC Number: EJ1385221
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8121
EISSN: EISSN-1940-1302
Anchoring Phenomena and Summary Writing Working Together to Improve Student Learning
Science Activities: Projects and Curriculum Ideas in STEM Classrooms, v60 n2 p51-57 2023
Abstract concepts, such as gravity, may provide the perfect opportunity to bring phenomena into the classroom. As a knowledge generation strategy, summarizing can foster that opportunity. Using phenomena and summary writing together might help student learning since it requires making connections between their ideas and words to explain the natural phenomena. This article describes how anchoring phenomena and summary writing were integrated into a cohesive unit by using five generative activities that include different language and epistemic practices. Five activities include (1) Asking, (2) Designing, (3) Negotiating, (4) Explaining, and (5) Summarizing. A series of lessons, aligning with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and the NGSS, were designed with the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach. After these lessons, students were asked to write a letter to their younger peers about what they learned related to the phenomenon. The teacher mentioned that class discussions and summary writing practice helped her to see connections in students' ideas and how those connections changed throughout the unit. Many of the students also mentioned that they preferred completing a summary writing rather than a paper-pencil test because they were able to explain themselves in a more comfortable way.
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Writing (Composition), Writing Strategies, Documentation, Common Core State Standards, Language Arts, Letters (Correspondence), Writing Improvement, Writing Instruction, Teaching Methods, Instructional Effectiveness, Scientific Concepts, Learning Processes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1812576