Nancy Romance of Florida Atlantic University described Science IDEAS,2 a cur-
riculum for older elementary school students to teach literacy within science. In the classrooms implementing this curriculum, the language arts block was replaced with Science IDEAS and literature filled the half-hour block of time previously devoted to science. She noted that development and initial implementation of this approach occurred in the late 1980s prior to No Child Left Behind, after which replacing the language arts block would have been more challenging. The curricu- lum was initially implemented in several South Florida 4th-grade classrooms, and later also implemented in classrooms targeting drop-out prevention and at-risk students over multiple years. She and her colleague Michael Vitale conducted lon- gitudinal research to measure the effects of the curriculum.
2For additional information about Science IDEAS, see http://sites.nationalacademies.org/ DBASSE/BOSE/DBASSE_085962 [March 2014].
Several bodies of research influenced the development of Science IDEAS, according to Romance. Bransford’s work on expertise and how experts oper- ate (National Research Council, 1999) showed the importance of well-organized knowledge and being able to access and apply this knowledge with automatic- ity. Romance and Vitale also drew upon work on problem solving and applica- tion, including how knowledge is transformed from declarative to procedural (Anderson, 1987). Work in the area of knowledge-based instruction and intel- ligent tutoring systems (Brown, 1989) underscored the importance of structure and coherence of knowledge and instruction. Romance indicated that theory and research on reading comprehension also informed the curriculum.
Romance described the approach and key features of Science IDEAS. Science concepts are the focal point of the curriculum with activities, such as read- ing comprehension, writing, and application, stemming from the focus on the sci- ence idea. A key component of this approach is the use of propositional concept maps that show how ideas in science are connected to one another. Figure 4-1 presents an example of a Science IDEAS concept map. Teachers help students develop these concept maps over the course of a unit, as the students gain more information based on their observations, reading, and other supporting activities. Supporting activities begin with activating prior knowledge, and then move to identifying real-world examples of the phenomenon. Teachers then introduce mul- tiple hands-on investigations, paired with reading experiences with several sources to build on the prior knowledge. Students are continuously journaling to “write about, reflect on, and explain how evidence gathered during authentic science activities links to the concepts being learned,” Romance said. Activities culminate with problem-solving and reflection activities. Teachers spend more time on con- cepts that have broad applicability. Overall, she noted, the curriculum supports cohesion across the science curriculum as students build upon their prior knowl- edge, consistently add knowledge and depth as they focus on a concept, and use their knowledge about one concept to inform their learning about the next.
Romance shared her experiences with students participating in Science
IDEAS. In one situation, she found that she had to increase the depth and com-
plexity of experiences for students who had been participating in Science IDEAS classrooms in previous years. She also described an experience where students in an at-risk drop-out prevention classroom used a model of the Earth to communi- cate about why Florida does not experience earthquakes. As she said in her pre- sentation, a member of the press observing this class asked if it was composed of gifted students, to which she replied, “Yes, they are.”
Two separate longitudinal studies of Science IDEAS (2002-2007 and 2003- 2008) indicate that students who participate in this curriculum when compared with students in the control group outperform their counterparts in science and reading as measured by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (Romance and Vitale, 2011). Moreover, these differences are long-lasting and increase over time when measured through the 7th or 8th grades. More limited adaptations of the curriculum target- ing 1st- and 2nd-graders also show promising results when compared with control students. As Romance remarked, the results indicate that to improve science out- comes in middle school, efforts must start in elementary school.
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Reflection EvaporationWater
Phase of Matter Change Process Liquid Changing to a Gas Water as the
Liquid Water Vaporas the Gas
Faster or Slower Rate Combined Effects of 3 Different Factors More Heat- Speeds Evaporation More Surface Area- Speeds Evaporation
More Air Flow- Speeds Evaporation Morning Dew Disappearing, . . . Damp Cloth Drying, . . . Heated Water Disappearing From a Pot, . . . Wet Sidewalk Drying
ENHANCED CURRICULUM CONCEPT MAP FOR FACTORS THAT EFFECT WATER EVAPORATION
Copyright 2002 by Michael R. Vitale and Nancy R. Romance Activity 7- Reading Activity 13- Add. Reading Activity 1- Prior
Knowledge Activity 2- Real Examples Activity 6- Journaling Activity 11 Prob. Solv. Activity 8- Concept Map Activity 9- Writing Activity 10- Application Activity 4-
Hands-on Act. Hands-On Act.Activity 5- Activity 3-
Demonstration
Figure 4-1
FIGURE 4-1 Example of a propositional concept map for grades 3-5 from Science IDEAS.