Reading in Inquiry Stage Two
As investigations move forward, carefully selected books provide needed information and examples. Readings can model types of experiments and strategies. Field guides, encyclopedias, and experiment books provide access to key scientific facts, concepts, and classification schemes. At the same time, these readings serve to enrich vocabulary.
Resources for Reading in Inquiry Stage Two
Vital Connections: Children, Science, and Books edited
by Wendy Saul and Sybille A. Jagusch. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann, 1991.
This book is an edited volume of 15 papers from a symposium sponsored
in 1986 by the Children’ s Literature Center. The articles are written
by writers of children’s science books: Seymour Simon, Vicki Cobb,
Jean Craighead George, and others. The book provides insight into the
process and purpose of writing science books for children. “The
Role of Science Books in Primary Education,” written by Edward Chittendon,
is for teachers who want to learn more about the role of nonfiction in
early grades and what types of nonfiction material is available for this
age group. The section on free reading and browsing is particularly relevant
to the role of reading in Inquiry Stage Two.
Science and
Language Links: Classroom Implications edited by Johanna
Scott. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1993.
This volume of essays examines the many connections between language and
science learning in the classroom. Contributing teacher authors give accounts
of experiences they have had with their students that highlight various
literacy skills and their role in science education. Chapters 7, an essay
by Jo Coffey called “Learning Science from Books,” focuses
on the many roles that books can play in science education. From “incidental
learning” to special interests to planned topic studies. A large
collection of science books in the classroom is fundamentally important
to the development of reading in Inquiry Stage Two.
Inquiry at
the Window: Pursuing the Wonders of Learners by Phyllis
Whitin and David J. Whitin. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1997.
In this book, Phyllis Whitin recounts her experiences as an elementary
teacher the year her students completed a yearlong study of birds. Through
the telling of her story, she details the processes of inquiry and inspires
teachers to support their students’ interests in science. Chapter
2, called “Inquiry Demands a Critical Use of Resources,” outlines
how Ms. Whitlin’s class went about finding the needed information
about birds. She points out that books came into their inquiry process
after several weeks of bird observations. Not only did the children learn
to use fiction and nonfiction as sources but, more importantly, they began
to learn how to integrate the information found in several sources to
help them form a cohesive picture. This chapter provides a content-based
discussion of the role of reading in Inquiry Stage Two.
Is That a
Fact? Teaching Nonfiction Writing K–3
by Tony Stead. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 2002.
This book, written from a literacy point of view, discusses the many types
of nonfiction literature. It gives the reader a good sense of how different
types of information books can be used to supplement learning in many
subject areas, and describes the importance of teaching children to use
these resources. In Chapter 6, “Helping Children Locate Information,”
the author describes how to encourage children to use different types
of materials to find the information they need about a particular subject.
Sections include using books and magazines, using a table of contents
and index, and using the Internet. These examples of written resources
and how children can effectively use them are relevant to the role of
reading in Inquiry Stage Two.
