Reading in Inquiry Stage Three
In this stage, books serve the purpose of filling in missing pieces of information and are a source for supporting or questioning tentative conclusions. Readings can spark students to make connections and to compare and contrast. When combined with the evidence from students’ own investigations, the information in books can provide evidence that students can use as they form their own theories. Many books also provide models of the types of thinking and analysis strategies that scientists use in their own critical thinking.
Resources for Reading in Inquiry Stage Three
The New Science Literacy: Using Language Skills to Help Students Learn
Science by Marlene Thier with Bennett Daviss. Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann, 2002.
This book illustrates and explains how children’s experiences in
inquiry-based science can increase reading, writing, and language skills
and, in turn, how these literacy skills can help children understand science.
Written for teachers of grades 4–10, the book is filled with examples
of techniques and strategies that strengthen student achievement. Chapter
3, “Reading—Paths to Better Comprehension,” encourages
teachers to help their students read science content with better comprehension
and awareness. The author proposes techniques that help students become
aware of their own reading habits and use effective strategies to summarize
and synthesize scientific information. Because the chapter is about reading
science content, it is most relevant to reading skills at Inquiry Stage
Three.
Nonfiction
Matters by Stephanie Harvey. York, ME: Stenhouse Publishers,
1998.
This book examines the process of engaging in research and presents strategies
that will help students explore nonfiction with greater understanding.
Chapter 8, “Zeroing In: Observation and Secondary Research,”
describes what the author calls “authentic research,” the
type conducted when someone decides to buy a car, pick out a pet, or look
for a new job. This type of research is purposeful and addresses sincere
questions. Authentic nonfiction research involves careful observation,
activating prior knowledge, and formulating questions. Finally, it involves
the searching for specific information in secondary sources, including
text books, trade books, encyclopedias, and the Internet. The information
in this chapter will help teachers support effective reading at Inquiry
Stage Three.
Science and
Language Links: Classroom Implications edited by Johanna
Scott. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1993.
This edited volume 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. Chapter 6, an essay
by Beverly Derewianka called “Reading Secondary Science Textbooks,”
is particularly interesting for teachers who are interested in helping
children learn to extract information from science texts. The author proposes
that reading enables its own kind of inquiry and can be supported by teachers.
Her discussion is particularly relevant to science reading in Inquiry
Stage Three.
