Connecting Science and Literacy: A Professional Development Program for Elementary Teachers

PI/PD:Karen Worth
Funder:National Science Foundation
Duration:2004 - 2008
CSE, along with literacy consultants from the Tufts University Center for Applied Child Development, are nearing completion of a set of professional development materials to be published by Heinemann Press in the summer of 2009. The Connecting Science and Literacy Program (CSLP) is designed to enhance the understanding of this connection and its relationship to the development of scientific reasoning skills and conceptual understanding. The program consists of eight modules on topics including science inquiry; questions that support inquiry; a culture of talk; gathering-ideas discussions; making-meaning discussions; science notebooks; and science writing beyond the notebook. A comprehensive manual for professional development leaders provides an overview of the program, detailed guidance for each module, and a variety of handouts for participants. The program also includes seven DVDs of teachers and students in four diverse classrooms, a DVD of teachers speaking about their work, and a selection of student written work for use with the modules for analysis and commentary. In addition to the program itself, Heinemann will publish a short book of essays written for the program but available separately as well.
For more information on this project, contact Karen Worth at kworth@edc.org