Science Notebooks: Tools For Increasing
Achievement Across the Curriculum
With the implementation of high stakes accountability
programs, instruction in science has suffered. In some states, science
is receiving decreased attention because it is not tested. A 1999
study of elementary school teachers found that 34 percent of
instructional time was being devoted to reading, 24 percent to
mathematics, and 17 percent to writing, while only 9 percent of total
class time was spent on social studies, and only 8 percent on science.
Only physical education and health received less time than science at
a mere 5 percent and 3 percent respectively (Jones, et al., 1999).
This study was conducted in North Carolina where high-stakes testing
had been implemented.
Other researchers have drawn similar conclusions.
Smith (1991) discovered that instructional practices changed
dramatically as the time to take the test grew closer. At the
beginning of the school year, some teachers were involved in teaching
hands-on science several days a week. By the end of the school year,
science was not taught at all in some classrooms, and materials like
tadpoles and fish tanks were being used for entertainment instead of
exploration. In the classrooms where science was taught, science
instruction during the weeks before the test was specifically tailored
to the test. Social studies and health were not taught at all.
Obviously, this practice of reducing instructional
time in science has serious
implications. What is ironic, however, is that while some teachers are
reducing the amount of time spent in science to make way for tested
subjects, teachers who are implementing an active science program are
showing startling results with student achievement across the
curriculum. In El Centro, California, for example, teachers who
implemented Science Notebooks, an inquiry science program, made
impressive gains on standardized tests in science, reading, writing
and mathematics. Having experienced the active science program for
four years, fourth graders in the El Centro School District more than
doubled their scores in science and reading and almost doubled scores
in mathematics. Even more astonishing, after experiencing the program
for four years, sixth graders' writing scores almost quadrupled (Klentschy,
Garrison & Amaral, 1999).
Because of the present climate of high stakes
accountability and "No Child Left Behind," programs that promote
achievement in multiple areas of the curriculum should not be ignored.
This digest will describe what a science notebook is and how it can be
used to influence achievement across the curriculum.
Shavelson (2001, p. 2) defines a science notebook as
"a compilation of entries that provide a partial record of the
instructional experiences a student had in her or his classroom for a
certain period of time". Not only do science notebooks provide
information about classroom experiences, they imitate the journals
that actual scientists use as they explore the world. Through writing
in science notebooks, students engage in authentic scientific thinking
as they carry out their own investigations. Science Notebooks include
a question to explore, predictions, a description of what was done,
and what students learned. In addition they may incorporate narrative
statements and drawings about the student's observations, data sets,
diagrams, graphs and tables.
Science notebooks and journals are terms that are
often used interchangeably.
Although they do share some common characteristics (e.g., both include
questions and are creative), they also differ in their format. Science
notebooks focus on the more structured type of writing that
accompanies the scientific method and the use of science process
skills whereas journals emphasize a more free-form type of writing
that often expresses feelings and is found in literature reflection,
fiction and poetry. Therefore, while it is important for students to
learn how to use both types of writings, science notebooks and
journals should be distinguished from each other and maintained
separately.
The National Science Teachers Association recognizes
the value in implementing appropriate assessment practices. In their
2002 position statement on elementary school science, they stated that
"assessment must be an essential component of an elementary science
program." To this end, assessment must be aligned with a) what is of
value, i.e., the problem-solving process, application of concepts,
inquiry and process skills, b) the curricular objectives and c) the
purpose for which it was intended: grading, diagnosis, student and/or
parent feedback, etc. It is clear that Science Notebooks are viable
tools for accomplishing the expectations described by NSTA.
While standardized tests provide information about
what students know and can do at the end of instruction (usually at
the end of the school year), there is an immediate need to regularly
monitor student progress so as to influence best instructional
practices. Science notebooks provide this form of rich assessment
data. Not only do students learn about themselves as scientists,
teachers are informed about what and how students learn, and the
efficacy of their instructional practices. These kinds of data allow
the teacher to tailor instruction to what students really need. This
ongoing collection of data has become known as formative assessment.
Formative assessment is assessment done within instruction as opposed
to summative assessment (e.g., testing) that comes at the end of
instruction. Unlike summative assessment, formative assessment happens
early in the instructional process so that information gleaned from
the assessment process can be used to inform instructional decisions.
Formative assessment serves as a diagnostic tool to identify student
strengths and weaknesses so a teacher can determine important next
steps. Science notebooks expose students' thinking and provide the
teacher with important insights about student understandings. There is
increasing evidence that formative assessment is particularly helpful
for low achievers, thereby reducing the gap and increasing achievement
overall (Black & Wiliam, 1998).
It is not surprising that science notebooks have a
positive impact on writing
achievement, if only because writing time is increased when science
notebooks are employed. While these gains can be attributed in part to
increased practice, much of the progress has to do with the type of
writing in which students are engaged. Use of science notebooks is
based on a model for reflective writing developed through second-hand
investigation texts (Magnusson & Palincsar, 2003). These texts include
a "think aloud" feature that is common to the notebooks of actual
scientists as they explore the world in a first hand manner. Using the
second-hand investigations as a model has the potential of providing
practice and guidance for students in writing excellent notebook
entries as they carry out and write about their own investigations.
This "think aloud" approach also boosts progress in
mathematics as students record their thinking about how they solve
problems in science. Engaging in authentic tasks allows students to
connect to their work, making it easier to collaborate with other
"scientists" in the class to compare hypotheses and conclusions.
Whether this collaboration is done by reading other students notebooks
or by discussing scientific phenomena in small groups, communication
is clearly enhanced.
Drawing upon Magnusson and Palincsar's work, the
Caltech Pre-College Science Initiative (CAPSI) has been involved in
developing a model and guidelines for teachers for using science
notebooks by investigating intermediate grade teachers' and students'
use of science notebooks and their impact on student learning (Aschbacher
& Baker, 2003). Their preliminary findings reveal a slight trend:
students in classes who did conceptual writing (writing that included
claims and evidence statements) did better on the post-test than
students who did not do conceptual writing. Nesbit, Hargrove,
Harrelson, and Maxey (2003) are studying what teachers do to engage
primary age students in scientific thinking and how that affects what
students write in their science
notebooks.
While there is a need to conduct additional research
on this topic, the following
characteristics seem to make the implementation of an active science
program using science notebooks a viable way to collect assessment
data from multiple areas of the curriculum:
* Most of the work done in the notebook is descriptive
or narrative. The qualitative nature of the notebook provides the
teacher with insightful information about what students truly
understand.
* The notebook is centered around authentic tasks such as
collaborating, researching, analyzing and evaluating.
* The work done in the notebook is purposeful.
Students are investigating their own questions in which they are
genuinely interested.
* There is seldom one right answer or conclusion. In
fact, it is not uncommon for the teacher to "discover" alongside the
student.
* Other stakeholders are involved, primarily the
student. Assessment of the science notebook is used to provide insight
to students about how they learn and to inform the teacher of what the
student needs next. Notebooks also serve as an excellent resource to
demonstrate growth to parents-growth not only in science, but in
multiple areas of the curriculum.
With the implementation of science notebooks, students
become actively involved in their own learning. Students are afforded
the opportunity to investigate content in which they are naturally
interested and to wrestle with authentic problems. It only makes sense
that achievement is enhanced in all areas of the curriculum.
Aschbacher, P.R. & Baker, C.M. (2003, April)
"Incorporating literacy into hands-on science classes: Reflections in
student work." Paper presented at the American Educational Research
Association Conference. Chicago.
Black, P., & William, D. (1998). Inside the black box:
Raising standards through classroom assessment. "Phi Delta Kappan," 80
(2), 139-148.
Jones, M.G., Jones, D., Hardin, B., Chapman, L.,
Yarbrough, T., & Davis, M. (1999, November). The impact of high stakes
testing on teachers and students in North Carolina. "Phi Delta Kappan,"
81 (3), 199-203.
Klentschy, M., Garrison, L., & Amaral, O.M. (1999).
"Valle Imperial project in science (VIPS): Four-year comparison of
student achievement data 1995-1999." El Centro, CA: El Centro Unified
School District.
Magnusson, S. J., & Palincsar, A. S. (2003, April). "A
theoretical framework for the development of second hand investigation
texts." Paper presented at the American Educational Research
Association Conference. Chicago.
Nesbit, C., Hargrove, T., Harrelson, L., & Maxey, R.
(2003). Implementing science notebooks in the primary grades.
Submitted for publication.
National Science Teachers Association (2002).
"Position statement on elementary school science." Available online at
http://www.nsta.org/159&psid=8 (accessed 5 June 2003).
Ruiz-Primo, M. A., Li, M., & Shavelson, R.J. (2001).
"Looking into students' science notebooks: What do teachers do with
them?" National Center for Research on Evaluation and Student Testing.
Available online at
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUSE/SEAL/Reports_Papers/Reports%20PDF/
Cresst2001No2.pdf (accessed 5 June 2003).
Smith, M.L. (1991). Put to the test: The effects of
external testing on teachers.
"Educational Researcher," 20 (5), 8-11.
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