A panel of children's literacy and science education experts were on Capitol Hill to champion a new approach to STEM education that will make these critical disciplines more accessible to young people. Introducing The Curious Adventures of Sydney and Symon in: Water Wonders, a new STEM-meets-literacy resource for children ages 6-8, the National Writing Project, Reading Is Fundamental, and FableVision outlined the importance of their collaborative effort, and provided examples of how Water Wonders is currently being used in children's literacy programs nationwide.

1. READING, WRITING AND SCIENCE: SYNERGISTIC LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Inverness Research March 30, 2011 A Briefing for the STEM Caucus www.inverness-research.org

2. MAIN MESSAGES EARLY LEARNING IN SCIENCE, WRITING AND READING ARE ALL IMPORTANT EARLY SCIENCE LEARNING IS BEING PUSHED OUT OF THE SCHOOLS GREAT POTENTIAL FOR SYNERGISTIC STEM LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN SCHOOL OUT OF SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES DO NOT REALIZE THEMSELVES; THEY NEED INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT

3. EARLY SCIENCE LEARNING IS IMPORTANT

4. Finis Origine Pendet Meaningful engagement with science in early years is a critical influence on the academic pathways students choose in middle and high school. (Tai, Liu, Maltese, & Fan, 2006)

5. Finis Origine Pendet “Encouragement of interest and exposure to the sciences should not be ignored in favor of an emphasis on standardized test preparation…* Tai, R.H.; Liu, Chrinstine Qu Liu, Maltese, Adam V.; Fan, Sitano. (2006). Planning Early for Careers in Science. Science (312)1143-1144

6. Contributions of Early STEM Learning Potential Benefits of Early Science Learning Experiences Foundation to further science learning Foundation to further intellectual development Fostering “activation” -- further engagement and excitement in school/out of school STEM activities Providing a broader contribution to literacy

7. ELEMENTARY SCIENCE IS DISAPPEARING FROM THE SCHOOLS

9. The importance of learning to write at an early age

10. “Writing, properly understood, is thought on paper…The reward of disciplined writing is a mind equipped to think. “Writing education will never realize its potential as an engine of opportunity and economic growth until a writing revolution puts the power of language and communication in their proper place in the classroom.” - The National Commission on Writing In America’s Schools and Colleges

11. “. . . in today’s workplace writing is a ‘threshold skill’ for hiring and promotion . . . . Writing is a ticket to professional opportunity . . . . Employers spend billions annually correcting writing deficiencies ….” Writing: A Ticket to Work…or a Ticket Out – A Survey of Business Leaders Conducted by College Board

12. “Effective writing skills are important in all stages of life from early education to future employment.”- National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education), The Condition of Education, p. 70

13. THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING TO READ AT AN EARLY AGE (Can you read this powerpoint?) (Did it matter that you learned how to read at an early age?) RES IPSA LOQUITUR

14. The Potential for Synergy SCIENCE MATH ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY WRITING READING

15. Science  Literacy Inquiry science, which promotes students’ construction of meaning through exploration of scientific phenomenon, observations, experiments, and hands-on activities, provides an authentic context for language use. (National Research Council, 1996)

16. Science  Literacy Cultivating science skills within literacy development can be a powerful way to build reading students’ skills and learn science content at the same time. (Carnegie Corp. of NY and Institute for Advanced Study Report, 2007)

17. Science  Literacy As children engage in scientific activities, they use and learn academic language that accomplishes a range of scientific purposes, e.g., description, formulating scientific hypothesis, proposing alternatives, classifying, inferring, interpreting, predicting and generalizing. In addition inquiry based science environments provide children with a meaningful and engaging context for learning language. (T. Stoddart, A. Pinal, M. Latzke, D. Canaday, 2002)

18. Science   Literacy “Hands-on, investigation-based science is an effective context for the teaching and learning of expository writing. Writing fosters thinking about and internalization of concepts through language; science experience generates important, compelling content about which to write.” -Finding, 2003 Inverness Research evaluation

19. Writing In Elementary Science Can Raise Science Achievement And Help Shrink the Achievement Gap Seattle Public Schools out-performed WA average in 5th grade State Science Assessment in 2003-4 and 2004-5 District demographics predicted lower scores, but science scores were higher Shrinking the achievement gap Higher science scores in lowest-SES schools correlated to teacher participation in Science-Writing Program Two-year Evaluation by National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing, UCLA

20. Effective integration does not happen automatically

21. A Need for Research on Design and Implementation Although there is strong support for the use of science and literacy strategies at the elementary level, little research has been conducted on the issues that teachers encounter as they incorporate these new practices into their instruction. Pegg, Jerine (2010). Integrating Literacy into Elementary Science: Teacher Concerns and their Resolutions. Electronic Journal of Literacy Through Science, v. 9. http://ejlts.ucdavis.edu/sites/ejlts.ucdavis.edu/files/articles/Pegg_EJLTS_final.pdf

22. An I3 Project Integrating English Language Development and Science: A Professional Development Approach The framing hypothesis for this project is that strategically designed professional development focused on integrated ELD and science will increase the percentage of highly effective teachers, as measured by both teacher performance and student achievement in English language development and in science The Exploratorium and the Sonoma Valley Unified School District

23. Integration – A topic of study The Electronic Journal of Literacy through Science (EJLTS) will be devoted to addressing science education by focusing on "Literacy through Science" in the areas of: 1. Language Development (Reading and Writing) and Science Education 2. Bilingualism and Science Education 3. Scientific Literacy for All

24. A Need for Infrastructure as well as “Projects” The National Writing Project Reading is Fundamental The National Science Project, Math Project, Reading Project…? THE FEDERAL ROLE IN EDUCATION IS TO HELP DEVELOP AND SUPPORT STABLE NATIONAL “IMPROVEMENT INFRASTRUCTURES” THAT CAN SUPPORT IMPROVEMENT AND DISSEMINATE INNOVATIONS ON AN ONGOING BASIS … Dr. Mark St. John…

25. A need for materials, books, activities, kits, tools… Materials designed for a range of venues and audiences: Schools After school programs Informal science settings (museums, camps, nature centers…) Families Youth (autonomous)

26. Books: “The Boy Scientist” The need for the chance to assume and try on roles, identities and habits of mind… to try things and see what happens… to use the imagination

27. Supporting the enthusiasm of the next generation