Writing and Science

I have spent years writing for science related projects, mostly on the job when I worked as a geologist (for over 10 years), as lab tech in the synchronous belt test lab at Gates Rubber, and as an aquarium hobbyist. I am published in both the oil and gas industry and in the aquarium hobbyist world and have written many in house reports for several of my former employers. I have been reading science related magazines and professional journals since I was in junior high and have been reading and writing about science for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in geology, as well as for the many education related classes that I have taken. I believe I have a solid understanding of what good science writing looks like.

My struggle in teaching writing in my science classes is that I have not had any coursework in teaching language arts – so I don’t have the vocabulary and background information that allows me to communicate effectively with my language art’s peers and to use the same language that my students learn in their language arts classes. My students do a substantial amount of writing in science class, but I am just beginning to know what to call the different types of writing assignments I use (in the language arts vernacular). I have never been trained in “the writing process” and until recently did not know what steps that term referred to. According to my research, teachers usually mean that the student should use the following steps before undertaking a written assignment: invention / draft / sharing and responding / revising / editing / publishing. I should help my students use the writing process when they are working on research papers or projects. These longer term science assignments should be scored on grammar, spelling, etc. in addition to the science.

Last year I learned the term “quick write” which describes the type of writing assignments I often use after watching a video, doing an activity, or holding a discussion. I give students a few minutes to write a paragraph or so about what they learned, which is then their exit ticket as they leave my class. I like this type of quick written assessment because it gives me a snapshot of what the students got from the lesson, what they found interesting and important, and what they are thinking about. These assignments are graded on effort, not “language arts skills” since they are written under the pressure of a short time constraint. Many of the books and articles I have been reading support my position of not grading these types of assignments for grammar, spelling, etc.

I have students write in their learning journal when we begin a unit or topic and again when we have finished with it. These entries are based on written prompts that students are expected to respond to, and may include drawings, graphic organizers and diagrams in addition to written text. The books and articles I have been reading on how the brain works when it learns call these types of assignments either “priming” for introducing the topic, or “writing to learn” when students summarize their thoughts. Again, what I read says these types of assignments should not be graded for grammar, spelling, etc., doing so inhibits the learning that is taking place as students ponder the material being covered.

This past Saturday I read the book, Teaching Adolescent Writers, by Kelly Gallagher (2006, Stenhouse Publishers). It gave me much food for thought (enough to keeping posting blog entries for some time!!!). The newest term to add to my writing vocabulary is “on demand writing”, which is much of what we do in science (and CSAP). According to Gallagher, this type of writing uses a different process than the “writing process” as it is traditionally taught; instead he suggests teaching the “ABCD”’s; which stands for Attack the prompt, Brainstorm possible answers, Choose the order of your response, and Detect errors before turning in your draft/work. I do expect students to write complete thoughts, but usually grade on the science that was included, not the “language arts”.

I must admit, I often read about writing and the teaching of writing from a self-defense position so that I am able to justify what I do and how I do it and not because I am interested in learning about the craft of writing. I have been told by language arts teachers in my building that I should be grading every piece of writing that is turned in to me for grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc., but when I look at the building’s writing rubric that is to be used in all content areas, I don’t know what several of the terms mean – so how am I supposed to scores student writing on these mystery items? As I read more and more about the teaching of writing, assessment, and brain research, I feel that I am on the right track in how I teach, use, and assess writing in my classroom. By building my own background knowledge and vocabulary for writing, I can now explain why I do not grade every piece of writing done in science class for grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, word usage, etc. and I am learning how to do a better job of teaching students to write in science class.