Integrating Inquiry and Literacy in the Elementary Science Classroom

The Wade Institute for Science Education held an exciting 3-day Remote Professional Development Institute especially designed for grades K-2 educators!

A minds-on, hands-on professional development experience that provided teachers with scientific knowledge, classroom investigations, remote teaching strategies and a network of resources. Participants engaged in strategies for both classroom and remote teaching.

How can educators find time to teach science? Talking, reading, and writing are essential to all learning, including science. Literacy strategies can strengthen science teaching and science inquiry methods can strengthen literacy strategies. During this remote course, educators explored how they can integrate science and literacy learning through inquiry-based learning remotely or in the classroom! They explored how to use inquiry and the Science and Engineering Practices to deepen students’ understanding of both science concepts and literacy strategies. Educators:

• Participated through small group sessions in inquiry science investigations that develop science and literacy skills.
• Explored picture books and informational text to spark deep learning in science.
• Practiced using productive talk and science writing in both the classroom and remote settings.
• Learned strategies for integrating discussion into science and literacy in ways that foster critical thinking, academic language, and meaning making.
• Interacted through chats and presentations with professionals in the fields of literacy and science.
• Explored both on site and remote resources from museums, science centers, libraries, and cultural organizations that they can utilize throughout the year.
• Shifted their practice to teach their grade-specific science content by using inquiry-based learning to spark minds-on, hands-on investigations as they implemented the Science and Engineering Practices.

To support their learning, teachers received a toolkit of materials to use both during the course and with their students. As an added bonus, educators will be invited to participate in optional field sessions with our partners later this year, free of charge!

Registration Information

Collaborators & Instructors: Jeff Winokur, Education Consultant; Karen Worth, Education Consultant; Maria Rundle, Flying Cloud Institute; Kathy Renfrew, Wade Institute for Science Education

Dates: July 28-30, 2020. Included a mix of virtual and remote learning sessions. Completion of some online components were required prior to and following the virtual sessions.

Cost: $350/participant. $325/participant if attending with one other teacher from your school or district. $300/participant if attending with 2 or more other teachers from your school or district.

PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit:
24 PDPs are available without graduate credit.
2 graduate science credits and 45 PDPs are available from Cambridge College for $150.
2 graduate credits and 45 PDPs are available from Framingham State University for $150.