Linking science & literacy in the K-8 classroom /

Teachers make difficult decisions when planning and allocating instructional time in K-8 classrooms. How will students' language skills enable or interfere with learning and understanding science concepts? How will integrating and practicing literacy skills in science improve or detract from students' achievements? The editors of this volume present diverse perspectives that answer these questions. The book also illuminates the complexities involved in implementing high-quality science and literacy instruction. Six sections focus on the linkage of science to types of discourse (reading, writing, and oral); culturally and linguistically diverse cultures; and implementation and policy issues. Each section weaves together context-specific case studies with chapters written by researchers and professional development experts. Narrative case studies describe the classroom reality through teachers' reflections on student learning within unique classroom contexts. Student voices, via writing samples and oral scripts, enrich and clarify the ideas explicated in each chapter. The unique structure of the book provides multiple avenues to connect evidence-based research with effective instructional and assessment strategies in both science and literacy. The editors present a range of diverse approaches that enable a constructive dialogue about the many variables influencing science and literacy instruction. An outstanding contribution. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through practitioners. A. Graber University of Colorado at Boulder