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Describes the origins and aims of content-area literacy and disciplinary literacy and explains how these traditions can be reconciled in integrated science-literacy instruction.
It would be difficult to overstate the importance of supporting students' development of scientific literacies in light of the current global crises related to human health and the environment. Integrating science and literacy is a powerful way to prepare students as citizens and as the next generation of scientists.
Interest in integrated literacy and science instruction has experienced a resurgence over the last decade with the introduction in both domains of new standards in the U.S. that emphasize connections and complementarities. The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy (CCSS-ELA; National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010) include a strong focus on informational reading and writing in the elementary grades and form explicit connections between the skills of ELA and content area learning. As early as grade 2, for example, students are expected to "participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations)" (W2.7, p. 19). The standards also describe ambitious goals for middle and secondary students' literacy skills related to disciplinary learning in history, social studies, science, and technical subjects. The CCSS-ELA are designed to complement content standards by helping students "meet the particular challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language" in these fields (p. 3).
At the same time, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS; 2013) were built on a framework (National Research Council, 2012; National Research Council, 2013) that explicitly addresses the fundamental roles of reading and writing in practicing science. The framework describes the important role of literacy in science: "Reading, interpreting, and producing text are fundamental practices of science . . . and they constitute at least half of engineers' and scientists' total working time" (p. 74). The framework-aligned NGSS not only include explicit connections to CCSSELA standards, but also to reading and oral/written communication as part of the core "Science and Engineering Practices." For example, the practices include the following standards:
* Read grade-appropriate texts and/or use media to obtain scientific information to describe patterns in the natural world. (K-ESS3-2)
* Communicate...