Literacy Strategies To Enhance

The Functionality Of The

Learning Cycle (5 Es) Approach

Lauren Shea, lshea@uci.edu

Terry Shanahan, tshanaha@uci.edu

University of California, IrvineASTE Conference, Minneapolis, MN

January 21, 2011

Synergy between Science and

Language Learning• Extended science discourse

• Opportunities to construct knowledge

• Academic vocabulary and phrases

• Functional context-relevant speech

• Rich feedback

(Kagan, 1995, Snow & Kurtland, 1996)

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Benefits of Science Discourse

• Make sense of own thinking

• Listen to the ideas of others

• Become aware of multiple perspectives

• Re-think own ideas

• Evaluate another’s ideas

• Frame own ideas before writing (Worth, 2008)

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More Benefits of Science

Discourse• Oral language production leads to oral proficiency

• Oral proficiency supports early decoding

• Early decoding leads to increased early reading and writing skills and later decoding and comprehension

• Early literacy skills translate to more successful academic experiences (Achieve, 2005)

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Developing Understanding of

Academic Words• Students need to:

– Actively use words

– Eagerly explore in language-rich classrooms

• Focus on learning vocabulary and learning

content(Fathman & Crowther, 2006)

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Problem with Implementation

• Majority of teachers unprepared to

integrate science and language(Stoddart, Pinal, Latzke, & Canady, 2002)

• Needed: intentionality in asking questions

and using academic language to promote

cognitive development

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Some Definitions

• Academic Language Functions• Tasks for social, academic, or cognitive development

include: acquiring information,

comparing/contrasting, classifying, and analyzing

• Different from social language functions of

communicating and interacting

• Science Process Skills• Metacognitive skills that enable students to cognize

and re-cognize their understanding

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Academic Language Function

and Science Process Skills

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One Model to Integrate Science

and Language• 5E learning cycle that promotes inquiry-based learning of science in which students actively participate

– Engage (connects to prior knowledge, previews new vocabulary)

– Explore (observes, investigates phenomena)

– Explain (students tell what they know and observe)

– Elaborate (connects to real world)

– Evaluate (teacher checks for understanding)

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Literacy Strategies

• Avenues, Hampton Brown, 2007:

cooperative learning strategies of

– Three Way Interview

– Numbered Heads

– Roundtable

– Think, Pair, Share

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Literacy Strategies

Cooperative learning strategies of:

•Three Way Interview

•Numbered Heads

•Roundtable

•Think, Pair, Share

(Avenues, Hampton Brown, 2007)

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Sample Integration

Learning

Cycle

Literacy

Strategy

Academic

Language

Function

Science

Process Skill

Literacy

Skills

Explore Numbered

Heads

Compare/

contrast

Infer/ justify

Compare/

contrast

Hypothesize/

communicate

Speaking

Listening

Writing

Explain Roundtable Inform

Analyze

Communicate

Analyze

Speaking

Listening

Elaborate Think/Pair/

Share

Seek

information

Infer

Observe

Predict

Speaking

Listening

Reading

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Sample Integration

• Teacher’s role varies from active to

supportive

• Inclusion of literacy strategies provides

rich opportunities for speaking and

listening

• Receptive language: reading and listening

• Expressive language: speaking and

writing

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Teacher

Talk

Student

Talk

Production

(Teacher’s

Words)

Student

Listens

Literacy

Skill:

Listening

Student

Speaks

(formal and

informal

opportunities)

(Student-Student

or Student-

Teacher Talk)

Literacy Skill:

Speaking

Student

Talk

Proficiency

(Own Words)

Student

Thinks

Science

Cognition

Student

Reading and

Writing

Production

(Other’s Words)

Writing

Student

Reads and

Writes

(formal and

informal

opportunities)

Literacy Skill:

Reading and

Writing

Student

Reading and

Writing

Proficiency

(Own Words)

Student

Thinks

More Deeply

Scientific

Understanding

Engage,

Explore,

Explain,

Evaluate,

Elaborate

Engage,

Explore,

Explain,

Evaluate,

Elaborate

Engage,

Explore,

Explain,

Evaluate,

Elaborate

Engage,

Explore,

Explain,

Evaluate,

Elaborate

Engage,

Explore,

Explain,

Evaluate,

Elaborate5 E

Sc

ien

ce

Inq

uir

y

Stu

de

nt

Ou

tco

me

s

Lit

era

cy

Interactions With 5E, Literacy, and Student Outcomes

Future considerations

• Pre-service teacher programs• Methods courses integrating science, literacy and

language development

• Research agenda• Investigation of implementation of language skills,

students’ cognitive skills, and acquisition of academic

content knowledge in science, in particular

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Acknowledgements

• Funding from the California Postsecondary

Education Commission, ITQ grant 07-418

Copies of the paper are available from:

• Lauren Shea, lshea@uci.edu

• Terry Shanahan, tshanaha@uci.edu

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