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Science is the one subject, in my opinion, in which you can do so much with; Explore, Experiment, Investiagte, Create, etc. and still envolve reading with all you teach. An example on incorporating Literature in Science is by teaching a lesson on ecosytems and reading a book to your students to give them knowledge and then go even further by having them create mini ecosystems in 2-liter bottles. 

I think incorporating literature in science is pretty neat! From what I have seen in observing classrooms,  a science class only happens once or twice a week so if we can incorporate science into literature, students can receive more science classes a week that way.

I am mostly in agreement with everything being said here. The one piece that is different is that I make sure the literacy piece supports the standards I am trying to address within my topic. I also have to say that I didn't always think this through completely when I was in the classroom.

Hello,

I think when tou integrate literature with all contents, it give you more time for students to explor topic since content in elementary is such a short time specially in primary grade. I think integrting literature with all contents is such a good idea and good way to teach literacy skills while students are learning about the science and social studies!

Hello there!

I completely agree with the fact that you can incorporate literacy into a science lesson. I recently created a STEM activity on Light Energy for my students to complete in class, and I introduced the lesson by reading the book Light: Shadows, Mirrors, and Rainbows by Natalie Myra Rosinsky. The students throughly enjoyed the book and it brought in a literary concept for them. If I wanted to take the literary connection a step further, I could've also had the students complete a writing reflection piece at the end of the lesson. I also found that you can incorporate a lot of math components when teaching science as well. Students could be doing an activity that includes something as simple as counting. 

Science is a very fun subject to teach, and I love the fact you can incoporate other academic areas in it as well.

Hey Ya'll!

I'm really glad I found this thread.  The struggle is real trying to find ways to integrate STEM into Literacy versus Literacy into STEM! I really like the suggestion of picture books but I am also trying to follow a required mid-level reading list.  I was able to complete a STEAM project where I had the students create a medieval waterwheel in connection to the book, Crispin.  I don’t know how truly effective the lesson was at teaching force and motion but the kids did at least have fun and I was able to sell it to administration- so I guess that was a success? LOL

Overall though, I just feel extremely insecure trying to integrate Science and Math into an ELAR classroom.  If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears!

Thanks in advance!  I’m very interested to see what other commenters have to say on the topic.

-Shannon 

Integrating literacy into science doesn't have to be challenging! In fact, it can be quite simple and not very time consuming to find ways to integrate literacy into science, while also making the science lesson all the more fun for students. For elementary students, read alouds are a great way to kick off a science topic or lesson. This is engaging for students and can get their brains thinking about the science topic at hand. There are so many great books to choose from that can be easy to find online. While reading is one aspect of literacy, I believe it is also important to include writing into science. One example that comes to mind involves the dreaded lab reports for most students. You can change what may be boring, technical lab reports to some students into a multigenre writing project. Students could choose the form of writing they want to create, such as a short story, brochure, or comic, and write their science report in that genre of writing. Using a simple rubric or checklist of requirements, it would be easy to keep this science based, while also incorporating several types of writing.

 I think incorporating literature in science is a really good idea! From what I have seen in observing classrooms and as a substitue teacher, teachers tend to teach science once or twice a week unless its a testes subject, so if we can incorporate science into literature, students can receive more science instruction a week than normal.

It is a great idea it can be science being incorporated into literature or the other way around, but it can also be implembeted in math assigments and activities. This way the students are more exposed to sciencce and see a patern where they see that all the subject go hand in hand and can be interesting. 

Yes, I agree science needs to be incorporated more in elementary so students can like science more and actually have fun with it once they go to middle school. Like that there would be a lot of students who enjoy science and wants to know more about science and what else we can do with science. Teachers should focus more on the use of science like reading and math. 

Science is certainly interesting. When I was 15 years old, I loved it. But then the fascination quickly passed. I prefer reading now. For example 'popol vuh', I use https://freebooksummary.com/category/popol-vuh for that. It seems to me this way you can become much faster educated than to delve into one area of science. In books, of course, everything is written that is related to science, but it's still not as interesting as regular books. It's not even necessary to argue, I think.

Since curriculum in elementary school is covered in such a short amount of time, especially in primary school, I believe that integrating literature with all subjects gives you more time for students to explore a topic. Integrating literature with all content is, in my opinion, a great idea and effective way to teach reading skills to students as they study science and social studies.