Offering expertise in the teaching of writing (Kim Jaxon) and the teaching of science (Leslie Atkins Elliott and Irene Salter), this book will help instructors create classrooms in which students use writing to learn and think scientifically. The authors provide concrete approaches for engaging students in practices that mirror the work that writing plays in the development and dissemination of scientific ideas, as opposed to replicating the polished academic writing of research scientists. Addressing a range of genres that can help students deepen their scientific reasoning and inquiry, this text includes activities, guidelines, resources, and assessment suggestions. Composing Science is a valuable resource for university-level science faculty, science methods course instructors in teacher preparation programs, and secondary science teachers who have been asked to address the Common Core ELA Standards.
Leslie Atkins Elliott is an associate professor in Curriculum, Instruction and Foundational Studies at Boise State University. Kim Jaxon is an associate professor of English at California State University, Chico, and was awarded the 2014 Teacher of Excellence-College Award by the California Association of Teachers of English. Irene Salter taught middle school science and math and is currently the principal of Chrysalis Charter School in California.