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Science literacy is one of the most important skills for students to have, especially in our current world where so many scientific and technological advancements happen every day. Scientific literacy is more than just having the skills to read and comprehend a scientific article, but also being able to think critically about the issue being brought up, how the issue is being addressed, who is communicating the issue, and what the purpose of the writing is. Students having scientific literacy helps them to fully engage in socio-scientific issues and be an informed and participating citizen.

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Phonics is the practice of teaching students to read by connecting sounds to letters or groups of letters (“Phonics and Decoding,” n.d.). For example, teaching that b makes the /b/ sound or sh makes the /sh/ sound. This skill is essential for sounding out words and spelling them. It supports reading fluency and helps students read and write with greater ease and accuracy.

Phonics in Science:

Phonics is crucial in science due to the subject’s complex vocabulary. Many terms can be broken down into simpler root words—for example, thermometer: therm (heat) + meter (measure), and recognizing roots such as exo- and endo- helps students decode scientific terms. This is especially beneficial for English Language Learners and Exceptional Students, making scientific language more accessible and encouraging confident participation in class discussions.

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Phonics instruction teaches the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. To read, children need to understand the alphabetic principle - the idea that letters represent the sounds of spoken language. Decoding is when we use letter-sound relationships to translate a printed word into speech.

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Description: The awareness of sounds within a spoken language, including ideas such as rhymes, syllables, and other individual language concepts.

Prevalence in Science Education: Students must understanding scientific vocabulary throughout their many years in science classrooms. Having the proper awareness allows students to accurately pronounce and differentiate these words. It also aids ELL students in learning words and their meanings.

Word examples:

Photosynthesis

Metamorphosis

Biology

Experiment

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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Vocabulary refers to the words a person understands and uses in a language. It includes receptive vocabulary (words recognized through reading or listening) and productive vocabulary (words used in speaking and writing). Vocabulary is often categorized into three tiers: Tier 1 (basic everyday words), Tier 2 (high-utility academic words), and Tier 3 (domain-specific terms). Science vocabulary can be especially difficult due to its length and complexity.

Key signs of vocabulary growth include:

Correctly using new words in writing

Applying knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and root words to decode terms

Mastering vocabulary used across disciplines (Scholastic, n.d.)

Recognizing common roots, prefixes, and suffixes in science texts is particularly helpful. Since much of science vocabulary is repetitive in structure, students who learn these patterns are more likely to decode and understand unfamiliar terms successfully.

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Enhancing Comprehension: Reading Skills in Middle School

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Encourage progress in your ever more sophisticated and independent reader.

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Master the Science of Language: Decoding Scientific and Technical Vocabulary

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Description: The basis of literacy which includes speaking, listening and understanding words

Prevalence in Science Education: Oral Language is crucial for students to be able to discuss ideas, findings and data. Throughout scientific investigations students must be able to share hypothesis, explain their observations, and collaborate with other students. All of this takes place through oral language. Science education takes a significant amount of inquiry to understand not only textbook information but processes see within the environments.

Overall, oral language is necessary within all classrooms for students to properly engage in the learning. Teachers must be able to verbally guide students through materials and concepts to ensure proper understanding of all concepts.

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Speaking and Listening in Content Area Learning

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Oral language development facilitates print literacy. In this article, we focus on the ways in which teachers can ensure students' speaking and listening skills are developed. We provide a review of effective classroom routines, including some that can be enhanced with technology.

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What is metacognition? (Exploring the Metacognition Cycle)

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In general, being fluent in something means one is proficient and comfortable in that skill area. There are many different types of fluency in education. For example, if someone reads fluently, they are able to read the text accurately, quickly, and with proper expression (Shanahan, n.d.). In language, fluency refers to someone being able to speak and write clearly, effectively, and cohesively.

Fluency in Science:

Students having fluency in reading and writing is extremely important in science due to the very dense information, intense vocabulary, and complicated sentence structures. Additionally, in scientific writing, it's extremely important that the author is able to describe their question, process, and results in a clear and logical way, using evidence and argumentation when appropriate. Using precise and correct vocabulary is essential so that the work done by the author can be replicated and reviewed by peers. By having these skills, scientists are able to fully participate in the scientific community.

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Teaching Oral Reading Fluency to Older Students

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Oh goodness, everybody’s least favorite topic (except maybe Tim Rasinski’s). What I’m talking about is fluency instruction/practice for older students … grades 4 and up, let’s say.

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Reading comprehension is the ability to understand, interpret, analyze, and make meaning from written text. It includes decoding words, identifying main ideas and details, making inferences, and connecting new information to prior knowledge or real-world concepts. Strong comprehension skills are essential for students to fully grasp a topic. Growth in comprehension can be seen when students:

Critically evaluate the text

Draw conclusions about events or ideas

Connect new information to their own experiences (Scholastic, n.d.)

In science, these skills are especially important. Scientific texts are often dense and filled with technical vocabulary. Students need to use context clues, prefixes/suffixes, and sentence structure to understand key terms. Strong comprehension also helps students interpret data, analyze arguments, and connect ideas across scientific disciplines—skills that go beyond simply reading the words on the page.

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Enhancing Comprehension: Reading Skills in Middle School

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Encourage progress in your ever more sophisticated and independent reader.

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How To Read Research Papers Effectively | Prof. David Stuckler

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Master the Science of Language: Decoding Scientific and Technical Vocabulary

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Discussion about best practices for teaching science vocabulary 

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Discussion about best practices for teaching science vocabulary 

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Forums / Chemistry / Teaching Science Vocabulary

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Teaching strategies for Fluency, Comprehension and Oral Language 

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Teaching strategies for Fluency, Comprehension and Oral Language 

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Supporting fluency and comprehension using practices grounded in the science of reading

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Fluent reading supports understanding meaning but kids also need instruction that maximizes comprehension. The science of reading shows how.

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Research-based guidelines for teaching phonological awareness and phonemic awareness to all children are described. Additional instructional design guidelines are offered for teaching children with learning disabilities who are experiencing difficulties with early reading.

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Comprehension: Why scientific literacy is so important 

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Comprehension: Why scientific literacy is so important 