Our Work

Integrated Units Include: Read-Alouds of information books dialogically shared Hands-on explorations and discussions around them Acting-Out (drama) activities Journaling Home Project Shared in Classroom Semantic Mapping Class Mural Literature Circles Composing their own illustrated book
Science Content Matter unit solids, liquids, gases what they look like how they are similar and different changes of states, such as melting, freezing, evaporation, condensation how molecules change movement, bonding, and proximity in different states water cycle	L Forest unit characteristics of plants and animals living in a forest relationships among them what plants and animals look like where they live what they eat what they are eaten by how they protect themselves how they grow
Scientific Literacy Goals/Practices Engage with informational texts in science (their linguistic patterns and visual images) Make sense of the ideas presented in books used in the unit and relate them to hands-on explorations and other activities in the unit Share own ideas, comments, and questions in read-alouds and other activities (e.g., semantic mapping, journaling, whole-class and small-group discussions around hands-on explorations) Describe observations in detail orally, and in writing and drawing Construct explanations for scientific concepts, ideas, phenomena, findings, etc., both orally and in writing. Depict accurately scientific concepts and processes in drawings Integrate and present scientific ideas in illustrated written books and other texts Coordinate ideas and structure of main text and minor text (labels, captions, keys, etc.) in reading unit books and in journals and own books Write (and draw) a range of genres in journals (based on teacher prompts, own responses, hands-on explorations, etc.) Use and interpret data tables and graphs to depict and explore scientific observations and findings
Research Analyses Intertextuality analysis, focusing on connections among multiple texts Concept analysis, focusing on the ways major concepts in a unit are introduced, talked about, and developed Analysis of child inquiry styles, focusing on the various discourse patterns young children take to appropriate scientific knowledge Analysis of children’s own illustrated information books, focusing on semiotic analyses of children’s texts and pictures In-depth analysis of children’s science learning, focusing on their developing understandings of concepts, processes, and nature of science explored in a curricular unit Analysis of teacher challenges in dialogic read-alouds of information books, focusing on the tensions teachers face as they negotiate between canonical knowledge and the children’s own ways of making sense and communicating Analysis of at-home explorations, focusing on (a) the artifacts produced during out-of class experiences with family members and the associated classroom discourse around them, and (b) parents' views of these at-home experiences.