Qualities of Effective Elementary Nature of Science Read-Alouds

• In Event: 34.096 - MTCC Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 34.096-2 - Creative Multidisciplinary Instruction

Abstract

Teachers often use read-alouds of trade books to support science instruction, but not much is known about what makes these effective. This study explores two teachers’ read-aloud lessons that focus on nature of science (NOS). Students from both classes improved their views of NOS by engaging with the read-alouds, but students in one class made greater gains. In this study, the two teachers’ lessons are described and compared. By comparing the specific teaching moves of the two teachers, it is possible to gain an initial understanding of what qualities an effective NOS read-aloud may contain. These results may be used to target further research to empirically test what qualities are necessary for an effective NOS read-aloud lesson.

Author

• Jeanne L. Brunner, University of Massachusetts - Amherst