Description:

Learn practical strategies to connect science and literacy in ways that support student engagement and deepen critical thinking. This session is designed with busy teachers in mind, offering time-efficient, easy-to-implement approaches that foster disciplinary literacy in science. Participants will explore scaffolds, including sentence frames, guided annotation, visual supports, and structured writing tools that support a range of learners, including English learners and students with disabilities. Leave with classroom-ready strategies that blend reading, writing, speaking, and thinking to make science instruction more meaningful and accessible for all students.

Delivery Format: In-Person|Virtual|Hybrid|Implementation Support|Coaching Support

Target Audience: Pre-Service Teacher|Classroom Teachers|Instructional Coaches|School Administrators|District Administrators

Duration: Workshop (60-90 minutes)|Half-Day (3 hours)|Full Day (6 hours)

Facilitators:

Learning Intentions:

• I can identify time-efficient strategies to connect science and literacy in the classroom.
• I can learn scaffolds that support diverse learners in reading, writing, and discussing science concepts.
• I can explore ways to build students’ science understanding through structured literacy routines.
• I can practice applying practical literacy strategies within current science instruction.

Grade Level: Elementary|Middle|High

Success Criteria:

• I can explain the purpose of engaging students in argument from evidence.
• I can model how to help students construct claims supported by evidence and reasoning.
• I can facilitate classroom discussions where students justify their thinking using data.
• I can apply strategies that promote critical thinking and evidence evaluation in science instruction.

Expected Impact:

Improved student comprehension of science content; increased student use of academic language and writing in science; greater accessibility for English learners and students with disabilities; enhanced integration of reading and writing in science that promotes critical thinking and deeper understanding.

Testimonials: <p>As a district leader, I am always searching for professional learning that is both practical and impactful. The CTLG session on <em data-start="347" data-end="395">Effective Ways to Connect Science and Literacy</em> exceeded expectations. Our teachers left with strategies they could use the very next day including sentence frames, guided annotation, discourse strategies, and structured writing tools that not only make science more accessible for diverse learners, but also strengthen students’ ability to think critically and communicate like scientists. The feedback from teachers has been overwhelmingly positive, with many noting how these approaches supported both content mastery and literacy growth. This session truly represents the kind of high-quality, student-centered professional learning that moves teaching and learning forward across our district.</p>
<p>District Science Supervisor</p>