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2004 NSF K-12 Math, Science, and Technology Curriculum Developers Conference

Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading: A Model of Science/Literacy Curriculum Development

Jacqueline Barber
Gina Cervetti

The Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading project is designed to address the urgent need for materials developed collaboratively by science education and literacy experts that help students make sense of the physical world while addressing foundational dimensions of literacy. The University of California at Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science and Graduate School of Education are working collaboratively to: a) develop an effective science/literacy program for grades 1-4 that provides teachers with inquiry-based science learning within a context of content-rich literacy development, and b) research the impact on student learning of this innovative combination.

We are currently coming to the end of the first year of a three-year pilot grant. The objective of this pilot phase is to develop and test a new model of science and literacy curriculum development. During this phase, we are writing three Seeds/Roots pilot units for second and third grade students, based on units from the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Program. We are using a backward-design process, three-stage field test, and concurrent research study to inform program development and ensure effectiveness. In this poster presentation, we will share the evaluation design and data collection tools that we are using in the field trials, research studies, and evaluation study.

This project is supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. ESI-0352345). Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.