Reading Techniques Help Students Master Science

There are many struggles with teaching science to secondary students.  Unfortunately, one of these struggles is the reading abilities of our students.  Many students struggle comprehending what they are reading and doing tasks like picking out the main idea.
Scientific American has done some research in this area and has made some suggestions about what techniques and help students read better to improve their comprehension of science.  This article is worth the read even if you think your students aren't struggling with reading. 

Reading Techniques to help students understand science

Reading is such an important part of learning.  While we often take it for granted that our students know how to read, reading to learn is so much more.  It's not just reading words on a page, but it's things like picking out main ideas, processing the information and understanding what is written.  I came across an article from Scientific American that talks about a study done to understand what can help students read more efficiently.

One study found that having students read a passage and then type or write out everything they remembered allowed students to recall more information than students who made concept maps or simply reread the passage several times.

A few other strategies were mentioned in the article as well, so take a read (don't worry it's a short article).

What reading strategies do you use in your classroom? 

Teaching Students how to Read to Learn in Science

Do you remember when MOOCs (massive open online courses) were all the rage? They are still around and I came across one from Stanford University called Reading to Learn in Science. This course is running now and goes until the end of May. The great things about MOOCs is that you get from it what you put and you don't have to feel guilty about not completing the whole thing because they are free! The course is designed to address such concerns, giving teachers the tools to help students read for understanding in science. With NGSS, CCLS and any other new standards you state or district might be adopting, reading in science is key. Students must know how to do things like cite evidence or support/critique an argument.

If you think that this course is for you, I suggest you check it and get registered. Even if you aren't sure, I would still register so that you have access to the information and can always go back to it later.