Learning Areas
Teaching Standards
General Description
Outside of the English classroom, Science provides the greatest opportunity for students to write. Writing has the capacity to facilitate the abstraction of concepts and promote high order critical thinking. The Science classroom provides excellent opportunities to improve literacy skills and in turn, improve overall student learning outcomes. This course focuses on the genres of narrating and persuading; how to assess student writing from both a scientific and literacy point of view; and provides strategies on how help students write.
Audience
Secondary science teachers 7-12
Primary teachers of science.
Available Delivery Formats
Format Description
24/7 course access
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
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2.5.2 Proficient Level – Literacy and numeracy strategies
5.3.2 Proficient Level – Make consistent and comparable judgements
6.2.2 Proficient Level – Engage in professional learning and improve practice
Are you in NSW? If so, this is relevant for you
This course contributes to 3.0 professional development hours.
Occurrences
Sessions
1 Engaging in writing
20 minutes
Presentation: The importance of writing in science
Writing task: Participants engage in a persuasive writing task
Presentation: Instructing persuading and narrating in science
2 Language and knowledge
20 minutes
Presentation: Language and knowledge
Presentation: What are genres?
Quiz: Identify the genre of text?
3 Persuasive texts in Science
1 hour
Presentation: Instructing
Presentation: Expositions
Task: Modality
Task: Nominalisation
Quiz: Persuasive texts in Science
Analysis of student writing – persuasive texts (SOLO)
The ALARM matrix
40 minutes
Presentation: The ALARM matrix
Quiz: Analysis of student writing
5 Historical narratives in Science
40 minutes
Text: What do children’s stories and Physics have in common?
Quiz: Analysis of student writing
User Rating
3.5Latest Reviews
Please note the feedback listed here is unfiltered, and includes all comments and ratings collected.
Writing Science- Persuasive texts and narratives in science - Jim Sturgiss
27/04/2020
very interresting
Writing Science- Persuasive texts and narratives in science - Jim Sturgiss
27/04/2020
I have not found this useful at all. The course assumes that you have knowledge of English terminology and SOLO. The only mildly useful thing was IDEAs with an E -though how does this relate to ALARM?? I still don’t know what ALARM is.
Conjunctions was aimed at a university level – ie. academic writing – this is not relevant for middle school.
Writing Science- Persuasive texts and narratives in science - Jim Sturgiss
27/04/2020
I did not find it relevant to teaching science. It was more like an English course.
Writing Science- Persuasive texts and narratives in science - Jim Sturgiss
02/09/2019
Relevance is very high. Our school is having a focus on writing after careful analysis of NAPLAN results.
Writing Science- Persuasive texts and narratives in science - Jim Sturgiss
02/09/2019
As a non science teacher, I found the material relevant and informative. Gave me material I can use to support science teachers improving the way they teach literacy. I will recommend the course to teachers on my staff.
Writing Science- Persuasive texts and narratives in science - Jim Sturgis 4 No Yes
01/08/2019
quite useful but some of the slides could have been dealt with as 1 slide not multiple ones
About the team
Jim Sturgiss
Creator
Improving outcomes through aligned teaching practice synergies.
Jim is an educational researcher and independent educational consultant. A recipient of the NSW PTC Distinguished Service Award for leadership in delivering targeted professional learning to teachers, he works with schools to align assessment, reporting and learning practice. He has been a DoE Senior Assessment Advisor where he developed many statewide assessments, (ESSA, SNAP, ELLA, BST) and as Coordinator: Analytics where he developed reports to schools for statewide assessments and NAPLAN.
Selected NSW Department of Education and Communities appointments
2015 Analytics, Systems and Development Coordinator
2012 – 2013 School Assessment Design and Development Acting Coordinator (ESSA)
2007 – 2010 Head Teacher Science, Newtown High School of Performing Arts
2004 – 2005 Senior Assessment Officer, Computer Skills Assessment (CSA6)
2004 Test Development Officer, Secondary Numeracy Assessment Program (SNAP)
2000 – 2004 Head Teacher Science, Concord High School
1998 – 2000 Senior Assessment Officer, English Language and Literacy Assessment (ELLA)
Teaching Qualifications
1993 – 1997 M.Ed. (Hons) University of New England (Thesis: Literacy & learning in Science)
1979 Dip. Ed. University of Wollongong
1976 – 1978 B.Sc. University of Wollongong (Majors in Chemistry and Bioenergetics)