Literacy in science teaching

Reading

Reading scientific texts is a skill that needs to be taught and practised. Reading textbooks, articles, exam questions or even personal study notes requires a very different approach to reading a novel. Find tips and activities to develop scientific reading skills in these articles and resources.

Reading comprehension activities

Reciprocal reading task: agriculture and ammonia | 14–16 years
Structure and bonding: exploding exam questions | 14–16 years
Separating caffeine | 11–14 years
Hand sanitiser in demand – reading comprehension
Can UV light help tackle the coronavirus?
Advances in water treatment
It’s an ant’s life
Body, heal thyself
How was the first artificial dye made? | 16-18 years
How are fireworks and gunpowder made? | 14-16 years

Science research news - extracts for your class

Effective reading strategies for the chemistry classroom

Try these simple, teacher-tested approaches to build your students’ literacy skills

How to teach reading in science

Worried your students struggle with chemistry texts? You're not alone. Here are two solutions

Writing

Science communication can take many forms and writing helps students reflect on their understanding and formulate their ideas. Give your students opportunities to write for a variety of different audiences and purposes.

Writing

Learning to write in chemistry

Michael Seery highlights the importance of carefully-designed writing activities in enabling students to build their scientific writing skills

Read story

Communicating through writing

Understanding comes with writing

How writing builds learning

Building better science communicators

Kristy Turner explains why science teachers should help develop student literacy

Learning to write about chemistry

Extended writing activities

An image showing the pages available in the downloads with solar panels in the shape of a 1 in the foreground.

Justice and injustice in chemistry: aspirin and other drugs | 16–18 years

Composite image showing an oil terminal flaring off gas and the politics of energy structure strip student sheet and teacher notes.

The politics of energy – structure strip | 14–16 years

A photo of tree trunks showing their growth rings

Plant-based plastics | 11–14 years

A photograph of a cliff showing layers or strata of limestone rock

Why do sediments form layers? | 11-14 years

A photograph of queuing urban traffic, showing steam rising from car exhaust pipes

How do car exhaust gases impact the environment? | 16-18 years

New chemist article

Justice and injustice in chemistry: aspirin and other drugs | 16–18 years
The politics of energy – structure strip | 14–16 years
Plant-based plastics | 11–14 years
Why do sediments form layers? | 11-14 years
How do car exhaust gases impact the environment? | 16-18 years
New chemist article

Assessment

Strategies for six-mark questions

Get your students practising answering these within the time limit

The language of chemistry

Alongside the fundamental ideas of chemistry, learners have to decipher new key words, definitions and command words. This means learning chemistry can be akin to learning a new language. Help students to improve their scientific vocabulary with these ideas and pedagogical approaches to etymology and the language of chemistry.

Etymology

Knowing words’ origins helps students unravel chemistry

Teach the origins of chemical vocabulary

The stories behind the words

Simon Rees reveals the origins of some chemical terms and what they can mean for students

Vocabulary

Closing the word gap
How focusing on literacy improves chemistry understanding
How to help students decode science vocabulary
The keys to understanding the language of chemistry
Secure students’ understanding of scientific vocabulary
Banish misconceptions and build a foundation of understanding for science terminology with the Frayer model template