Science inquiry skills Abstract and technical vocabulary is Model exemplar texts that used in evaluations. While the deconstruct the text structure, Evaluate conclusions, including evaluation may not be challenging for language and linguistic features identifying sources of uncertainty and EAL/D students, expressing their required for this skill. possible alternative explanations, and ideas may be. describe specific ways to improve the quality of the data (ACSIS205) Science inquiry skills Some cultures do not teach students Explain that this kind of activity is not to evaluate knowledge or to critically disrespectful or rude, but a necessary Critically analyse the validity of analyse any form of part of scientific investigation. information in secondary sources and ‘expert information’. Students from this evaluate the approaches used to background may not be confident to solve problems (ACSIS206) express themselves in this way. Science inquiry skills Abstract and technical vocabulary is exemplar texts that deconstruct used for this skill. While the ideas, the text structure, language and Communicate scientific ideas and information and arguments may not linguistic features required for this information for a particular purpose, be challenging for EAL/D students to skill. including constructing construct in their own language, arguments and using Teach the morphemic origins of expressing their ideas appropriately appropriate scientific language, vocabulary (for example, semi– = in English may be. Vocabulary, in conventions and representations half; pod– = foot; = throw). –ject particular, is often multi-morphemic (ACSIS208) Provide lists of nominalisations and (for example, micro-organism = micro the verbs from which they originated organ ism); or nominalised (for – – (for example, absorption absorb). – example, condensation condense); – Assist students to reconstruct dense or constructed from extended noun noun phrases as oral language, so phrases (for example, A cyclone is a that they can appreciate how it is violent, tropical storm that is usually into scientific language ‘repackaged’ accompanied by torrential, lashing (for example, A tornado is a kind of rain and powerfully destructive cloud. It is shaped like a funnel and winds). moves very quickly. It reaches down from a storm cloud to touch the Earth’s surface). (Fang, Z. 2006, International Journal of Science Education: The Language Demands of Science Reading in Middle School, vol. 28, no. 5).
Science inquiry skills Evaluate conclusions, including identifying sources of uncertainty and possible alternative explanations, and describe specific ways to improve the quality of the data (ACSIS205) Abstract and technical vocabulary is used in evaluations. While the evaluation may not be challenging for EAL/D students, expressing their ideas may be. Model exemplar texts that deconstruct the text structure, language and linguistic features required for this skill. Science inquiry skills Critically analyse the validity of information in secondary sources and evaluate the approaches used to solve problems (ACSIS206) Some cultures do not teach students to evaluate knowledge or to critically analyse any form of ‘expert information’. Students from this background may not be confident to express themselves in this way. Explain that this kind of activity is not disrespectful or rude, but a necessary part of scientific investigation. Science inquiry skills Communicate scientific ideas and information for a particular purpose, including constructing arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions and representations (ACSIS208) Abstract and technical vocabulary is used for this skill. While the ideas, information and arguments may not be challenging for EAL/D students to construct in their own language, expressing their ideas appropriately in English may be. Vocabulary, in particular, is often multi-morphemic (for example, micro-organism = micro – organ – ism); or nominalised (for example, condensation – condense); or constructed from extended noun phrases (for example, A cyclone is a violent, tropical storm that is usually accompanied by torrential, lashing rain and powerfully destructive winds). exemplar texts that deconstruct the text structure, language and linguistic features required for this skill. Teach the morphemic origins of vocabulary (for example, semi– = half; pod– = foot; –ject = throw). Provide lists of nominalisations and the verbs from which they originated (for example, absorption – absorb). Assist students to reconstruct dense noun phrases as oral language, so that they can appreciate how it is ‘repackaged’ into scientific language (for example, A tornado is a kind of cloud. It is shaped like a funnel and moves very quickly. It reaches down from a storm cloud to touch the Earth’s surface). (Fang, Z. 2006, International Journal of Science Education: The Language Demands of Science Reading in Middle School, vol. 28, no. 5).
EALD-Science-Pre-primary-to-Year-10.DOCX