In the Fall of 2023, Literacy expert Sandra Mirabelli and I wrote a book building on the research around the Science of Learning that focused on integrating science and literacy into the Middle School classroom. This book was called Fail-Safe Strategies for Science and Literacy and was published by Pembroke Publishers. The 5 Thinking Routines framework we developed provided an easy method to integrate content and skills from both subject areas.
The 5 Thinking Routines are illustrated below:
TheFail-Safe Thinking Routines can briefly be summarized in a couple of points
Observe and Wonder
- Students use their senses to gather information about the characteristics and changes to an object or event in order to spark their curiosity.
- Students ask questions to connect to their prior knowledge and better understand what they’re observing.
Predict and Infer
- Students predict what will happen, based on their prior experience, knowledge and current observations
- Students infer a logical conclusion about a situation or event based on their scientific background knowledge and reasoning skills
Sort and Categorize
- Students create order out of objects that at first seem random or unordered, based on similarities
- Students identify why items are grouped together, based on attributes or relationships they see
Analyze and Interpret
- Students look at data collected in an investigation to see how all the parts fit together
- Students reassemble the parts to tell a complete story and better understand the data
Conclude and Apply
- Students explain what they have learned about the phenomenon being studied and why it matters
- Students use their knowledge and skills in a new context or situation because it is appropriate, relevant, and useful
More information can be found in our book and at failsafestrategies.com.