This book presents the authentic voices of science teachers engaged in practitioner inquiry as one component of a comprehensive professional development program. Practitioner inquiry as a genre of educational research, allows teachers to intentionally study their practices thus generating practical solutions to problems in their teaching and students' learning. The teachers' voices allowed us to enter their science classrooms to observe their posture and practices as reflective practitioners. They encountered issues such as culturally responsive teaching and low literacy proficiency and metacognitive skills among their struggling science learners. Their firsthand accounts provide new insights about practitioner inquiry as a tool to support teachers continuous learning, regardless of the disciplinary content areas. The book therefore provides a blueprint that can inform inservice teacher educators and support school and district administrators as they seek to nurture teachers' professional growth.

This book presents the authentic voices of science teachers engaged in practitioner inquiry as one component of a comprehensive professional development program. Practitioner inquiry as a genre of educational research, allows teachers to intentionally study their practices thus generating practical solutions to problems in their teaching and students' learning. The teachers' voices allowed us to enter their science classrooms to observe their posture and practices as reflective practitioners. They encountered issues such as culturally responsive teaching and low literacy proficiency and metacognitive skills among their struggling science learners. Their firsthand accounts provide new insights about practitioner inquiry as a tool to support teachers continuous learning, regardless of the disciplinary content areas. The book therefore provides a blueprint that can inform inservice teacher educators and support school and district administrators as they seek to nurture teachers' professional growth.

Research has long supported the positive effects of integrating literacy practices into the science curriculum; now this helpful and timely resource offers science educators effective strategies that they can implement immediately. Teachers of students aged 8 to 14 will find innovative ideas-aligned with national science education standards-for incorporating language analysis and science literature into inquiry-based science classrooms. Included are activities as well as sample lessons to help students: - Read and comprehend science texts - Find related resources to explore particular interests - Build their science vocabulary - Write to learn science concepts. This volume is valuable for teachers, leaders of professional development workshops, institutes, topical seminars in science and literacy, science and reading methods courses and study groups.