Campbell & Fulton Science Notebooks, Scientific Content and Process Connections

Campbell, B., & Fulton, L. (2003). Science notebooks: Writing about inquiry. Portsmouth, NH: Heineman.

Chapter 5: Scientific Content and Process Connections

•    Connections to the National Science Education Standards
    o    How do science notebooks connect to the standards?
        •    “Science notebooks provide a context in which students can use the skills Bybee talks about to construct a richer understanding of science (p. 65).”

•    Physical, Life, and Earth and Space Content Standards
    o    How do science notebooks address the physical, life, and earth and space content standards?
        •    “Notebooks provide students with one context for writing within the content of science and may be used as a tool to create other forms of informational writing (p. 65).”
    o    What evidence is there that students are learning content by using science notebooks?
        •    “Notebooks represent the path of student knowledge – where they began and where they are currently (p. 66).”
        •    “Their notebooks become reference tools during discussions as they refer to the books to find evidence to support their thinking (p. 66).”

•    Science as Inquiry
    o    How do science notebooks address science as inquiry?
    o    What evidence is there that students are using science as inquiry in their science notebooks?
        •    “Using their notebooks in conversations with others becomes a natural process and a way to think about ideas (p. 68).”

•    Unifying Concepts and Processes
    o    How do science notebooks address unifying concepts and processes?
        •    “Notebooks allow students to keep track of measurements and determine what would be considered appropriate based on past experiences. Notebooks provide students with a quick and easy means to access information over time, allowing them to have the experiences necessary to gain an understanding of concepts (p. 70).”
    o    What evidence do notebooks provide that students are making sense of the unifying concepts and processes?