The Failsafe Literacy Strategies for Science - Sandra Mirabelli

The Failsafe Literacy Strategies for Science - Sandra Mirabelli

The Failsafe Literacy Strategies for Science workshop, presented by Sandra Mirabelli, focused on how teachers can enhance science instruction by integrating literacy-based thinking routines to support students in developing deeper understanding and critical thinking skills. Drawing on her extensive experience as a classroom teacher and literacy lead, Sandra demonstrated how five core thinking routines—Observe and Wonder; Predict and Infer; Sort and Categorize; Analyze and Interpret; and Conclude and Apply—can be used as practical tools to help students make sense of scientific concepts through reading, writing, and discussion. The workshop provided participants with a variety of hands-on, classroom-ready activities that blend literacy with science, such as a fun "missing potato" task that required students to describe and identify an object using scientific observation and descriptive writing. Through this cross-curricular approach, teachers can foster problem-solving, creativity, and communication in ways that feel natural and purposeful. The session emphasized that literacy is not just a subject area, but a powerful tool for inquiry and exploration in all disciplines, especially science. Participants left with a toolkit of strategies and a renewed understanding of how literacy supports scientific thinking, making it easier to design engaging, interdisciplinary lessons that maximize learning time and student involvement.

             

I really enjoyed the "Missing Potato Report" activity in the workshop. It's a great example of a fail-safe strategy that combines science and literacy in a fun and engaging way. In this activity, students use their observation skills to analyze and describe a specific potato, writing a detailed report that includes descriptive words, labelled drawings, and unique features of their potato. Once all the potatoes are placed together in a group, students exchange their reports with a partner and try to identify each other's potatoes based on the written descriptions. This activity encourages careful observation, descriptive writing, and critical thinking while making learning playful and meaningful.

      

MichelleG@NU