Cheerios, Science, and Disciplinary Literacy

By Wendi Vogel, Science Consultant, Kent ISD, DLE Task Force Committee Member

(Note: This blog post is written to introduce the DLEs, produced by GELN/MAISA, to educators. It could be used for individual learning, in a PLC, a staff meeting, department meeting, or professional learning opportunity as well. Eating cheerios while reading is strongly recommended.)

Have you ever eaten a bowl of Cheerios and noticed when you get toward the end of the Cheerios, they “stick” together in groups, or end up near the edge and stick to the sides of the bowl? If not, take a look at the picture above, or try it yourself! When looking at this “Cheerio effect,” it makes me wonder: 

• Why does it do this? 

• Do other cereals do the same thing? 

• Does the bowl matter? 

• Does the liquid matter? 

• What if I use whole milk? Skim milk? Carbonated liquid? 

• Do leaves do this if they land in a pond? 

• Is there some kind of force acting on the Cheerios?

The Framework for K-12 Science Education (2012) (Framework) states:

The learning experiences provided for students should engage them with fundamental questions about the world and with how scientists have investigated and found answers to those questions. 

~Chapter 1, Framework for K-12 Science Education, 2012

Scientists observe their surroundings, ask questions, experiment and research, and try to find evidence-based explanations of phenomena found in our world. This is the nature of science. Engineers have a similar process, but instead of explaining phenomena, they try to solve a problem using evidence-based claims, with parameters: criteria and constraints. 

In 2015, Michigan adopted the Michigan Science Standards, formed from the Next Generation Science Standards, based on the last 30+ years of science education research. With this, science education has undergone a huge shift with one goal: this very nature of science is to be reflected in classrooms where students engage in the “figuring out” instead of the teacher “telling about” science understandings.

This shift is intended to engage students in scientific enterprise to provide rich science learning experiences throughout schooling and increase the students’ scientific literacy. As part of being apprenticed into scientific work, students will be able to apply skills such as analyzing and interpreting data, asking questions, arguing from evidence, and using text to figure out the best evidence-based explanation for the phenomena or solution/s to a problem. To say it another way, students need to be able to collect information from first-hand data, as well as other sources, and clearly communicate their thinking and findings. So, when a child walks through 5-7 classes each day, as educators, how do we need to attend to the particular type of information gathering and communication needed in science? How is this different from other content areas?

As a starting place, building on the foundation provided by the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the ideas of how students communicate to learn and share ideas, the Michigan Essential Practices for Disciplinary Literacy Instruction in the Secondary Classroom (DLEs) were developed. These are disciplinary literacy practices that help educators consider the scaffolding needed for students to communicate and collect information effectively, with a scientific lens. Click on the link above and familiarize yourself with the science tab. Then come back to this blog, and we can return to more figuring out. 

Let’s go back to the “Cheerio effect” for a minute, and consider how science and literacy are being used in tandem, supporting the nature of science. To the left is Figure 3-1 from the Framework referenced above. This figure highlights a scientific process students could engage in during the “figuring out” of the Cheerio phenomenon. This process uses the Science and Engineering Practices outlined in Appendix F in the Framework and in the NextGenScience Standards.  

Now, to gather data and communicate their ideas, students will need to participate in an abundance of reading, writing, speaking, and listening while engaged in this scientific process. This is where the DLEs come into science instruction. The blue portion of the modified chart below adds some of the literacy practices students might engage in around the figuring out of the Cheerio effect phenomenon. If you take a quick dive into the Essential Practices for Disciplinary Literacy Instruction in the Secondary Classroom, which ones might support the blue and green boxes below? Try it! Which DLEs might fit in each of the orange circles?

Here’s what I came up with, but I might be persuaded to think differently with a little discourse. 

When working to explain a phenomenon or solve a problem, students engage in the literacy practices that support science learning. Although these literacy practices are unique to science, there are similarities to the literacy practices in other disciplines. The 10 Essentials in the DLE document represent the critical literacy practices across all of the disciplines. To support educators, resource hubs were also curated to allow teachers to see how some of these DLEs might be scaffolded; click on the Science Resource Hub for a few examples.

Still wondering about those Cheerios (DLE #1)?  Well, start by drawing a model in the box below (you are creating text) of why you think they stick together. Be sure to include:

• Seen and unseen parts of your system (bowl)

• How you think these parts (or components) interact with one another

• What you think is the cause (mechanism) of these interactions (use words and pictures)

Then, dive into some second hand data, or text, that might help you to revise your model.

• Text 1

• Text 2

Now, use the new data to revise your model. If you are working through this blog with others, share your models using sentence stems such as “I agree because” or “I disagree because” or “I would add on…”

Meta moment: What DLEs were you engaged in while you developed your model (created text), engaged in text, and then revised and shared your model? Write them down!

Now that you have had some experience with both phenomenon based learning and how disciplinary literacy is an important part of scientific literacy, consider how you might take advantage of a deeper dive into the Essential Practices for Disciplinary Literacy Instruction in the Secondary Classroom. There are many opportunities to engage in this learning. Listen to the webinar. Attend one of the professional learning events offered throughout the state. Contact one of the co-chairs of the Task Force to connect you with support in your region as well. And now, you will never look at Cheerios the same. Eat heart healthy!