Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-literacy-in-science-for-teachers-seneca-certified/1-1-1-why-literacy-matters-in-science-education

[Revision notes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes.md) › [Teacher CPD](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd.md) › [CPD: Literacy in Science for Teachers - Seneca Certified](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-literacy-in-science-for-teachers-seneca-certified.md) › Why Literacy Matters in Science Education?

# Why Literacy Matters in Science Education?

CPD: Literacy in Science for Teachers (by Amanda Fleck), topic 1.1.1

## Why Literacy Matters in Science Education?

For Postman, 1979, Science is more than just plants and animals. It is a language about plants and animals.

### Word gap

![Word gap](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/courseImages/physics/3.1.1%20Changing%20Wave%20Motion/mind-the-gap-1876790_640-min.jpg)

- Research by Hart and Risley (1995) showed that literacy challenges start early on in a child’s development, it has been said that by the age of three, there is a 30-million-word gap between children from the wealthiest and poorest families.
-  Cameron (2003) showed that the word gap is evident in children from 18 months and, by the time a child goes to school, they are already at a disadvantage in terms of the extent of their vocabulary.

### Word gap

![Word gap](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/courseImages/physics/3.1.1%20Changing%20Wave%20Motion/mind-the-gap-1876790_640-min.jpg)

- The word gap may be due to many different reasons and have been linked to several areas such as:
 - The number of books in the home.
 - The conversation between parents and children at home.
 - Home language. 
 - Socio-economic status (SES).

### Low SES

![Low SES](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/4a29c9ba-3f82-4eb1-a9ee-f99576292405/school-teacher-nature-.jpg)

- Children from lower-income families and those with English as an additional language, in general, have a larger vocabulary gap, according to recent research by Maguire et al. (2018).
- Correlational studies completed by Back, McKeown, and Kucan (2002) of learning in science show that the strongest and most consistent predictor of students’ attainment in science education is how literate they are.

### Interpreting scientific texts

![Interpreting scientific texts](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/73dbf9d6-bdb0-41ec-ac0a-81a197b6b7c7/editing-text-writing-edit-.jpg)

- A possible explanation for this is that reading comprehension is vital for interpreting and understanding scientific texts.
- Another area that influences comprehension is understanding the structure of unfamiliar words in scientific texts. 
- Having a knowledge of the meaning of ‘more’ words means that students will be able to read and comprehend text more effectively.
 - However, you need to be able to understand what the words mean in order to make meaning of the text.

## Test yourself on Why Literacy Matters in Science Education?

- What is the size of the word gap between 3-year-olds from the wealthiest and poorest families?

[Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/28e73a94-15be-44ba-b967-d3fb671c12fc/section/95f33adf-0a1d-4be2-9775-f0f7b6715d6c/session)

- Next topic: [2.1.1 Scientific Vocabulary](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-literacy-in-science-for-teachers-seneca-certified/2-1-1-scientific-vocabulary.md)

## CPD: Literacy in Science for Teachers (by Amanda Fleck) contents

### 1 Why Literacy Matters in Science Education?
- 1.1 Why Literacy Matters in Science Education?
  - [1.1.1 Why Literacy Matters in Science Education?](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-literacy-in-science-for-teachers-seneca-certified/1-1-1-why-literacy-matters-in-science-education.md)

### 2 The Language of Science
- 2.1 The Language of Science
  - [2.1.1 Scientific Vocabulary](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-literacy-in-science-for-teachers-seneca-certified/2-1-1-scientific-vocabulary.md)
  - [2.1.2 Word Tiers](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-literacy-in-science-for-teachers-seneca-certified/2-1-2-word-tiers.md)

### 3 Reading in Science
- 3.1 Reading in Science
  - [3.1.1 Reading in Science](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-literacy-in-science-for-teachers-seneca-certified/3-1-1-reading-in-science.md)
  - [3.1.2 Scientific Texts](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-literacy-in-science-for-teachers-seneca-certified/3-1-2-scientific-texts.md)

### 4 Writing in Science
- 4.1 Writing in Science
  - [4.1.1 Writing in Science](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-literacy-in-science-for-teachers-seneca-certified/4-1-1-writing-in-science.md)