Can learning science help children learn to read?
Students need to know about specific fields of inquiry (domain knowledge) if they are to read and understand complex, challenging texts. But many U.S. schoolchildren in the primary grades lack opportunities to participate in literacy instruction that systematically builds domain knowledge and makes reading engagement easier. Integrating rich science and social studies content into literacy instruction in the primary grades can not only build students’ domain knowledge but also serve as a foundation for later academic success.
Prior studies of content literacy intervention have focused primarily on the upper elementary and middle grades, leaving open the question of how to enhance the effectiveness of content literacy instruction in the first grade.