ABSTRACT
It can be reasonably argued that the main goal in any elementary classroom is to produce literate readers and writers. Indeed, language arts subjects can take most of the elementary school day. Typically, time has been a constraint to the teaching of much science in elementary classrooms (Fitch & Fisher, 1979), even when elementary teachers desire to emphasize science in their classrooms (Akerson, 2001). However, use of other content areas such as science to promote literacy and to support learning is recommended and encouraged by the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The National English Language Arts Standards recommend that language arts serve the goals of purposeful communication through reading, writing, speaking, and listening (IRA & NCTE, 1996). Science can provide a purpose for reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Indeed, Tower (2005) found that fourth-grade students were able to note the purpose of writing for science in their classroom—in helping to communicate their findings through written means.
