CSEL SCIENCE
Extending Learning Through Writing
CSEL Science provides students with frequent, structured opportunities to communicate scientific ideas through writing. For shorter open-response questions, student worksheets include sentence starters/frames and word banks to help students with lower levels of English proficiency answer questions. Teachers report that these supports promote complete-sentence responses and reinforce restating the question before answering. Students also complete these longer writing tasks aligned with NGSS SEPs.
To support extended responses, student materials include graphic organizers to help students generate and organize ideas; paragraph frames with sentence starters to guide organization and elaboration; word banks to encourage use of discipline-specific vocabulary; and model responses that make scientific reasoning and idea organization visible. Additionally, teachers facilitate partner talk or whole-class discussion before students begin writing to support idea generation and help students rehearse language to communicate their thinking.
Writing Frame
Description of key features highlighted:
The writing task is chunked and clearly labeled to reduce cognitive load and guide students in responding fully to the intent of the letter –how to fix the roller coaster. Directions are broken into smaller sections and appear above each part of the writing task, helping students focus on part of their response at a time.
A word bank is provided to encourage the use of discipline-specific vocabulary and to support students in accurately communicating scientific ideas.
For the first part of the writing task, students are given a paragraph frame with blanks to fill in. The word bank includes the terms they will need to complete the paragraph. This frame models scientific thinking and communication, showing students how to structure and organize a response.
For the second part of the writing task, sentence starters are provided to support students’ organization and elaboration. In this example, students name a change and provide specific evidence from a classroom lab to support their proposed change, helping them develop a complete, well-supported explanation.
The image below shows part of a writing frame from Session 3.7:
Solving the Roller Coaster Problem that supports students in writing an extended response. In this activity, students write a letter to the president of Amusement Park, explaining how to fix the roller coaster. Numbered circles highlight key features and are described below the image.
