Homeschool Science Boot Camp Day 3: Get Ready for Writing in Science

Welcome to day 3 of Homeschool Science Boot Camp! Today we are going to get ready for writing. So grab your pencils, paper, books, and a cup of coffee – let’s get started!

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Highlights

Alright, so to help you guys prepare for this next year of homeschool we are in the midst of 5 days of boot camp. We have already covered experiments and reading in our first two days and as you know it’s not your typical military-style boot camp. But we are doing the work to get ready to teach science for this next year! Let’s dig into day three where we are going to get ready for writing.

#1 - Plan how you will keep a record.

The first step for getting ready for writing is to decide how you are going to keep a record.

You can choose:

• Comprehension worksheets,
• Notebooking,
• Lapbooks,
• Or some other form of writing.

I highly recommend using notebooking with your students!

#2 - Get ready to be flexible.

Once you have a plan for writing, you need to get ready to be flexible! Remember that the main point of teaching science is to learn about science - writing is just a tool you are using.

If your student hates science because of the writing, simply find a way to modify the writing expectations so that they are easy on your child.

#3 - Be ready to assess your child’s writing in science.

The third step for getting ready for writing in science is to be prepared to assess your student’s work.

I believe that students go through six stages over multiple years:

1. Giving oral answers
2. Copying their oral narrations
3. Writing their own narrations
4. Finding and writing down the facts
5. Organizing those facts
6. Summarizing those facts

The main thing you are looking for in your child’s writing in science is consistent progress year after year. 

Once you plan your writing, get ready to be flexible, and mentally prepare knowing how to assess your children’s writing in science, you are ready to dig into writing in science with your kids this next year.

Additional Resources

If you still feel uncertain, here are a few more tips: 

• Ep. 12 - Writing in Science: The Elementary Years
• Ep. 13 - Writing in Science: Middle School and Beyond
• What is notebooking?
• 3 Easy steps to get started with notebooking
• 3 Content-related tips for notebooking
• What are lapbooks?