Science Writing to Learn Activities
Prepared by Denton ISD Secondary Science Teachers
Getting to Know Femur
You have been injected into a femur. Beginning at the femoral head and traveling
through the bone to the distal end, describe your travels and what you see along the way.
Explain the difference between the boney structure and cell types from the head to the
shaft. What is happening at the epiphyseal plates? Are there other cells besides
osteocytes? How are these cells being made and destroyed? Describe the bone marrow.
Describe canals you may travel down, blood vessels you may encounter, etc.
Clustering
1. Selection of nucleus word (arthropods)
2. Brainstorm Related Words
3. Write a brief paragraph on an aspect of the resulting cluster of words. (10
minutes)
Taxonomy Mnemonic R.A.F.T.S.
Role: Student
Audience: Your best friend in danger of failing
Format: Mnemonic
Topic: Taxonomy
Strong Verb: Memorize
R.A.F.T.S prompt in paragraph form:
You are a biology student who is helping your friend study for an upcoming test. Your
help is extremely important, because without it your friend is in danger of failing the
Anatom
y
Aquatic Science
Biolog
y
semester. Create a mnemonic for Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and
Species that will help your friend memorize the information. It must be catchy and
something that will make your friends laugh.
Ecosystems R.A.F.T.S.
The R.A.F.T.S. follows an outdoor exploration of the human influence in the ecosystem.
Role: Ecological Activist
Audience: Possible Volunteers
Format: A short paragraph
Topic: The human influence in ecosystems
Strong Verb: Recruit
R.A.F.T.S. prompt in paragraph form:
You are an ecological activist and have the mission of recruiting town people for your
movement. Write a short paragraph explaining the positive and negative aspects of
human activities in a local ecosystem.
Virus R.A.F.T.S.
Role: A virus
Audience: A team of biologists
Format: Application
Topic: Evidence to support virus as a living organism
Strong Verb: Persuade
R.A.F.T.S prompt in paragraph form:
You are a virus and must defend your life to a team of biologists. You must persuade
them through an application giving evidence to support virus as a living organism.
Follow up: Students may write an acceptance or rejection of the application from the
perspective of the biology panel. The panel must use evidence to support decision.
***I’m a little unsure of the Format category for this R.A.F.T.S. If this was your
R.A.F.T.S., please email me and let me know what sort of application you mean. Thanks,
Karla Rainey.
Stem Cell Debate
The topic of debate is the controversy surrounding stem cells. Divide students into two
groups (pro vs. con). Students will write a persuasive argument for their stance with
specific scientific and moral evidence.
T4 Bacteriophage
Look at the T4 Bacteriophage on p.479. Is it a living thing? How does it infect a
bacterial cell?
Finding Not Only Nemo Video Prompt
Students will view Finding Nemo and complete the following tasks:
• Name all the animals you see.
• Divide animals into vertebrates and invertebrates.
• What are roles of these organisms in the ocean?
• What characteristics did you use to classify these animals?
Red Blood Cell R.A.F.T.S.
Role: Red Blood Cell (old)
Audience: Red Blood Cell (Young, New)
Format: Map
Topic: The route a red blood cell travels through the circulatory system
Strong Verb: Illustrate, Explain, Describe
R.A.F.T.S prompt in paragraph form:
You are an experienced red blood cell who has been chosen to illustrate and map the flow
through the circulatory system for novice red blood cells. In addition, you must write a
description of what happened along the way.
Choking Picture Prompt
Show a picture of a person choking or show the universal picture for choking and have
the students answer the following questions:
1. Why is this person reacting this way?
2. What is the body being deprived of?
3. What is the body’s response?
4. What action can be taken to help this person?
Science Fiction Story
Have students write a fictional story using ten words selected by the teacher that are
related to the current subject material.
Teachers can provide students a prompt to begin. For example, “The Island of Doctor
Mo-Ron” prompt give students the following information:
• An eccentric scientist has bought an island to be used as an area to
perform DNA related scientific experiments.
• His objective is to clone species that have been extinct for millions of
years.
Virus R.A.F.T.S.
Role: Doctor
Audience: Family/patient
Format: List of systems
Topic: Virus of your choice on p. 489 in Prentice Hall textbook
Strong Verb: Analyze, diagnose, warn
R.A.F.T.S prompt in paragraph form:
You are a doctor who has carefully analyzed your patient in order to correctly diagnose
his condition. You must present a list of systems warning the patient and the patient’s
family about the virus (of your choice from p.489) that the patient has contracted.
Obituaries for Extinct Animals
Write obituaries for the animal(s ) provided with the following information included:
• Cause of death
• Closest living relatives (evolutionary relationship)
• Where they lived prior to death
• Time of death
Write about Moles
I am a mole. How many particles am I? Am I a lot or a little? Write a paragraph
describing me. Use the terms mole, Avogadro constant, molecular mass, and formula
mass. Use at least six properly written sentences.
Periodic Table Prompt
Describe the missing element in terms of number of electrons, protons, neutrons, atomic
radius, metal, nonmetal, metalloid, density, valence electrons, oxidation number, melting
and boiling point.
Law of Conservation of Mass (Log)
Before burning, the log had a mass of 500g. After burning, its mass is 100g. Explain
what happened to the missing 400g.
16 ? 18
Chemistr
y
Law of Conservation of Mass (Banana)
You are a banana peeling. Please describe what happens to you over the next 30 years
with respect to the Law of Conservation of Mass.
An Atom’s Philosophy
You are an atom of F. Please describe your philosophy of life.
You are an atom of Cs. Please describe your philosophy of life.
The Gas Problem
You decide to cook a pot of beans on a fun-filled ski trip in Colorado. The beans cook in
the crock pot all day. How will the beans taste? Why? Why will your “gas” problem be
worse?
Plight of the Popcorn Under Pressure R.A.F.T.S.
Role: Popcorn
Audience: Popcorn Popper
Format: Commentary
Topic: What happens when you’re heated?
Strong Verb: Communicate
As a kernel of popcorn threatened by machinery and an insatiable human appetite for
buttery snacks, write a commentary like those of professional new commentators. Your
commentary must communicate your concerns of role you believe popcorn poppers are
playing in the horrible injustice against kernels across the world. Explain in detail to the
poppers the pain and suffering that occurs once a kernel is heated by explaining exactly
what happens to a kernel once it is heated.
**Play Under Pressure by Billy Joel.
Converting using moles as central conversion.
Using the four terms above, write a short paragraph how each is related to the other.
M
o
l
e
Molar
Mass
6.02 * 10
23
22.4L
Ecology Children’s Book
Choose a biome or nutrient cycle to write a children’s book about. You must include a
title page and bibliography. You may earn extra points for going above and beyond
(touch and feel, pop-up, etc.).
Biome
• Accurately describe your biome’s climate and environment including
temperature, humidity, etc.
• Include at least one decomposer, three producers, four consumers
(primary, secondary, tertiary)
• Pictures!
Nutrient Cycle
• Be sure to describe all vocabulary words from your textbook/notes
• Pictures!
The Lorax
Students read the Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax. After reading the book, the student is to
take the role of the Lorax and describe the environmental, biological, physical, chemical,
and atmospheric processes that are going on. They can also incorporate financial
concepts and population studies into their description. The Lorax can also describe how
his body reacted to the distinct environmental changes that are happening (health issues).
Topics that could be noted: extinction, evolution, layers of lithosphere/atmosphere,
pollution, genetics, population studies, aquatic science, biosphere, botany, deforestation,
biomes, oceanography, erosion, mutations, kingdoms/classification, health issues
(smoking/emphysema).
Coke Bottle Picture Prompt
Display a picture of a person blowing on a coke bottle. Ask students to use the
terms particle movement, frequency, and resonation to explain why the bottle whistles.
Environmental Science
Physics
Far Side Cartoon Picture Prompt
Use Far Side cartoons based on science ideas to prompt research and explanation of the
concept(s) involved.
Demonstration Prompts
Demonstrate any of the following and ask students to explain how/why the demonstration
works.
• Yo-yo
• Bubbles
• Cooling air
Vocabulary Story
Using your vocabulary words, write a story that explains the words without writing the
definitions. The story must be at least one page.
Contact Video Clip
Using the movie Contact, show the beginning where the camera pans out into space and
the sounds are constantly changing. Use the grid provided to explain why you are
hearing different and changing sounds.
Video Clip
What factors affect where the parachutist will hit the ground. (The name of the movie
wasn’t listed. If this was your prompt, please email me with the name of the movie.
–Karla Rainey, [email protected])
###
