Blended Learning with Science A-Z

Science A-Z’s dynamic resources make it a powerful addition to both science and reading classrooms. It combines instruction, independent practice, assessment and reporting to engage students in applying scientific concepts and building 21st century skills. Science A-Z uses science to teach reading, and reading to teach science, so even if you’re an English language arts teacher, you can use Science A-Z to include STEM concepts in your classroom. Science A-Z works great for traditional classroom environments or for distance learning, blended learning, or hybrid learning.

Here are some resources that can enable your students to practice the skills of scientists and engineers, while you use multiple forms of assessment to evaluate student progress and use data to inform future instruction.

Leveled Reading

Students at every level can enjoy reading standards-aligned science content with printable, projectable, and digital versions of multilevel texts. These digital texts include FOCUS Books, Unit Nonfiction Books, Investigation Packs, Spanish Books, Quick Reads, and Science in the News. All of these texts are written for three levels of difficulty (Low, Mid, and High) to deliver science content while encouraging students to practice reading comprehension skills.

For whole class instruction, you can use projectable texts in four primary domains—Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, and Process Science—to demonstrate active reading skills for students while directing class discussion about STEM concepts. Science A-Z projectable texts allow you to highlight, stamp, and annotate as you read and ask students text-based questions.

These same dynamic tools come with Science A-Z multilevel eBooks that challenge students to apply active reading skills on their own. As students read independently, they can listen to recorded versions of multilevel texts as they get familiar with new science concepts.

Engaging Activities

Science A-Z also provides hands on opportunities for collaboration and critical thinking. Science Fair Resources give you and your students all the necessary materials to organize and participate in your own science fair, and Process Activities include step-by-step guides to using everyday materials for exploring STEM concepts.

Project-Based Learning Packs are another great way to get students involved in doing science while practicing 21st century skills and applying cross-cutting concepts. They enable students to work in teams to investigate an overarching science question or design solutions for an engineering challenge. Each pack contains passages and supporting materials that help students answer a Key Question about science and present their findings to the class.

Investigation Packs let students delve deeper into science concepts by helping them apply scientific practices and work together to answer a Key Question. Each pack contains 6 Investigation File passages at 3 reading levels, and a Mystery File that students solve after analyzing their individual readings.

Assessment and Reporting

After your students have completed leveled readings and applied scientific concepts in engaging activities, Science A-Z allows you to track students’ progress and adapt your instruction to address skill deficits.

Science A-Z comprehension eQuizzes accompany every leveled book and ensure that students are learning critical skills and concepts. Each eQuiz question is tagged with a particular comprehension skill, such as cause and effect and making inferences, and a question type (like inferential, literal, etc.) so you can see where students are struggling based on the questions they missed.

Once students have completed eQuizzes, you get data that breaks down individual and whole class results for each skill. Based on the data displayed in the skill reports, you can tell what skills students need to revisit and plan instruction accordingly.