Reviewed by Matt Thomas, Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, Missouri

Introduction
Reading to learn in the content areas is one of the most challenging aspects of secondary schooling. Yet, it remains an under-addressed issue in our educational improvement agendas (pre-service teacher training, in-service workshops, state and federal legislation, etc.). In perhaps no content area are literacy challenges more acute than in secondary science. Possible reasons for this include the fact that a great deal of complex reading and learning is often required in high school science classes, but science teachers rarely view themselves (nor were trained as) experts in "literacy." Because of this, it is with significant interest that I began to review this new text resource by Barton and Jordan. As a college professor who works with pre-service and in-service science teachers regarding issues of literacy, I am well aware that we need more resources speaking to reading in the content area of science.

The framework with which I planned to evaluate Barton and Jordan's text included an examination of the degree to which the text addressed the key aspects of content area literacy. I also had an interest in the theoretical background or rationale provided by the text, along with the particular methods and strategies presented. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I was interested in how practical, overall, the resource seemed like it would be for a classroom science teacher.

By way of a quick summary, I must say that I was pleased and impressed with the text. It covers the important theoretical rationale for addressing reading and writing issues relating to science education. It also exemplifies grounded content area literacy theory throughout. It then explains and models a keen collection of highly practical application activities that soundly move this theory into valuable classroom practice. All of this is done in a very readable, accessible, and user-friendly format.

Overview of the Text
The text opens with a simple but solid rationale for why it is important for science teachers to have a resource like this, designed to assist them in facilitating improved student reading of their science textbook. Barton and Jordan do the job clearly and compellingly. Following the rationale, the primary structure of the text is broken into five sections: interactive elements of reading, strategic processing, strategic reading, assumptions about the learning process, and general reading strategies.

Section 1, "Three Interactive Elements of Reading," does a fine job of explaining some key literacy aspects of reading and learning in science. Barton and Jordan address the role of the reader, the role of the classroom climate, and the role of typical science textbook features, including matters of vocabulary and text style.

Section 2, "Strategic Processing," focuses on the meta-cognition needed for successful science learning. It includes a valuable section on the type of thinking and questioning students should be doing while reading and learning from their science texts. It also examines briefly the role of reflective questioning and reflective writing.

Section 3, "Strategic Teaching," examines what "science literacy" specifically might be. The section also provides a set of principles for promoting conceptual change in the classroom relative to increasing the quality of learning obtained by students from their science textbooks. In these first three sections, Barton and Jordan succinctly, but with sufficient depth, address the key aspects of the overall field of content area literacy and then connect it well to the knowledge base of science education; the work is well grounded in the research base of the field.

Section 4, "Six Assumptions About Learning," is a simple three-page section that provides a practical summary of balanced constructivist theory, and fits well with current literacy research in all regards.

It is then in Section 5, "Reading Strategies," that the practical classroom tools emerge, built on the strong rationale and theory of the first four sections of the text. All together, this section provides 25 ready-to-use content area reading strategies. A helpful overview chart of the section lists all of the methods and indicates which parts of the content area reading process are targeted: pre-reading, active silent reading and/or reflective post-reading. Each of the methods and strategies are presented in unusually clear, step-by-step format; include solid examples; and are some of most time-tested and research-based content area literacy tools available. Especially valuable approaches presented (modified to fit a secondary science setting) include: concept mapping; semantic mapping; anticipation-reaction guides; directed reading-thinking activity (DR-TA); three-phase graphic organizer; know-want-to-know-learned (KWL); Predict-Locate-Add-Note (PLAN); reciprocal teaching; survey, question, read, recite, review (SQ3R); think alouds; and question-answer relationship (QAR). In short, Section 5, as the capstone and perhaps core of the text, provides the highest quality content area literacy strategies available and makes them immediately useable in the science classroom.

Conclusion
My university's teacher education program used to have a keen conceptual framework acronym known as STEP: Sound Theory into Effective Practice. I was always fond of the way that this STEP concept fit together, because I believe that that is what good teachers do-make effective, practical, instructional decisions based on the best researched theory available. This sort of a need is also very much a part of helping our secondary students learn in the complex field of science, particularly from their science textbooks. Barton and Jordan's text, Teaching Reading in Science is a valuable tool to help get this done. I recommend it for pre-service science teachers, for in-service science teachers, for content area literacy specialists, and for teacher educators in general. I endorse it and welcome it enthusiastically to the field. It is a needed and well-constructed resource.

e-NEWS: December 2003 Issue