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Teaching Scientific Inquiry Using Science Trade Books

Ford (2004a) and Schroeder et al (2009) report an increasing use of science trade books by elementary teachers in teaching science. Science trade books contain science content and are intended for the general public. They are often used to introduce children to science and to serve as a source of scientific information outside the school. These books could serve the dual role of promoting both literacy and science (Ford 2004a; Madrazo 1997). Because inquiry is a major theme in science curricula worldwide, including in Alberta, it is essential to describe the potential of science trade books in supporting inquiry teaching and learning. Text constitutes a major means of communication in scientific communities. Ford (2004a, 2004b) argues that text should serve a similar function in the science classroom. Fang et al (2008) and Morrison and Young (2008) highlight the importance of reading as an essential tool in doing science. Norris and Phillips (2003) argue that text and reading are features that define science. If reading scientific texts is so important to scientific inquiry, then science trade books also should have an inquiry focus. Ford (2004a) and Schroeder et al (2009) report that most science trade books present factual, descriptive information, with no reference to how scientific knowledge is constructed. Ford (2004a) has also determined that science trade books often present a distorted view of science, portraying it as limited to making observations, and observation itself is oversimplified as merely looking at nature. She concludes that “most of these books are not . . . useful for modeling or supporting inquiry” (p 288). Schroeder et al (2009, 246) conclude that “there is a danger that trade books . . . could influence children to view science as merely a collection of facts, as opposed to a process of inquiry, discovery, and experimentation.” Building on previous research, we attempted to evaluate the potential for science trade books to support inquiry by documenting more precisely the aspects of inquiry that trade books do and do not support. An evaluation of science trade books from an inquiry perspective should be based on a comprehensive array of characteristics of inquiry found in the literature.