The reading resource, the textbook, should be something that the student wants to read, and it should be appropriate reading in style, in objectives, in content. The education community, from the classroom teachers to the practicing scientists need to push for what is best for the students, and that includes more properly developed reading resources. Emphasis on Reading One major issue in elementary science today is the emphasis on reading scores. The emphasis itself is not bad, particularly when and where students are not meeting minimum requirements. Ironically, science represents one of the areas that most emphasizes writing and reading.
Scientists keep journals.
They read and evaluate articles. They write papers. They give presentations. One area it is especially powerful is with non-English speaking students. They can concentrate on learning the science by recording in their primary language, and can then take the time to focus on the language translation.