Integrating Writing into Your Homeschool Science Study

October 17, 2019
Written by:
Guest Author
Elementary Homeschool, Homeschool High School, Homeschool Science, STEAM/STEM

Looking for an easy way to incorporate writing skills into your homeschool science study? Writing in science is easier than you think! There are a number of different ways to do this for all ages in your homeschool.

Use Nature Studies to Practice Writing Skills

Go out on an outdoor adventure and write! Pack up some nature journal pages or a nature journal and some colored pencils and explore the great outdoors as you write and create earth facts about all of the wonderful sights around you.

If you would like a Nature Hike Supply Check List for suggestions on what to pack in your backpack to explore the great outdoors and get you started in observing and notating your explorations, you may find this List helpful.

And to get you started with your explorations, you may find this Nature Scavenger Hunt will get you on your way! homeschool science experiment with earth facts

Young explorers can pick one thing they notice during a nature walk, draw a picture, and then practice spelling and writing its name underneath or writing a phrase or sentence about their valuable find.

Older nature lovers can draw a picture of what they have observed and write facts about it from one paragraph to an entire page. This practice can include writing an informative essay about the object being observed and is an informal geology study!

Another fun and valuable activity is to take a hike to some scenic place during each season of the year and carefully observe the changes in the area from season to season. As your scientist observes each detail of his surroundings during each season, he can write a descriptive paper of what he observes with great attention to detail and practice using very descriptive language. These are essential in writing a descriptive essay.

Your outdoor adventurer can practice writing a narrative essay when describing what he or she did and experienced during a nature hike so that a reader can envision the adventure as well.

All of these activities can make expository writing and practicing these writing skills more interesting when combining them with an appreciation of the outdoors which we can count as physical science or geology study!

Homeschool Science Experiment Writing

Another way to include writing skills and science is to learn and practice writing a research experiment format paper.

This kind of paper follows a specific format that includes everything involved in conducting a science experiment. If you have a child who loves experiments, this is a fun way to include the practice of writing.

Your child follows a format that includes the following sections:

  • Title
  • Objective
  • Hypothesis
  • Materials
  • Procedure
  • Observations
  • Data – Tables, Graphs, Data Charts
  • Results
  • Conclusion

This kind of paper is great for learning how to follow a specific format of a paper, following directions, and paying attention to detail.

If you have a child with aspirations of studying science in college or even want to prepare them for high school science, this is a great writing exercise starting in upper elementary and middle school.

Here are a variety of Lab Report templates to choose from to download and follow when conducting your own experiment.

Scientific Research Papers

Building on the foundation of the observational expository writing from the nature journaling and the scientifically formatted papers from experiments, writing a scientific research paper is a combination of the two.Science experiment with homeschool science research

When writing an informative research paper on a scientific topic, your student will practice writing a paper using one of three formats – MLA, APA, or Chicago.

These papers include the use of citations for resources of information and can incorporate data in the forms of tables and graphs within the body of the paper. It requires the same skills as writing an informative essay and great attention to detail in following a specific format and rules in using punctuation and citing sources of information used to write the paper.

The practice for this type of paper is very valuable in high school, especially if your student will be going onto college. These papers are very common in all kinds of college classes.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab is a great resource for Research Paper Writing for papers in all formats.

And, for all readers, here is a special coupon code (Write Science) for a discount on a Nature Study to assist you in using all of these kinds of writing skills from nature walks to experiments to research topic papers.

Ready to pick up and go out exploring, learning about science through nature and using writing while you are doing it!

Katie Glennon – Volunteer Contributor

Katie Glennon

Katie is a homeschool mom who graduated two boys who are now in college. Katie has an English and Secondary Education degree with classroom, online, and coop teaching experience as well as teacher training for grades PK through adult. Katie loves learning history through hands-on activities and science through nature exploration and has a passion for literature and the written word! Katie loves to share her experiences and joy for learning with other homeschoolers to help them make their journey more enjoyable and less stressful! Visit her at Katie’s Homeschool Cottage!

 

 

 

 


 

#HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE