Science Stories Communicating About the Natural World

Science Stories Objectives

Provide examples of forms and characteristics of science storytelling.
Select a form of story that you are most likely to learn from over time.

Science stories are used to communicate information in a form that can be understood by people with varied science backgrounds. This form of communication is critical in science research and education. Information needs to be accurate, engaging, and tied to real-world experiences.

You will be creating your own science story for this guide’s media piece.

This video introduces some of the factors to consider while developing a story.

Develop stories that are an engaging science experience.

Engaging

Make sure your story can be understood: provide context, define words if necessary; offer something unique like your own perspective; and offer something that changes the recipient’s perspectives.

Science

Decide which concepts, skills, or connections you want to share, this will impact the story form you select.

Experience

Consider whether there is a way the story recipient can interact with the story. Is there something new to discover? Can they relate to the content? Can they use this information in some way?

Select a story form that matches your goals

Exploration

a field trip, finding something under the microscope, researching in the library, examining a topic through an artistic creation, gathering ideas

Description

providing details, an observation, using the senses, a scene, a sketch with labels, summary of an event, an experimental design

Explanation

an analysis, information in a context, experimental results, explaining a decision, comparing and contrasting

Directions

a how-to, instructions, a list, a map, calendar

Narration

a sequence of events, a process, cause and effect, before and after, fiction or non-fiction

Persuasion

making a case, defending a view, an opinion piece, arguing different points

If you live with or near animals, you have plenty of story possibilities. Our single Triops is an example.

It is six weeks old, one inch end-to-end, and has learned to hover upside down until it is fed. Even though its life span averages eight weeks, it has a broader range of behaviors than we anticipated.

If you look closely, you can see egg sacs. Even though we only have one Triops, this species is hermaphroditic and the eggs can be self-fertilized successfully. The overall red color is hemoglobin protein, the same protein that carries oxygen in our red blood cells.

Start the Guide 9A Media Assignment here

Science Story

You are creating a science story for this media piece.

Select a concept, skill, or connection that you would like to develop into a story. You may want to choose one of the nine course learning outcomes that you need to fill for the final portfolio. For example, if you need a Biology Connection, you may want to tell a story about a museum or zoo you have visited.
Determine how you will make your story an engaging (accessible, unique, and/or enlightening) experience (discovery, interaction, and/or synthesis) for the story’s audience.
Select a story form that best fits the engaging science experience you are creating. It could be an exploration, description, explanation, directions, narrative, or persuasive piece. It could also be a combination of these forms.
Create your science story. It could be all written, a labeled photo essay, a comic strip, mixed media, or whichever form you feel works best for your goals.

Learning Outcomes

Portfolio Update

Your Animal Biology Portfolio is due the Wednesday evening of finals week (week #11), at 11:59 p.m. P.S.T. This is a good time to review the portfolio videos, if needed.

Portfolio Page

This is the end of Guide 9A. The next step is to take the quiz on Canvas and upload your Media Piece. Please proceed to the product page.

Check your knowledge. Can you:

provide examples of forms and characteristics of science storytelling?
select a form of story that you are most likely to learn from over time?

Go back to the Sexual Selection Page

Go forward to the Products Page

Fitness Guide Contents

Complete all four of these sections before taking the quiz and making your media piece.

Science Stories Communicating About the Natural World

Science Stories Objectives

Provide examples of forms and characteristics of science storytelling.

Select a form of story that you are most likely to learn from over time.

Science stories are used to communicate information in a form that can be understood by people with varied science backgrounds. This form of communication is critical in science research and education. Information needs to be accurate, engaging, and tied to real-world experiences.

You will be creating your own science story for this guide’s media piece.

This video introduces some of the factors to consider while developing a story.

Develop stories that are an engaging science experience.

Engaging

Science

Experience

Select a story form that matches your goals

Exploration

Description

Explanation

Directions

Narration

Persuasion

If you live with or near animals, you have plenty of story possibilities. Our single Triops is an example.

It is six weeks old, one inch end-to-end, and has learned to hover upside down until it is fed. Even though its life span averages eight weeks, it has a broader range of behaviors than we anticipated.

If you look closely, you can see egg sacs. Even though we only have one Triops, this species is hermaphroditic and the eggs can be self-fertilized successfully. The overall red color is hemoglobin protein, the same protein that carries oxygen in our red blood cells.

Start the Guide 9A Media Assignment here

Science Story

You are creating a science story for this media piece.

Determine how you will make your story an engaging (accessible, unique, and/or enlightening) experience (discovery, interaction, and/or synthesis) for the story’s audience.

Select a story form that best fits the engaging science experience you are creating. It could be an exploration, description, explanation, directions, narrative, or persuasive piece. It could also be a combination of these forms.

Create your science story. It could be all written, a labeled photo essay, a comic strip, mixed media, or whichever form you feel works best for your goals.

Portfolio Update

This is the end of Guide 9A. The next step is to take the quiz on Canvas and upload your Media Piece. Please proceed to the product page.

Check your knowledge. Can you:

provide examples of forms and characteristics of science storytelling?

select a form of story that you are most likely to learn from over time?

Go back to the Sexual Selection Page

Go forward to the Products Page

Fitness Guide Contents

Complete all four of these sections before taking the quiz and making your media piece.

Innate & Learned

Reproduction

Sexual Selection

Science Stories - YOU ARE HERE

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Module 9

This Guide

9A: Fitness

Products Information

9A: Quiz & Media

Direct Link to Canvas

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