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.

This week you are creating a story about fish as one of the two media pieces. Consider which aspects of story to add to your own work. This may be a good time to look at the assignment.

Fish Synthesis Media Piece

Portfolio Update

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

Portfolio Page

This is the end of the Fitness Guide. Material from this online guide and corresponding lecture, along with the next Societies Guide, are assessed on the weekly quiz.

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 back to the Fitness Guide Overview

Fitness Lecture Guide Contents

The material from this guide and corresponding lecture is assessed on the weekly quiz.

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.

Portfolio Update

This is the end of the Fitness Guide. Material from this online guide and corresponding lecture, along with the next Societies Guide, are assessed on the weekly quiz.

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 back to the Fitness Guide Overview

Fitness Lecture Guide Contents

The material from this guide and corresponding lecture is assessed on the weekly quiz.

Innate & Learned

Reproduction

Sexual Selection

Science Stories - YOU ARE HERE

Back to Behaviors

Module 9

This Guide

Fitness

Direct Link to Canvas

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