Writing Inquiry-Based Science Lessons

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Writing Inquiry-Based Science Lessons

eMINTS National Center 325 Clark Hall University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65201 Voice: (573) 884-7202 Fax: (573) 884-7614 www.emints.org Cover Photos Brian Kratzer Contributors eMINTS National Center staff Written February 2004 Revised February 2009

©2004 The Curators of the University of Missouri and Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Use or distribution of materials is restricted to authorized eMINTS instructors and staff. Do not copy, alter or redistribute without the express written permission of eMINTS National Center. To request permission, contact the eMINTS National Center at emints-info@emints.org or postal address above. Titles or names of specific software discussed or described in this document are registered trademarks, trademarked or copyrighted as property of the companies that produce the software. Please note that the World Wide Web is volatile and constantly changing. The URLs provided in the following references were accurate as of the date of publication.

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Table of Contents

Purpose of the Module ............................................................................ 4

Module Objectives .................................................................................. 4

What is Science Inquiry? ......................................................................... 5

Closed, Directed and Open Inquiry ........................................................... 6

Why Inquiry-Based Science? ................................................................... 6

Hints for Introducing Science Inquiry ........................................................ 8

Teacher Strategies for Inquiry ................................................................. 11

Managing Lab Experiences in the eMINTS Classroom ................................... 12

Incorporating Technology ........................................................................ 12

Planning with the eMINTS Constructivist Lesson Plan Format ........................ 13

Sample Science Lessons ......................................................................... 14

Practice ................................................................................................ 14

Resources ............................................................................................. 15

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Purpose of the Module True science inquiry gives students the opportunity to ask questions, design investigations, gather and analyze data, draw conclusions and communicate results. Many lab or hands-on activities performed in science classrooms fall short of being true inquiry experiences. This session provides an opportunity for teachers to understand hands-on inquiry-based science instruction for their classrooms so they can learn to develop lessons truly based on inquiry.

Module Objectives

• Learners will experience a hands-on inquiry-based science activity and compare it to a more traditional “cookbook” lab experience.

• Learners will develop their own criteria for inquiry-based lab experiences.

• Learners will analyze their own science activities by considering the degree to

which those activities are closed, directed or open inquiries.

• Learners will each transform one of their own science activities by incorporating science process skills and increasing the level of inquiry in the activity.

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What is Science Inquiry? Mary Hebrank in the article, Why Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning in the Middle School Classroom?, sums up the concept of scientific inquiry:

“Inquiry is the art and science of asking questions about the natural world and finding the answers to those questions. It involves careful observation and measurement, hypothesizing, interpreting and theorizing. It requires experimentation, reflection and recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of its own methods.

Inquiry is what scientists do. They usually do it in a formal and systematic way and in the process, contribute to the collective body of information we call knowledge” (http://www.biology.duke.edu/cibl/inquiry/why_inquiry_in_ms.htm).

Scientific inquiry in the classroom involves students asking questions they can investigate, designing such investigations, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions and communicating results. Inquiry-based learning in the science classroom incorporates the process skills of science, those things that students and scientists should be able to accomplish to successfully learn science by actually doing scientific work:

• Asking questions (both teachers and students should be involved in asking questions that lead to investigation).

• Making observations, taking notes, comparing and contrasting. • Forming hypotheses consistent with observations. • Predicting what might happen in the future, based on observations. • Designing investigations to reveal information about the questions asked. • Controlling variables in investigations. • Collecting (measuring) and analyzing data. • Interpreting results. • Seeing patterns. • Drawing conclusions. • Communicating results in both written and oral formats.

Many science activities are hands on, but this approach does not necessarily mean they are inquiry based. “Cookbook” lab experiences where the teacher gives students the question for investigation and provides step-by-step directions fall short of inquiry-based experiences. Many times students know an investigation has one right answer and will seek that answer to record on their papers. Hands-on activities often reinforce or make visible classroom lessons, so students already know what will happen. While these activities help students learn content, they cannot be considered inquiry-based. Inquiry-based science students do not memorize the steps, in order, of the scientific method found in most science textbooks. They learn the scientific method as a living, breathing process that does not necessarily occur in sequence. Inquiry-based science instruction involves actually doing science.

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A Word about the Hypothesis Science textbooks focus on the hypothesis as an integral part of the scientific method. However, in the scientific world most investigations do not include a hypothesis. Scientific journals rarely print them. Many scientists believe they should not develop hypotheses because such expectations might actually affect the way they look at their data. For scientists to act as impartial judges of the evidence they have collected, they cannot think about the experiment turning out one way or another.

Closed, Directed and Open Inquiry Consider scientific inquiry in the classroom on a continuum from closed to directed to open. The degree to which the inquiry moves along the spectrum depends on the teacher’s amount of control and direction. In a completely closed investigation the teacher makes all the decisions. The teacher gives the students the question, procedures, methods for data collection and analysis and often the answer to the question. Sometimes called “cookbook” labs, closed investigations require students to follow step-by-step directions much like the procedures found in a cookbook. At the opposite end of the spectrum, an entirely open investigation has students make all the decisions. Students choose the questions, procedures, methods for data collection and analysis and their own conclusions. Directed inquiry encompasses anything along the continuum between closed and open. In directed inquiry, the teacher makes some choices to guide the direction of the inquiry and the students freely make other choices. The more choices left to the students, the more open the experience becomes. The degree to which a teacher directs the inquiry in the classroom should depend on the experience level of the students and the comfort level of the teacher. Most students without prior experience in inquiry will be unable to adequately perform an open inquiry. They will have very little idea where to even begin. Students must first learn the processes of inquiry, then class instruction can gradually move toward more open investigations. This process, called scaffolding, helps students incrementally learn the skills they need to participate fully in inquiry-based lessons.

Why Inquiry-Based Science? Science inquiry can be a time-consuming task both in teacher planning and the classroom. Why should teachers take the time to incorporate inquiry into science instruction? Student Misconceptions Students often hold beliefs about the world that conflict with scientific knowledge. They have developed assumptions about the way things work based on their limited experiences. For example, children may believe that when they put on their coats, it is the coats that make them warm. They do not understand that a coat simply traps body heat. Just telling students something that contradicts what they believe will not change those beliefs. Most students must have multiple real experiences that dispel such beliefs before they are willing to give them up.

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A Need to Experience Science Students in classrooms without hands-on and inquiry experiences learn to view science as a set of facts to memorize. They believe science involves finding the one right answer. Far from the truth, this attitude keeps students from seeing that scientists discover, consider multiple perspectives, analyze data and examine evidence. Scientists present and defend their ideas with their peers. Science is more about doing than it is about knowing. To encourage students as potential future scientists, teachers must help them experience the active side of doing science. Student Performance Students who memorize facts for tests generally forget them. Students who have experiences with scientific phenomena are more likely to internalize scientific information and learn it in a way that allows them to retain deep understanding. Living in a Technical World John Dewey believed surviving in modern society required the ability to think scientifically. His belief has even more relevance in today’s world of cloning, Mad Cow disease and plans to colonize the moon. Technological advances require students to understand the process of science. Citizens need to understand how science works, including what it can and cannot do, to make informed decisions. Preparing for State Assessments Missouri and other states have established knowledge and process standards that identify what students should know and be able to do with regard to scientific inquiry. Standard Seven of the Missouri Standards is devoted entirely to the Processes of Scientific Inquiry. The Grade-Level Expectations of every grade, beginning in kindergarten, identify processes of scientific inquiry as necessary to science instruction. Students who have experience with science process skills will be better prepared to approach the type of questions found on required state assessments. Observing What Students Know Observing students work out problems and think through a scientific inquiry gives teachers an opportunity to discover what students actually know and believe about a topic. Teachers have the opportunity to guide students in questioning what they believe and increase student understanding of science content. Building Social Skills Science inquiry encourages students to collaborate and interact socially. They learn to work with others and to present their findings to a group. Making Science Come Alive Scientific inquiry relates science content to everyday student experiences. Inquiry-based lab experiments use familiar materials and concepts. They capitalize on students’ natural curiosity.

Hints for Introducing Inquiry Concentrate on Concrete Concepts Concrete thinkers have trouble understanding the abstract. With younger students, use inquiry for concepts students can see and feel rather than abstract ideas. For example, an inquiry investigation on plant growth will probably have more success

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than an investigation of why there are different seasons or how the earth revolves around the sun. Models and visual examples can help students with more abstract concepts. Focus on the Familiar The more familiar the activity, the materials used and the context, the more successful the students’ experience. Choose activities students can do or spend time letting them get to know the materials and procedures before carrying out the actual inquiry. For example, if an inquiry on force uses ramps as part of the lesson, allow students to build and play with ramps before investigating questions.

Start Slowly and Work Up to Inquiry Without prior experience, most students cannot perform completely open inquiry investigations where they must develop their own questions, design an investigation and analyze data. These difficult skills take time to build. Attempting too advanced an inquiry may fail miserably. During the year, gradually build inquiry into science experiences.

• Start with a traditional lab activity and change it by simply having students design their own data tables. In an investigation to determine the effect of fertilizer on plant growth, do not give students a table in which to record plant height each day. Instead, instruct them to design their own tables. Allow students to decide what to record and how to organize the information, however frustrating that may be for some students. Share each group’s table with the class. Discuss which tables are easy to understand and include all the information needed. Continue to remove predesigned data tables from future lab experiences until most students have developed table-design skills.

• Once students can make data tables, remove part of a procedure to allow students the freedom to decide how to handle the missing part. Consider, for example, letting them determine how much material to use.

• Next, propose a question for the class to solve. Give students the necessary materials and let them determine how to use those materials to answer the question. In a unit on circuits, for example, challenge students to make a light bulb glow by providing the needed materials and letting them go. Instruction about circuits should come after students have explored the materials.

• After students have investigated a teacher-posed question with teacher-provided materials, incorporate student questions. As a group, gather student questions and choose one to investigate. After students experiment with making circuits, they will have many questions they could actually test. Discuss their questions as a class, decide which questions might be testable and choose one. Allow student groups to design methods for the test. Some groups will flounder, not be able to get started and need a few good hints. Once the groups have worked for a while, have them share their discoveries and allow all the groups to refine their procedures.

• For some ideas on adapting lab activities, consult the online article, “How to Make Lab Activities More Open-Ended” (http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/workshops/lab_activities.html).

Provide Structure Guide students. Inquiry-based teaching does not mean chaos. Giving students an egg and asking them to explore the egg, an activity that could be considered inquiry, will probably not result in a good experience for the teacher or students. Having students

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complete their own individual investigations may not work for most teaching situations. However, having a science fair can create such opportunities. In the classroom, students can investigate their own questions by collecting questions for the class and choosing one to investigate or having groups of students to choose different questions to explore. Practice the Process Skills Students do not automatically know how to perform science processes. They must practice those skills. Set up activities for students that focus on one skill at a time. See the following skill-and-practice examples.

• Observation: Have students observe ladybugs and take detailed notes about what they see.

• Testable Questions: Practice forming testable questions with students about all types of topics. While in the lunch line with students say, “I wonder if students drink more chocolate milk than white milk. What do you wonder about lunch?” Go down the row and take questions. To sort testable and not testable questions, ask students, “How might we find that out?”

• Handling Measurements: Have students perform measurements which require them to graph data.

• Graphing: Graph data and draw conclusions from student questions. For example, do more boys play kickball at recess than girls?

• Measuring: Practice measuring with all different types of measuring tools. • Drawing Conclusions: Give students data and allow them to draw conclusions

from what they see. Require students to use the data to back up what they conclude by stating, “This is what I found out …” or “I know this because…”

• Science Writing: Scientific or technical writing, both invaluable tools, can be difficult to master. Have students write directions for other students to follow. Participate in the Monster Exchange Project. These activities will help students develop thorough procedures that take details into account.

• Controlling Variables: When performing any investigation as a demonstration, discuss with the class the variables that must be held constant by anyone doing the experiment to make it a fair test. Students often find the idea of controlling variables, an important scientific concept, difficult to grasp. Have students try an experiment without controlling variables and then discuss why everyone has such different results.

Tip: This website outlines the building of process skills during one year in a second-grade classroom: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf99148/ch_8.htm. This website outlines the building of process skills during one year in a fifth-grade classroom: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf99148/ch_9.htm.

Help students improve essential process skills by modeling skills for students, setting up situations in which students can practice those skills and using class sharing to exemplify good practice.

A Note on the Proven Students often like to say they have proven something in their experiments. They might say, “I proved that fertilizer helps plants grow.” Be careful of this use of the terminology “to prove.” Help students realize that while one experiment can add to evidence that supports a conclusion, one experiment cannot prove anything. Teach students to say, “I found that…” or “I supported that…” This approach may seem

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unnecessarily cautious, but, in the larger world, students need to understand what one scientific investigation can and cannot tell them. When they hear in the news that carrots improve eyesight, they should know to question the basis of that statement if, for example, it only involves the results of one experiment with ten male subjects.

Add Questions to Lessons Add a level of inquiry to class activities by simply adding a question for students to investigate. When teaching students Excel by graphing the proportion of different colors of candies in a sack of M&Ms, tell students the Mars Company has asked them to determine if the color proportion of the M&Ms in a bag matches the favorite colors of children. Students can graph the colors of the M&Ms in a bag and then survey class members to determine if the two proportions do indeed match. They can write letters to the Mars Company with their recommendations for color schemes. Many teachers have students use the digital camera to photograph different geometric shapes around the school. Ask students the question: “Which shape is most common around our school?” The class can gather photographs of shapes, classify them, count them and create a graph to draw a conclusion. Students might then ask why one shape is more common than another. This question could lead to a physics investigation on structural design. When studying simple machines, teachers often ask students to look for simple machines in the school or in their homes. Ask students, “Which simple machine does our school use most often?” To answer, students can count or photograph machines, classify them by type, graph their results and draw a conclusion. This activity can lead to a discussion about which type of machine is most useful and why it is so useful. Students can even determine the most useful types of machines for themselves and defend their choices. During a unit on the parts of speech, say to students, “I wonder which part of speech a fiction story uses most often: verbs, nouns or adjectives?” Students can divide up a story, identify, count and graph the parts of speech to draw a conclusion. Many other questions could arise from this investigation: Is the number different for newspaper stories and poetry? Do different authors use different parts of speech more often than others? After the teacher incorporates questions into several activities, students will catch on and, with a little prompting, begin asking their own questions for investigation. Accept Frustration as Good Most students are accustomed to being given procedures and knowing there is one correct answer. Inquiry can feel quite frustrating. Teachers often see their role as helping students know. They may feel like the activity is not going well when there is frustration in the room, but frustration is actually good. Frustration means students are thinking! Do not jump right in and help students out of a bind.

• Practice using good guiding questions to get students started thinking when they are stuck.

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• Allow groups to share their ideas with the class. Discuss the positive aspects and the downfalls of each group’s ideas, then allow groups to revise their plans based on what they have learned.

• As a last resort, give little hints to get groups started. A well-planned inquiry activity can lose the inquiry aspect when the teacher tells too much.

Use Science Kits as Starters Many programs use some form of science kits for science instruction. Hands-on and convenient, these activities often lack a basis in real inquiry. To expand kit activities after performing the provided exercises, gather the class together and discuss what further questions they have. Students will often have good testable questions after they have worked with different materials. As a class, sort the questions into those that can be tested with the kit materials and those that cannot. Choose one question for the class to investigate or allow groups to choose their own questions.

Remember, students need guidance and practice before completely designing their own procedures. At first, allow groups to design their procedures and test them. The groups can then present their ideas to the class. The class together can combine good ideas to design one procedure to test the question. This process will add additional time to the kit experiments. Remember the goal is not teaching science content alone, but teaching essential process skills as well.

For more information about using science kits for inquiry, visit the following website: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf99148/ch_8.htm. Scroll to the bottom of the page to the section entitled, “Extending Kits to Do Inquiry.”

Teacher Strategies for Inquiry Facilitate with Questions Not Answers To facilitate inquiry, practice asking good open-ended questions. Instead of pointing out to a group of students that their idea will not work, ask questions that allow them to defend their idea and possibly see its weaknesses. Ask questions like, “What are you doing? Tell me about what you're thinking?” Instead of telling students how to solve a problem, ask them, "What do you think would happen if...?" For a list of additional questions to promote inquiry visit the following website: http://tlc.ousd.k12.ca.us/~acody/inquiryquery.html. Use Wait Time Wait several seconds after asking a question to give students time to ponder what they are doing and to figure out an answer. The best teaching allows students time to think and come up with good answers. Paraphrase Instead of Praise Respond to students by repeating and paraphrasing what they have said. Try not to praise or criticize their comments. This approach will encourage students to think on their own and use original ideas instead of trying to please the teacher.

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Managing Lab Experiences in the eMINTS Classroom Many teachers in eMINTS classrooms are wary of conducting lab experiences with their classes because they have so much expensive equipment in their classrooms. Managing the situation takes a little prior thought and creativity, but lab experiences are too important for students in eMINTS classrooms to miss. Students can do many lab procedures right in the classroom. Stress the importance of keeping water, chemicals and materials like soil samples away from the computer CPU. If the CPUs are kept in a protected place, have students work on the tables. Put the keyboard out of the way and keep paper towels handy. Water would have to enter the openings in the back of a monitor to be a problem, an unlikely situation. However, if working near the computers feels too uncomfortable or inappropriate for a particular group of students, consider the following options:

• If space is available, set up a lab area for the class. A table against the wall or in the center of the room where students can go to do the messy parts of their experiments should suffice.

• Work on the floor. Train students to keep all materials away from the computer tables. Students can work on the floor close to their tables for the actual experimentation. Stack chairs in another part of the room.

• Work in the hallway, school cafeteria or outside. Choose a place in the building where students can spill safely. Do the planning portion of the lesson prior to the experiment in the classroom. Students can begin work well prepared when they go to the experiment area.

• Trade rooms with another teacher. The other teacher will have an opportunity to use the eMINTS computers and using another room will provide students with an opportunity to get a little messier.

Incorporating Technology Technology and scientific investigation go hand-in-hand in the larger world and can work together in the classroom as well. The following approaches incorporate technology into student investigations. Analyze Data Use Excel to create data tables, record data and produce graphs. Present Results Have students use PowerPoint to present their investigations, data and results to the class. Students can incorporate Excel graphs into PowerPoint presentations. Digital photographs can help illustrate their procedures. Collect Data Some topics, such as reaction time, have interactive websites useful for collecting student data. Teachers of older students might consider purchasing computer probes to measure data such as temperature, heat and acidity.

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Use Real-time Data to Teach Process Skills Many Internet sites have data that can be downloaded into Excel for students to analyze and from which they can draw conclusions. For example, students can look at the incidence of earthquakes around the world or the physical characteristics of dinosaurs. Participate in Online Projects for the Sharing of Data Online projects make excellent opportunities for students to participate in real investigations and share their data with other students. Many projects collect environmental data such as tracking the progress of autumn’s arrival or measuring the quality of air or water in a particular area. Other projects examine physical science phenomena such as factors which affect boiling point or different ways to remove stains from clothing. Using Web Cams to Stimulate Curiosity and Initiate Questioning Have students visit the Panda Cam at the San Diego Zoo, watch Shamu the killer whale in his tank or observe virtual bird feeders to formulate questions about animal behavior. Use and Design Science WebQuests WebQuests can incorporate inquiry-based experiences and build authentic situations for students to resolve. These simulations can make lab experiences more real and meaningful to students. Students can use procedures provided or use the Internet to research possible ways to solve a problem. Use Fun and Interesting Science Websites Use good science websites to spark ideas for inquiry and to encourage students to ask good questions. Begin a unit on space by visiting the Red Planet at NASA’s interactive website about the Mars Rover program. Use the Digital Camera Use the digital camera to collect information and record observations. If the camera has a movie setting, consider using it for motion experiments. Students can observe in slow motion and time the length of a motion.

Planning with the eMINTS Constructivist Lesson Plan Format Use the eMINTS constructivist lesson-plan format for planning inquiry-based science experiences. The 5Es were developed as a method for facilitating science inquiry. Outlining the standards, the concepts and the essential question will help guide the lesson in a specific direction. As students gain experience with inquiry, the lesson plan may become more open ended. A lesson plan should outline the method for collecting and choosing student questions to investigate and the method for facilitating the student investigation, but the actual investigation may not be determined until later in the experience.

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Previous professional-development sessions have focused on transforming communication arts, social studies and mathematics lessons into an inquiry-based format. This module has focused on the use of scientific inquiry. However, the same types of lessons developed in the other subject areas also are appropriate for science. Use the lesson-plan template as a tool for generating these types of science lessons.

Sample Science Lessons Find sample lesson plans using varying levels of science inquiry at this webpage: http://www.emints.org/xmodres/examples/science/. For each of the following topics, the webpage has links to a traditional science activity and a transformed version of the lesson that provides more inquiry. The Ramp Challenge: Each group investigates its own question within the parameters outlined by the teacher. Can Worms See?: The teacher provides the question and the procedure after discussion with the class. Have You Used a Machine Today?: Students collect and analyze data to determine which type of simple machine they use most often. The Cafeteria Dilemma: This investigation focuses on procedure development and writing, collection and analysis of appropriate data, conclusion formation and the communication of results. Whodunit?: Students solve a problem using given procedures.

Practice Consider how inquiry with technology can be included in a science lesson or interdisciplinary lesson that meets science standards. Develop the lesson and plan to implement it in the classroom.

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Resources Learning Through Science Inquiry http://www.learner.org/resources/series129.html

Virtual workshop consisting of a series of videos with actual classroom examples of the scientific inquiry process. Teachers can take the workshop for college credit.

Life Science Inquiry Activities http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/lifescienceinquiry.html How to Make Lab Activities More Open Ended http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/workshops/lab_activities.html Inquiry Education for Teachers http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/workshops.html

A list of online articles concerning science inquiry, many with specific classroom examples.

The Inquiry Page http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/index.php Center for Inquiry-Based Learning (Duke University) http://www.biology.duke.edu/cibl/

A set of inquiry-based exercises. Institute for Inquiry http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/index.html

Teacher preparation for inquiry-based instruction. Science NetLinks: Science Activities by Grade Level http://www.sciencenetlinks.org/matrix.cfm Questions for Science Exploration http://tlc.ousd.k12.ca.us/~acody/inquiryquery.html Science Process Skills http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf99148/ch_7.htm DESE Grade-Level Expectations (GLEs) http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/GLE/SCgle.html