Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards A Guide for Teaching and Learning (2000) / Chapter Skim
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3 Images of Inquiry in K-12 Classrooms
3 Images of Inquiry in K-12 Classrooms
Pages 38-73
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From page 39... ...
Chapter 2 introduced the funda- ing opportunities to help students mental concepts that underlie inquiry achieve science standards that incorin science classrooms. It described porate the essential features of inquiry inquiry not only as a means to learn and are supported by instructional science content but as a set of skills models.
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From page 40... ...
teacher's intentions. Analyses of these examples demonstrate how learning outcomes, the essential features of classroom inquiry, and learning models fit together in real classrooms.
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From page 41... ...
cause Mrs. Flores was anticipating a She realized that it would take series of lessons to help her students considerable time for the earthworms learn some of the basic ideas in the to grow, so she decided to include life science standard: characteristics other learning outcomes as well.
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Ms. Flores also asked students conceptions of animals, Ms.
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Next, Ms. Flores asked students what questions they had about worms and recorded their responses on a large chart.
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Flores's students came to know they liked. more about the characteristics of With a better understanding of what worms, for example how they move, evidence to look for and how to their eating habits, their life cycles, prepare a fair test, the students were the characteristics of their environ soon deep into their investigations.
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From page 45... ...
Flores asked the students to write taken during the course of their a short explanation of what they would investigations. The students learned tell another student if that student to limit their explanations to ones wanted to study worms.
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From page 46... ...
The help students develop language and scientists intrigued the students with mathematics skills -- an important their personal stories of investigations concern for young children. In her that produced evidence similar to class, students were developing observations made by the students.
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From page 47... ...
Early in the unit, she engaged holes in different fruits and vegetables the students repeatedly in direct, and explained worm "preferences" firsthand experience, first almost by through those data. Throughout the accident as they stumbled upon the investigations, students developed earthworms in their study of the their own explanations using the vacant lot.
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From page 48... ...
Excerpts from Earth and Space Science Standard, 5-8 As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop understanding of Earth in the solar system I Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. Those motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the moon, and eclipses (p.
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From page 49... ...
angle of inclination of the top of the flagpole from Gilbert's students learned how to the student's vantagepoint is 20°. The height of construct and use several simple tools the flagpole can be determined once the distance that helped them make their data and of the student from the flagpole is measured.
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From page 50... ...
Gilbert asks his poles, tops of buildings, and airplanes students to compile their lists into one in the sky. Group data had been class list of what they know about the posted on a class data chart in order to moon, and another class list of ques identify outliers (data that don't fit)
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From page 51... ...
They will begin by observing the moon and gathering evidence about its position, shape, and motion. He asks students to divide up the responsibilities for data gathering among members of their four-person groups, suggesting that during the first week they will all observe, and after that each student will be responsible for one week of observations and data gathering.
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From page 52... ...
Gilbert takes the to begin with a model that explains the class outside to make their first phases of the moon recorded by observation of the moon and to ensure students. He provides students with a that they understand how to keep the toothpick and a small bead and then daily record, including measuring invites them to consider this thought angular elevation and azimuth.
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Mr. Gilbert asks: "What do nation for why the moon changes you think causes this repeated shape.
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From page 54... ...
It also allows him to earth and moon shadows are critical. assess how well students are using With these consistent conditions in certain inquiry abilities such as their drawings, it will be easier to thinking critically and logically about compare findings and explanations for the relationship between the evidence moon phases.
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Gilbert asks, "How the order of moon phases shown on a would the sequence of moon phases calendar helps them assess the be affected if the moon moved around apparent relationship between the the earth in the opposite direction? " earth, sun, and moon.
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Gilbert asks the students to compare the evidence to-explanation thinking they used in their testing of the two different explanations for Moon phases to the scientific work that Galileo conducted in which he observed the phases of the moons of Jupiter and then con structed an explanation to account for the evidence. For Galileo the explana The Copernican Universe tion required placing the sun and not "In the midst of all dwells the sun," said the earth to be at the center of the Copernicus.
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From page 57... ...
· Part 4: write 1) an explanation using science concepts for the phases of the moon; 2)
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His subject matter come from investigations of the natural outcomes were drawn directly from world. the earth and space science standards of the National Science Education Essential Features of Classroom Standards: the regular and predictable Inquiry.
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From page 59... ...
Knowing that the activities that is consistent with the sequence of learning activities to help features of inquiry. The unit evolved students understand moon phases from data collection, then using those would require them to use all of the data for concept development and the inquiry abilities to some degree, Mr.
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From page 60... ...
In addition, the state and categories would be important in their district learning outcomes include unit on Explanation of Motion. helping students develop abilities to Mr.
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So, why do table. He also asked students to pay some of you think we need to include attention to both the length and an upward force by the table?
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From page 62... ...
Then, to increase paper, a diagram of the forces acting the salience of the experience, he on the book while the book is at rest asked students to add additional books on the hand. to their outstretched hands.
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From page 63... ...
The was on the hand, one could see or feel students suggested the need for a the muscular activity in order to critical experiment. "How could we support the book, and when the book see whether the table bends at all?
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From page 64... ...
science: "If a simple, consistent Nevertheless, it demonstrates how a explanation would work across several teacher can seamlessly interweave situations, then use the simpler science subject matter, inquiry abilities, explanation rather than needing to and understandings of scientific inquiry. rely on use of different explanations depending on some non-observable Learning Outcomes.
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number of the essential features of Mr. Hull explained how scientists classroom inquiry described in think about forces and helped the Chapter 2.
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Because Idoni begins the inquiry by taking the she is most interested in emphasizing students on a field trip to an environ the development of inquiry abilities, ment where she is relatively certain Ms. Idoni will have the students their interest will be engaged.
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"The field trip will help you decide what question you want to pursue." This year, Ms. Idoni current concepts of the aquatic has decided to take the students to a environment will shape, and may limit, lake in the city park.
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The class decides on a understanding of pollution and in general question: Is city park lake particular the possible sources of polluted? If so, how have humans human pollution in the city lake.
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From page 69... ...
The biological group of the standard on science in personal wants to investigate the numbers and and social perspectives, especially kinds of organisms. those associated with natural re Students decide to design the sources and environmental quality inquiry as follows.
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Excerpt from Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Standard, 9-12 As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding of Environmental quality I Natural ecosystems provide an array of basic processes that affect humans. Those processes include maintenance of the quality of the atmosphere, generation of soils, control of the hydrologic cycle, disposal of wastes, and recycling of nutrients.
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From page 71... ...
considered a real warning signal of They review what they know, weigh sewage pollution. If coliform bacteria the evidence for different explana- are not present in city lake, then, the tions, and examine the logic of the students reason, the answer to their different group presentations.
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for all students to develop the abilities Ms. Idoni uses the initial field of scientific inquiry described in the experience as a way to make the National Science Education Standards investigation meaningful to students.
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From page 73... ...
Idoni has decided that for a "see" inquiry in classrooms. The next majority of students an initial field trip chapter turns to how teachers learn to provides the most meaningful context achieve and assess the wide range of for beginning the inquiry.
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