CSI: GUIDELINES FOR SCIENCE INQUIRY INSTRUCTION

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1 CSI: GUIDELINES FOR SCIENCE INQUIRY INSTRUCTION INQUIRY STAGE 1: LESSON INTRODUCTION A. Identifying testable questions and formulating hypotheses Formulates testable questions and hypotheses that are specific, based on scientific concepts, and lead to scientific investigation. ENGAGE Piques student interest Provides foundation for all following activities Asks questions, defines problems to stimulate thinking Reveals prior knowledge Establishes the need for learning; understanding the introductory activity Teaching to a Concept Teachers must be extremely clear on the concept to be learned, how they ll know when students have learned it, and how students might express their understanding. Never give away the concept or idea that students should discover. If required to post a daily objective, make it generic. Today you will use scientific equipment to collect data and answer a scientific question. Today you will make inferences based on data that you have collected. The focus should be on a single, specific concept. The concept is not a definition but rather the meaning of a term or idea. For example, the concept of photosynthesis is not a glossary definition or the chemical equation. The concept of photosynthesis explains what it is the conversion/transfer of radiant energy from the sun to chemical energy in plants which in turn provide energy throughout an ecosystem; the foundation for food chains, webs and pyramids. Grab the student s attention. This can occur through the use of a variety of instructional materials. Some examples include: a discrepant event, a video, a story, an analogy, a photograph or a student-involved demonstration This shared introductory experience should elicit prior knowledge, provide a collection of common observations from which variables can be recognized, identify safety precautions, and briefly allow students to practice/review the use of equipment. The key instructional strategy: ACTIVITY BEFORE CONCEPT. Never tell students what they are looking for or what will happen. Asking investigative questions Students should write a testable, investigative question. Is it a testable question? Does it ask about the natural world? (objects, organisms, events) Is it specific? Does it relate to scientific ideas rather than personal preferences or moral values. Can you collect data and analyze it quantitatively and/or qualitatively? Can it be answered by investigations that involve experiments or surveys? Examples: How does the mass of a rocket affect how far it will fly? How would a wild fire affect the rabbit and fox populations in an ecosystem? How is the number of walleye taken in Lake McConaughy affected by the weather? CSI: Guidelines for Science Inquiry Instruction, pg 1

2 Stating hypotheses Students should write specific hypotheses that, when tested, can help answer the investigative question. Hypotheses are statements of what you expect to happen in your experiment. They are statements of relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The investigation may support or refute the hypothesis. The if/then/because format helps students formulated good hypotheses. The if portion of the statement contains the independent (manipulated) variable. The then portion contains the dependent (responding) variable. The because portion is a check for understanding. The teacher can assess the students initial understanding of the concept. Examples: If I increase the mass of the rocket, then it will have a shorter flight because since the rocket is heavier it s harder to move it. If we put a sprig of elodea in a seal test tube of CO2 saturated BTB, then the BTB will change color from yellow to blue because the plant uses up the CO2 during photosynthesis. CSI: Guidelines for Science Inquiry Instruction, pg 2

3 INQUIRY STAGE 2: DATA COLLECTION AND EXPLORATION B. Designing and conducting a scientific investigation Identifies what variables are controlled (held constant) and what variable is manipulated; design of investigation is sequential and logical to test the hypothesis. C. Using appropriate tools to collect and record data Collects and records data which is complete, accurate, and objective; uses appropriate equipment and techniques. EXPLORE Think through topics using hands-on activities Clarify their understanding Students work in groups; common experience aids and enhances communication Make observations and inferences Ask questions Think through problems Teacher functions as facilitator Instruction Students inquiry process drives instruction. Students gain experience with the concept in action. Identifying Variables Students should identify variables related to the investigative question. Have the class generate a list. Use questioning to elicit additional or critical variables to supplement the list if necessary. Student groups select a single variable to investigate. This is the independent or manipulated variable the one variable that is intentionally changed. Student groups should identify the variable to observe for change. This is the dependent or responding variable the variable that reacts due to your actions. Both the independent and dependent variables should be part of the investigative question and the hypothesis. Students must identify other variables to be controlled (held constant). Designing and Conducting an investigation The experimental design should always reflect the investigative question and hypothesis. Have students review this connection several times during the development of their design. They should be engaged in the process of actively collecting data around a question/issue etc. Students should identify the need for a control. Students may confuse this with controlling variables (holding variables constant). An investigative control is part of the design. It does not receive the treatment of the manipulated variable. It maintains an untreated condition or situation for comparison. Students will attend to appropriate safety precautions. Students determine the equipment and materials needed and design step-by-step procedures to follow in the investigation. If desired, you can give them the setup, materials, directions, but DO NOT GIVE THE ANSWERS. Allow the students to demonstrate appropriate measurement techniques and methods. Emphasize the need for repeated trials. Make sure you value their data and be ready to work with individual groups (through questioning) to help them understand the data collection process. It is important that the teacher guide students to collecting good data. If students collect garbage data, then development of the concept is nearly impossible. This allows students to engage in the inquiry process without skewed results. This DOES NOT mean that the teacher doesn t allow students to gather potentially confounding data, but that they provide a framework or follow-up discussion to discuss how data plays a role in the scientific process. Observe students for misconceptions. As data is being collected, guide student groups having difficulties with specific questions (not answers). CSI: Guidelines for Science Inquiry Instruction, pg 3

4 INQUIRY STAGE 3: USING DATA AND CONCEPT INVENTION D. Using evidence to develop explanations and describe relationships between evidence and explanation (concept invention) Data is analyzed objectively; students draw logical inferences based on observed patterns and relationships connecting to scientific knowledge; inferences lead to questions for future investigations. Students articulate the concept and attach and use a formal label E. Communicating procedures, results, and explanations of a scientific investigation; defending an argument Scientific information is communicated clearly and precisely and includes interpretation and reflection of results and defense of conclusion. EXPLAIN Students communicate their experience Attaches labels, terms and meanings Common language enhances communication and understanding Share with others Questioning Teachers must have well thought out plan for guiding questions, prepared in advance and ready to use. Your questions should scaffold the student understanding building on the data and moving towards the targeted concept. Questions should lead students to state the concept in their own words. Spontaneous questions derived from student comments make for strong discussions. Working with the Data Once the data is collected, post it so everyone can see it. It is important that all students data is Included. Use this data in the next steps. DO NOT exclude data unless the students as a whole decide data is not appropriate. Provide individual and student groups an opportunity to discuss why data should be eliminated. Help students make sense of data. DO NOT give away the answer. Lead students to the concept using the previously prepared guiding questions to scaffold their understanding of the data. Students should work through the data to invent the concept. Students should be able to state the concept in their own words. Students may not know the scientific terms associated with the concept. DO NOT introduce the scientific terms until after the concept is invented. DO NOT use a textbook definition for the concept. Communicating Results Students put their experience into a communicable form. Events are sequenced into a logical format. Language allows students to label aspects of their experience which provides the means to communicate the experience with others. Common labels should be attached after the experience, not before. Select information for students to include in presentations. Selections may differ from unit to unit A. State the question they investigated. B. State their hypothesis. C. Briefly describe their procedure. D. Display the data table used and the data they collected. Needs to be visible for audience. E. Display the graph of the data and any other visuals. Needs to be visible for audience. CSI: Guidelines for Science Inquiry Instruction, pg 4

5 F. Demonstration some Interpretation of the data G. Identify any relationships shown in the data. H. Explain how the data supports or refutes their hypothesis. I. Explain how their investigation provides information that helps answer the investigative question. J. Identify at least one possible source of error. Where might something have gone wrong. This can often be related to the accuracy of the data; e.g. did they measure precisely or estimate, did something interrupt the investigation that might have influenced the testing, etc. K. Propose at least one new question for a new investigation. It should be based on your results. L. End with a concluding statement based on the hypothesis; e.g. Our investigation shows that when the rocket s mass increases, it flight distance decreases. The data from our experiment tells us that using more force sends the rocket greater distances. CSI: Guidelines for Science Inquiry Instruction, pg 5

6 INQUIRY STAGE 4: APPLICATION There is no construct on the Student Inquiry Rubric that addresses the application of a concept. PROPOSED Applies acquired knowledge to new situations; proposes questions for further investigations. ELABORATE Challenge students to apply their skills to new situations Draws reasonable conclusions from investigations DO NOT SKIP THIS STAGE! The application is not about reaffirming what s been learned, but rather, allowing students to think beyond the original context in which the concept was developed. Introduce new terminology associated with the concept. Do not introduce a new concept or idea. Students should apply the new knowledge to a different situation or in a different context. They can pursue another experiment, a reading, a video, a field trip, etc. The new situation or context should engage students in actively using their new knowledge. Applications can be creative (e.g. model, design, produce), descriptive (e.g. write, discuss, illustrate), or analytical (e.g. use new knowledge to dissect other events). Students make connections to other related concepts. Applications/Elaborations often lead to new questions for new investigations. EVALUATION There is no construct on the Student Inquiry Rubric that addresses assessment or evaluation techniques. EVALUATE Access materials and methods Demonstrate their understanding Students access their own knowledge, learning and abilities Know what you want your student to learn. Did they learn the concept? What evidence do you have that provides this information? Evaluation is an on-going diagnostic process. Occurs at all stages of instruction and throughout the students activities. Consists of formative and summative assessments. Assessment/evaluation informs further lesson planning and modification. Identifies misconceptions and/or weak areas of understanding. Some examples of ways to evaluate are checklists, rubrics, student interviews, specifically tasked portfolios, interactive science notebooks, exit slips, oral presentations, lab reports, oral explanations, bell-ringers, tests and quizzes, etc. Coaching Science Inquiry. National Center for Research on Rural Education. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, CSI: Guidelines for Science Inquiry Instruction, pg 6