An Invitation to Inquire… “ I wonder about plants in the watershed.”

1. An Invitation to Inquire…“I wonder about plants in the watershed.” For Students • First, let’s find out what we know about plants • Let’s ask some questions and decide if there is a problem we can investigate • Then, we’ll set up an investigation based on our questions • When the investigation is finished we’ll report our discoveries to other students and scientists • For Teachers • Get support for implementing the inquiry cycle • 1. Inquisition • 2. Acquisition • 3. Supposition • 4. Implementation • 5. Summation • 6. Exhibition • Inquire Within: Implementing Inquiry-Based Science Standards, D. Llewellyn, 2002

2. Inquisition:Stating a question to be investigated For Students Let’s find out what we know about plants. We begin by asking “I wonder” questions to be investigated. Here’s an example… “I wonder why the aquatic plants in the Chesapeake Bay are dying?” For Teachers Question sessions can begin with… • an open-ended exploration • observing a discrepant event • a demonstration • a field trip • or a teacher-directed activity • use this site to read & find out more about watershed, soil, sediment, and aquatic plants See an “I wonder” session • Next, guide your students in a K-W-L “I wonder” session

4. Acquisition:Brainstorming possible procedures For Students • Let’s think more about the questions we have about aquatic plants • We can sort our questions into three groups • Questions ready for investigating • Questions that need more thinking • Questions that might be answered by reading or asking an expert • For Teachers • Engagement & motivation begins with conversation • Generating questions stimulates thinking and helps to uncover student’s misconceptions • In this phase the focus, or the purpose of study, is established • The focus becomes the reason for reading & guides critical thinking about reading and interpreting research data

5. Here are some of our Questions about … Plants in the Watershed Based on the design of D. Llewellyn, Inquire Within: Implementing Inquiry-Based Science Standards

6. Supposition:Selecting a statement to test For Students • Gather as much information as you can about plants in the watershed • When you are ready, make an “I think” statement. Your “I think” statement will be the focus of your investigation Here’s an example… “I think that sediment might be causing the aquatic plants to die.” • For Teachers • Selecting a problem to be solved emerges during the process of asking questions • Provide support and guidance for students in identifying possible statements to test • Guide students to select appropriate readings, materials, and investigation design

7. Implementation:Designing and carrying out a plan For Students It’s time to design your investigation • What are the things you will need? “Water, rocks, soil, sand, aquatic plants, sunlight” • What will stay the same in your investigation? “The water, rocks, and sunlight.” • What will you change? “The soil and sand.” • What may be changed in your investigation? “The aquatic plants.” • For Teachers • Provide guidance as students determine the parameters of their investigation • Students will be identifying the variables of the investigation • the factor or variable that is deliberately changed is the manipulated variable • The variable that will change as a result of the manipulated variable is called the responding variable

8. Summation:Collecting evidence & drawing conclusions • For Students • Keep a journal of your investigation here • Create charts and graphs here • Keep digital photos of your investigation here • Keep a record of your resources here

9. My science journal April 15, 2005 Today I put 50ml of gravel in the bottom of two soda bottles. Then I added 25 ml of sand, 25ml of sandy soil, and finally 25 ml of loam. I poured water from Long Branch stream into both bottles to fill them to the top. I put some green Elodea plants in each bottle. Then I put the bottles on the windowsill where they will both get lots of sunlight.

10. My data charts and graphs Red = Control Bottle Yellow = Sediment-stirred Bottle

11. My photos of the investigation Control & Sediment-Stirred Bottles Day #1 Bottle Set-up Day #5

12. My Resources • www.chesapeakebay.net/landscape.htm • Chesapeake Bay Foundation Guide To Underwater Grasses • More texts • Magazine articles

13. Exhibition:Sharing & communicating results For Students • Scientists often use a poster to explain the results of their investigations • Create a Poster here • For Teachers • Guide students in: • Questioning their work • Predicting throughout the process • Clarifying as they collect data • Summarizing their results • Reciprocal Teaching at Work: Strategies for Reading Comprehension, Lori D. Oczkus, 2003

14. More Questions:The inquiry cycle continues For Students • More “I wonder…” questions can be generated and stored at this site Here are some examples… “I wonder what will happen if salt is added to the water?” “I wonder what will happen if microorganisms are added to the bottles?” For Teachers See a culminating K-W-L “I wonder” session.

15. K-W-L at the end of the investigation

16. Evaluation & Assessment:Answering questions & questioning answers For Students Did the models you used do what you hoped they would? Did it really show the problem? Was your investigation the same as the problem in the real world? If it was different, how so? Did your work on this problem make you want to ask other questions? • For Teachers • Pose related scenarios as a means of assessing student acquisition of thinking and process skills • Help students make connections to the real world • Here’s an example… • “Some citizens on Maryland’s Eastern Shore do not want the grasses they’ve protected used as transplants near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the Potomac. What should be done?” • Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding, S. Harvey & A. Goudvis, 2000