Re: Beyond Guided Inquiry

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From: Amy Faulkner (afaulkner@marin.k12.ca.us)
Date: Thu Apr 06 2000 - 14:59:05 PDT 

Message-Id: <v03007800b512b808793c@[206.184.75.56]>
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 13:59:05 -0800
From: Amy Faulkner <afaulkner@marin.k12.ca.us>
Subject: Re: Beyond Guided Inquiry

Patty, I start by showing the kids my science notebooks and let them know
that I enjoy going back and looking at my discoveries, observations etc.
One of the things I am always interested in looking back on in my own
notebooks is photos, so I started taking digital photos while kids were
doing investigations and printing them out right then and there for them to
put in their books. This gives a very personal feeling to each journal and
an "into" for those kids that don't know what to write. I have them
describe what's happening in the photo and create questions based on that
investigation. The questions ultimately will be used for their inquiries,
so they don't mind jotting down questions that they will be using again.
I'm not sure what grade level you teach, but the photos seem to work at all
ages.

Amy Faulkner
Mill Valley, CA

>On the exact topic of how well students write in their science notebooks:
>would
>anyone care to comment on strategies for getting students to write in more
>personally meaningful ways? I know that we can develop great rubrics; we can
>pose deep, soul searching questions, or creative, challenging questions,
>but it
>seems that there is so easily a level of disengagement which allows some
>students to write only what they "think the teacher expects". What have you
>tried for engaging critical thinking in science notebooks?
>
>Patty MacEgan
>
>Linda Gregg wrote:
>
>> Great topic--Kathy Richardson (mathematics) works with "expandable tasks"
>> we now apply that to mathematics and science. The depth of such tasks,
>> problems, investigations invite learners in at their level and expand to
>> push those who might finish early to dig deeper and go farther ---results
>> -- no one should be "finishing" early -- the task should be mutli
>> dimensional and teacher keep questioning and students keep moving to
>> greater depth. Science notebooks reflect the levels of depth and are
>> constant companions. This is all K-5 and should it seems also work at all
>> grades. Linda Gregg
>>
>> >How about having the child jot down 5 or so questions in their logbook
>>that
>> >they would like to further explore? They could also draw a picture of the
>> >activity they just completed (8th graders rarely get the opportunity to
>>draw
>> >in science now that they are out of elementary education). Lastly, they
>> >could write a paragraph, as if they were a newspaper reporter, about the
>> >science activity that they just completed. Jessica Heller, 6th grade
>> >teacher, Lawrenceville, NJ
>> >
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