engaging youth in science inquiry. engage youth to: ask questions plan & conduct investigations...
TRANSCRIPT
Engaging Youth in Science Inquiry
Engage youth to:
Ask questions
Plan & conduct investigations
Use appropriate tools & techniques to gather data
Think critically about relationships between evidence & explanations
Communicate and share what they learn
Inquiry-based Science Learning
Types of InquiryStructured
Youth are given a problem to solve, a method for solving the problem, and necessary materials, but not the expected outcomes.
Guided
Youth figure out a method for solving a given problem.
OpenYouth find a problem (or question)and figure out a method to investigate solutions.
Inquiry Steps
Be observant
Ask questions – “how,” “which,” or “what”
Design your investigation
Gather and analyze data
Interpret your evidence
Share your findings
Be observant
Example: “Butterflies start laying eggs in spring when the weather gets warm. I have observed Black Swallowtails laying eggs on several different plants (parsley, fennel and dill).
Ask questions
I wonder if the butterflies prefer one plant species?
What materials will I need to find out if they prefer a plant species?
How will I know when eggs are laid on a plant?
Guided Inquiry Example
Materials I will need: 3 large pots or planters & potting soil (or garden space) Black Swallowtail host plants (dill, parsley & fennel) 3 Nectar plants of the same Gardening tools Watering can or hose
My Setup: Plant dill and nectar plant in one pot Plant parsley and nectar plant in another pot Plant fennel and nectar plant in the third pot
Guided Inquiry Example
Design your investigation
I observed more caterpillars on the dill plant at school. Therefore, I think Black Swallowtails will lay more eggs on dill plant than on the other plants in my garden.
I plan to examine the leaves of the three host plants (parsley, fennel and dill) in my garden every afternoon for two months to see when eggs are laid on the plants and if one plant has more eggs than the others. I will check that there are no eggs on the plants when I start, then I will count and record the number of new eggs I see each day.
Guided Inquiry Example
Gather and analyze dataI recorded the number of eggs laid each day for two months. I counted 12 eggs on the dill plant on day 9 of my study. On day 11, I counted 5 more eggs on the dill and 4 eggs on the fennel. On day 17, I counted 8 more eggs on the fennel and 14 eggs on the parsley. On day 27, I counted 7 eggs on the dill plant even though there were very few leaves left.
Interpret your evidenceBased upon what I observed, I think that Black Swallowtails prefer dill as a larval host plant.
Guided Inquiry Example
Share your findings
I plan to design a poster that explains my investigation and results and share it:
with my science class at school at this year’s science fair at school with my 4-H group with my boy/girl scout troop with my family
I could talk about my project with my class and then show them my photographs and drawings that demonstrate the Black Swallowtail life cycle.
Guided Inquiry Example