To the lab or open a book That is the Question

1. To the lab or open a book? That is the Question! Jen Cvitak 4/18/05 Educational Inquiry

2. My motivation… Students were having trouble interpreting hands on investigations. My observations and assessments show me that the students were not learning from hands on inquiry work. Time was wasted explaining concepts to students because they did not know how to tackle science content from reading and did not understand the language.

3. The search begins… How can I help my students in the classroom be better prepared for labs? What skills can I teach my students to help them at home and in the future tackle science content. What can I do to improve my students’ comprehension, communication, and analysis of science literature? What personal factors affect my students’ abilities to read and analyze science literature?

4. What does the research say? “Today’s science education reform focuses on the creation of scientific “habits of mind” which depend of our ability to express scientific understanding.” ~ Rutherford and Ahigren “True science depends on students’ having the opportunity to own the discourse in the classroom, pose questions, articulate their observations, and disseminate their findings.” ~ Amelia El Hindi “The vast majority of our students today are learning very little science…they’re taught to memorize some facts and vocabulary but almost never connect the knowledge into a coherent picture of how the world works and how we’ve come to know it” ~ former astronaut George Nelson Researchers found inquiry teaching that included a focus on reading writing and communicating not only improved a student’s scientific understanding, but their motivation, concentration and continued enjoyment of science in general ~ Scmidt

5. My plan of attack… Introduce students to KWL and Word Sort strategies to help them tackle science reading and vocabulary Test their knowledge before and after Survey their opinions before and after

6. Word Sorts…What are those?? Pick about 10 to 15 vocabulary terms you want the students to learn. Put them on small cards and place in an envelope. Give to students and ask them to categorize based on their similarities. (you could use the example of alphabetical, or syllables) Discuss their categories and why they chose them. Allow them to read a selection containing content that uses the terms. Have them recategorize based on their new knowledge. Discuss their thought process.

7. The KWL ~ What do you know? Prepare a KWL sheet with three columns headed What you KNOW What you WANT/NEED TO KNOW What you have LEARNED Before reading Students fill out the KNOW column based on their prior knowledge. Students fill out what they WANT/NEED TO KNOW with questions that are important to find out about the science concept (a great place to guide them to the questions you want them to find) After reading Students read selection and fill in notes about what they have learned.

8. My findings…

9. More findings…

10. And even more…

11. And what about the students’ knowledge???

12. Literacy strategies improve students comprehension of science concepts and vocabulary. Students need to see the purpose of the strategy and have plenty of practice in order to use them on their own. Using the literacy strategies before the hands on activities improved student understanding and learning from the activity.

13. Students need a variety of learning strategies to be successful learning science. It is important for students to know the purpose of the lessons both for content and strategy. Jump outside the box and try new things….help fill students tool kit with plenty to help them learn both in your class and in the future!!!