Scientific Inquiry

To practice the scientific inquiry skills of observation and careful expression. 

This investigation is designed to introduce students to the skills of gathering, recording, and communicating observations. Students will practice careful expression, using words and pictures to tell others what they see and think.

These activities should be supplemented with ongoing opportunities for students to explore phenomena that interest them, both inside and outside of class. Ongoing explorations of natural phenomena such as plant growth, animal behavior, and weather cycles would provide a rich context for practicing the skills of observing and communicating. 

Materials:

• Materials for the Observation Using Senses activity
• Materials for the Where is my Peanut? activity

Tell students that they will use their senses to make careful observations of the schoolyard. Take students outdoors and ask them to record one thing that they see, feel, hear, and smell, using words and/or pictures. Have students share their findings with the class. 

Ask students:

• What things did you observe outside? 
• What senses did you use to gather information about the schoolyard?
• How did you share what you observed with the class? 

Have students complete the Observation Using Senses activity on the DiscoverySchool.com website. In this activity, items are placed in a bag for observation. Each student is responsible for describing one of the objects to the class, either orally or in writing. Students will guess the identity of the object based on this description.

As each object is identified, ask students to name the words that were most helpful in describing the object. Record these words on a chart for future reference. If appropriate, introduce the notion of properties and organize students’ ideas under headings such as color, size, shape, texture etc.

Have students do the AskEric lesson, Where is my Peanut?. In this activity, students will record as much information about a peanut as possible, including its appearance, length, and weight. Then the peanut is hidden in a pile and students must use this information to find it.

Note: Allow students to use instruments such as magnifying lenses, rulers, and balances to help them with their observations.

You could extend the activity by having students describe their peanut either orally of in writing while other team members search for it. Repeat this activity with other manmade or natural objects. 

Ask students:

• Which senses did you use to collect information about your peanut?
• What tools did you use to help you with your observations?
• What properties did you use to identify your peanut?
• What characteristic was most helpful for identifying your peanut? 

Go to Common Cents on the Exploratorium website. At this site, students must try to identify the true penny from a series of twelve variations. To adapt this activity for young children, have them observe the heads side of a penny using a magnifying lens, carefully sketching their observations in a science journal. Then they will be ready to identify the true penny.

In Droodles, students try to recreate four simple drawings from memory. (You will need to download Shockwave for this activity.) To adapt this activity for young students, have them try to recreate just one image. This site also includes many optical illusions that students might find interesting.

Go to the Biological Timing Online Science Experiment created by the Center for Biological Timing at the University of Virginia. Visit the Observations Quiz as a class. Review the steps for careful observation.

Have students complete a journal entry in which they record observations of a natural object such as a leaf, rock, seed, string bean, etc. When evaluating journal entries, look for the following: vocabulary words related to the senses and to the properties of objects; evidence of the correct use of instruments; and accuracy in drawing. 

Visit the Monster Exchange. In this activity, students create an original monster and send a written description of the image via email to a child in a participating school. That child attempts to duplicate the image as nearly as possible based on the written description. The students’ images are then published on the web in the Mind’s Eye Monster Gallery.

This online activity requires registration. However, the project can easily be adapted as a school or classroom activity, and can be conducted on or offline. The activity can also be adapted for younger students by using oral, rather than written, descriptions.

Created :02/03/2000