This document discusses inquiry-based science labs and how to implement them in middle school classrooms. It provides examples of inquiry models and compares inquiry to the scientific method. It also offers tips for reforming traditional "cookbook" labs by mixing up steps, only providing partial instructions, or having students take on roles. When setting up labs, the document advises considering the classroom layout, material organization, group work, and clean up processes. The goal is for students to directly handle materials and experience scientific concepts for themselves through inquiry-based activities rather than just being told information.

1. Inquiry Labs for Science Nightingale Middle School Science Department Soraya Drew May 2011

2. What do we do already? Brainstorm

3. Provided by Lisa Kramer, LD 5 Science Expert

4. Do inquiry based labs lead to deeper student understanding? Provided by Lisa Kramer, LD 5 Science Expert

5. “In teaching him botany, he must handle the plants and dissect the flowers for himself: in teaching him physics and chemistry, you must not be solicitous to fill him with information, but you must be careful that what he learns he knows of his own knowledge. Don’t be satisfied with telling him that a magnet attracts iron. Let him see that it does; let him feel the pull of the one upon the other for himself.” Thomas Huxley Provided by Lisa Kramer, LD 5 Science Expert

6. What is inquiry? Four level model of inquiry From Simplifying Inquiry Instruction, The Science Teacher October 2005

7. Essential Features of Classroom Inquiry and Their Variations Less Direction from Facilitator or Material------------------------------------------ More Direction from Facilitator or Material More Learner Self-Direction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Less Learner Self-Direction

9. Reforming cookbook labs Read article section- we will count off to assign sections 1 Students take on roles 2 Mix up the steps 3 Give only the procedure 4 Student/teacher round-robin 5 Student/student round-robin 6 Data table only 7 Concept Map 8 Report results in paragraph form for replication 9 Independent variable and dependent variable 10 Only the first few steps 11 Only the problem statement

11. location of materials,

12. how the materials are organized for the students,

13. how the students access the materials,

14. where the students work

15. how the lab groups are organized

16. how clean up occurs

17. your location(s)Pair Share Provided by Lisa Kramer, LD 5 Science Expert