First Grade Inquiries
Our science inquiries are structured around the following inquiry process:
Each scientific inquiry is initiated through student questioning. A provocation station is set up at the beginning of each inquiry and students are invited to explore and question the materials on display.
Each question is reviewed and sorted by content. The bulk of the content then drives the classroom inquiry.
Please scroll down to view a sample inquiry on the Seasons
Our Seasons Inquiry - October, 2014
First we stretched into our schemas to find out what
we already knew about the seasons. We created new
posters of the seasons to show what we already knew!
We then began to wonder about the seasons…
Here’s what we wondered:
After that we decided to investigate the seasons just a little bit more. Some of our investigations included:
Here’s what we wondered:
- “Can we can swim in the Spring?”
- “Will ice cream still melt in the winter?”
- “Why do the leaves fall down?”
- “How can we skate in the warm weather?”
After that we decided to investigate the seasons just a little bit more. Some of our investigations included:
- Adopting a tree on our playground
- Researching through shared reading and read alouds
- Watching video clips about the weather
- Going on a leaf hunt
- Making collages of seasonal clothing and activities
We then realized that a lot of our “I Wonders” were made possible with proper protection from the weather.
Next we brainstormed different types of weather…
rain snow wind sun ice tornados hail cold
heat hurricanes thunder lightning
And evaluated different materials to determine whether or not they were waterproof using the Bright Links
Next we brainstormed different types of weather…
rain snow wind sun ice tornados hail cold
heat hurricanes thunder lightning
And evaluated different materials to determine whether or not they were waterproof using the Bright Links
We made a plan...
And, using the results of our experiment, we were able to select “good choice” materials for our weather protectors. We knew that we would be responsible for explaining why it was a “good choice material” and that our protector would have to pass the “wiggle test”!
And, using the results of our experiment, we were able to select “good choice” materials for our weather protectors. We knew that we would be responsible for explaining why it was a “good choice material” and that our protector would have to pass the “wiggle test”!
We used cameras and the IPAD to capture our learning!
In our science journals, we reflected on our learning by describing the materials that we used and the revisions that we made along the way. Finally we met with our elbow partners to assess each other’s work. We were responsible for providing one star and one wish.