Chapter 4:
Planning Inquiry Lessons
Central Concepts:
Inquiry lessons focus on knowing and doing
Concept mapping is a tool to help form proper
connections among concepts
Planning helps to assure learners will have
necessary experiences and develop important
attitudes, skills and ideas
Lessons must address National Science
Education goals and outcomes
T 4.0
Inquiry Lessons
Key question:
– “What do I expect learners to understand
and be able to do?”
Understanding focuses on a central concept
Doing focuses on developing and using
essential science skills and attitudes
Building the lessons begins with identifying
the concept, skills and attitudes
T 4.1
Standards
State and national standards in science reveal the
essential concepts, skills and attitudes
Appendix A provides science concepts
Table 4.2 describes 4 new dimensions of science
content outcomes
T 4.2
What Is A Concept?
By definition, a concept is …
... a general idea or understanding that is
derived from specific experiences; a
thought or notion, an idea.
T 4.3
With Young Children ...
we have limits when teaching for conception
must teach in ways to overcome abstractions
must find a way to help learners make the concept
concrete
must avoid "fuzzy" concepts when planning and
teaching
must provide abundant opportunities for learners to
experience real examples of the concept
T 4.4
Concept Map:
A Tool for Planning the Inquiry
helps to plan instruction
makes abstract concepts more concrete
shows relationships among and between concepts
relationships “tell” a story to be learned through
experiences
helps connect ideas with experiences
helps fit ideas into meaningful patterns
can be used as an Advance Organizer
can be used as a form of student evaluation
T 4.5
Parts of Concept Maps (Fig 7.4)
Superordinate concept:
– the main idea at the top of a map
Subordinate concepts:
– all other concepts on a map
Coordinating concepts:
– the first row of subordinate concepts; help to organize
clusters of concepts and show relationship to the
superordinate
Propositions:
– linking words that show relationships, e.g., "can be,"
"has"
T 4.6
Concept Map of Concept Map (Figure 4.4)
CONCEPT MAP
has has has
superordinate uses coordinating link subordinate
concept concepts concepts
is at helps relates found at related to
most organize superordinate
top categories bottom
general concepts concept
meaning shown through
by
coordinating
concepts
propositions
make tell
show
connections story
T 4.7
Concept Mapping Steps
1. identify and list all concepts
2. separate any isolated facts
3. select a superordinate concept
4. cluster and arrange all subordinate
concepts into levels (no one best way)
T 4.8
Concept Mapping Steps, cont.
5. draw lines to show relationships
6. write in propositions
7. identify concepts you will emphasize in lessons
8. plan your lessons to help students understand
the concepts and to make connections with
similar concepts in prior lessons
T 4.9
Planning Inquiry Lessons
Is there a variety of activities to accommodate
student learning style differences?
Can you do the activity first, then introduce
special vocabulary?
Do you have key questions that can be used to
stimulate interaction?
Are the lessons focused on concept
development?
T 4.10
Components of a
Learning Cycle Inquiry Plan
Standards
Concept
Activities to promote inquiry
Materials to sustain inquiry
Safety & management
Exploring the concept
With learners, developing an explanation of
the concept
Expanding learner understanding of and
skills in using the concept
Evaluating learning at appropriate times and
in appropriate ways
T 4.11
Essential Questions
How can I identify and “get to the point?”
How can I faithfully model what science is and help the
learners experience holistic science?
How can I address specific standards?
How can I promote science safely?
How can I teach effectively and in a manner that fits
children‟s learning?
How can I evaluate authentically what children know and
can do?
How can I pull the answers to all of these questions into a
single plan that also becomes my method for teaching?
T 4.12
Planning for Inquiry:
Learning Cycle Approach
Exploration
Explanation
Expansion
Evaluation
T 4.13
Essential Questions for: Exploration
What do you want children to learn? (concept)
What main concept will be explored and later understood?
How can I engage the learners‟ thinking and involve them in the
inquiry?
„
What activities must children do to acquire the necessary information?
How will I stimulate the learners to remain engaged in the processes
of inquiry?
What kinds of records about the activity must children keep?
What kinds of instructions and encouragement will the children need?
T 4.14
Essential Questions for: Explanation
What information must the students provide?
How will you help students to review or summarize
their findings?
How can you help the students use their information
to "invent" or to explain the lesson's concept?
What type of “sentence starter” could you use to help
the learners to write an operational definition for the
concept?
Why is the concept important?
T 4.15
Essential Questions for: Expansion
What additional inquiry activities will help the learners to understand
the concept broader and deeper?
How can the new concept be connected to prior lessons?
What are examples of how the concept addresses the modern
goals of science?
How can you encourage the students to use the concept in a
new situation?, in ways that are important to them?
What new experiences and concepts will learners need to
help them expand on the lesson‟s concept?
T 4.16
Essential Questions for: Evaluation
What key questions can encourage deeper exploration?
What questions and types of evaluation tasks can be used
to help the learners connect the concept to others?, to
avoid science misconceptions?
How can you help learners to develop and strengthen
essential science attitudes?
What performance tasks can be used to help the students
demonstrate what they understand about the concept and
its uses?
How can you help students use basic process skills to
develop integrated skills?
T 4.17