Now that the 8th grade science CMAS testing is
almost over, 8th graders can take a deep breath and start their
inquiry projects on building water bottle rockets. This is great opportunity for open inquiry as
ample time can be given for students to research, design, test, redesign, retest,
and reflect on their rockets. While doing this, students develop an
understanding for Newton’s laws of motion as well as the different forces
acting upon their rocket.
Inquiry has a positive impact as students develop their own
understandings at their own pace. Students are engaged, they collaborate, they
make mistakes and learn from them, misbehaviors all but seem to vanish.
Students hopefully not only develop more long-term understandings of the content,
but also know how physical science can apply to their lives.
The drawback to open inquiry is time. With the demands of the CMAS test covering
random material from grades 6-8, there is no time for open inquiry until this
time of year. I still struggle with
student accountability with inquiry projects.
I often feel the need to still guide them to learning that still needs
to take place.
Jon,
ReplyDeleteI also struggle with the accountability piece. I don't always feel that kids are in a place to do so much of the work on their own. I also don't know that I have a good handle on how to assess their work throughout an inquiry process. This is definitely a project where students will understand the connection of science to the real world, and the importance of the scientific process.