Before I went to a two week professional development on inquiry in the science classroom, I thought of inquiry as using the scientific method. Now, I understand inquiry to be something completely different and very exciting.
In science, we are often teaching students concepts and words that they had never heard before (or have misconceptions of). Inquiry is all about the phenomena first, giving the student an experience with the concepts that they will be learning. Instead of giving students words to memorize and hoping for the best, students are given the experience before being given the word. This gives them an experience to associate the word with.
One inquiry lesson that I am excited to use is a plant in a jar. You present students with a plant in a jar. Weigh it on a balance. Have the students write down the starting weight. Ask the students to write down if they think after so many days (5, 10, 15) the mass will be the same, higher, or lower. They should also write down why they think this. After the certain amount of days, present the plant again and weigh it. Have your students discuss why they think the mass is what it is.
This is before teaching photosynthesis, respiration, or the conservation of mass. The students will be astonished to see that the plant continues to stay alive and the mass is the same as it started.
What else to include: drawing in the science classroom. Have the students draw what the plant in the jar looks like initially. Then, have the students draw what they think the plant will look like so many days after. After introducing photosynthesis and respiration, have the students draw what is happening on a particulate level in the jar.
I am pretty excited to start inquiry in my classroom, and I will document my journey here.
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