Inquiry-Based Instruction for the Living Environment

Leadership LSO

Gary Carlin

March 27, 2008

8:15am-11:45am

FDA – 2nd Floor Library

Self-Guided Learners“Proficiency in scientific reasoning would free individuals from the dominance of authoritarian teaching and empower them to derive truth independently.” - G. DeBoer

Workshop Goals• 1.Utilize visuals with templates to enhance

Inquiry-based instruction.

• 2. Explore visuals to address Experimental Procedures, Process Sequences, Order of Steps, Written Sequences, and Demonstration Results.

• 3.Create and utilize simple Dichotomous Keys from text/visual information.

Last Session Assignment• 1. Review previous Living Environment Regents

examinations for correlation of examination questions to Standard 1.

• 2. Review previous Living Environment Regents examinations to confirm/add “anchor words”.

• 3. Bring in samples of work (lessons, activities, laboratory exercises, etc.) that reflect Inquiry-based Learning to share with colleagues.

SHARE OUT/FDA TOUR

Reflection: So Far …

• What has been your greatest challenge in terms of Inquiry-based Instruction (IBI)?

• How have the students responded to your attempts at Inquiry-based Instruction?

• What would you change your practice to make your IBI more appropriate/successful to meet the needs of all students?

• What new feelings/insights do you now have regarding Inquiry-based Instruction?

From our First Session…• Inquiry is a nonlinear variation of the scientific

method. It connects science to the scientific method.

• Focuses on the skills of observation, information gathering, sorting, classifying, predicting and testing.

• Not only tests what students know, it presses students to put what they know to the test.

Introductory Activity

Learning to Look: Finding Your Reference Point

Reference Points

• 1. What immediately catches your attention in this image? Describe it in detail.

• 2. Look at the image and describe the feeling(s) it elicits from you.

• 3. Focus on a specific area, what are you thinking about now?

• 4. Now return to the entire image, and describe something new (an observation, a feeling, a connection, etc.)

The World We Live In

Let’s Take a

Closer Look!

Picture 1

What is the Best Answer?

• 1. Write down three (3) guess of what you think the object is.

• 2. Rank your guesses from 1-3 (1- most probable most, 3 – least probable)

• 3. Write your reason(s) for the ranking.

My Guess: A Pulley System

• 4. Re-Rank the guesses from 1-4 (using the Rank 2 column).

Picture 1 – Light Bulb

Picture 2

What is the Best Answer?

• 1. Write down three (3) guess of what you think the object is.

• 2. Rank your guesses from 1-3 (1- most probable most, 3 – least probable)

• 3. Write your reason(s) for the ranking.

My Guess: Bone Tissue

4. Re-Rank the guesses from 1-4

Picture 2 – Sourdough Bread

Picture 3

What is the Best Answer?

• 1. Write down three (3) guess of what you think the object is.

• 2. Rank your guesses from 1-3 (1- most probable most, 3 – least probable)

• 3. Write your reason(s) for the ranking.

My Guess: Spoon Mold

• 4. Re-Rank the guesses from 1-4

Picture 3 - Clothespin

Picture 4

I May Not Know What It is, But Can …

Exchanging Ideas

• 1. Quick Sketch

• 2. Observation/Description

• 3. Question(s)?

• 4. Exchange

Picture 4

Picture 4 – Old Roof Shingles

Zoom Out – Zoom In

Viewing the World with

Microscopic Vision

Zoom Out (High to Low)

Sunspots viewed from a telescope and binoculars

Connecting Pictures to Questions

• 1. Sketch/Observations

• 2. Connecting Topic– Structure/Arrangement– Interactions, +/-– Measurement– Specific Topics

• 3. Questions Related to Topic

Picture 5

Picture 5

Picture 5 - Snowflake

“Crystals”

RELATIONSHIPS

Zoom In (Low to High)

Picture 6

Picture 6 – Higher Magnification

Close-up to Diagram

Picture 6 – Inner Ear Hair Cells

“Seaweed”

Now Lets …

Look at an Entire Process, …

Sequence of Steps … or a Procedure

Rube Goldberg• (rōōb gōld΄berg) n.

A comically involved, complicated invention, laboriously contrived to perform a simple operation.

– Webster’s New World Dictionary

Home Burglary Alarm

• Describe how does it work?

• List the steps, using letters.– Comical?– Complicated?– Laborious?

Self-Operating Napkin

Understanding the Process• 1. List and describe the steps of the Rube

Goldberg Machine.

• 2. Which part of the RG machine were you not clear about – or was most difficult to figure out?

• 3. Write a title for the machine that describes the function of the machine.

• 4. What did you learn about the machine after the class presentation/discussion?

The LE: Titles & Headlines

• The headline “Improved Soybeans Produce Healthier Vegetable Oils” accompanies an article describing how a biotechnology company controls the types of lipids (fats) present in soybeans. The improved soybeans are most likely being developed by the process of

(1) natural selection(2) asexual reproduction(3) genetic engineering(4) habitat modification

Rube Goldberg #1

1. Maintaining a Beautiful Figure

• She sits down to eat in scale (A) - As weight increases, magnet (B) moves toward small steel bar (C), picking it up and tilting groove (D) - Golf ball (E) drops in ant-hill (F) - Beginner golfer (G) takes swing at ball, misses it and knocks chunk out of ant-hill, scattering ants - Anteater (H) goes after ants, moving table away from hungry lady, allowing her to preserve her beautiful figure.

Rube Goldberg #2

2. Keep You From Forgetting to Mail Your Wife’s Letter

As you walk past cobbler shop, hook (A) strikes suspended boot (B), causing it to kick football (C) through goal posts (D). Football drops into basket (E) and string (F) tilts sprinkling can, (G) causing water to soak coat tails (H). As coat shrinks, cord (I) opens door (J) of cage, allowing bird (K) to walk out on perch (L) and grab worm (M) which is attached to string (N). This pulls down window shade (O) on which is written, "YOU SAP, MAIL THAT LETTER." A simple way to avoid all this trouble is to marry a wife who can't write.

Rube Goldberg #3

3. Safety Device for Walking on Icy Pavement

• When you slip on ice, your foot kicks paddle (A), lowering finger (B), snapping turtle (C) extends neck to bite finger, opening ice tongs (D) and dropping pillow (E), thus allowing you to fall on something soft.

Rube Goldberg #4

4. Simplified Pencil Sharpener

• Open window (A) and fly kite (B). String (C) lifts small door (D) allowing moths (E) to escape and eat red flannel shirt (F). As weight of shirt becomes less, shoe (G) steps on switch (H) which heats electric iron (I) and burns hole in pants (J). Smoke (K) enters hole in tree (L), smoking out opossum (M) which jumps into basket (N), pulling rope (O) and lifting cage (P), allowing woodpecker (Q) to chew wood from pencil (R), exposing lead. Emergency knife (S) is always handy in case opossum or the woodpecker gets sick and can't work.

Rube Goldberg #5

5. How to Keep Shop Windows Clean

• Passing man (A) slips on banana peel (B) causing him to fall on rake (C). As handle of rake rises it throws horseshoe (D) onto rope (E) which sags, thereby tilting sprinkling can (F). Water (G) saturates mop (H). Pickle terrier (I) thinks it is raining, gets up to run into house and upsets sign (J) throwing it against non-tipping cigar ash receiver (K) which causes it to swing back and forth and swish the mop against window pane, wiping it clean. If man breaks his neck by fall move away before cop arrives.

Rube Goldberg #6

6. Dodging Bill Collectors• As Tailor (A) fits customer (B) and calls out

measurements, college boy (C) mistakes them for football signals and makes a flying tackle at clothing dummy (D). Dummy bumps head against paddle (E) causing it to pull hook (F) and throw bottle (G) on end of folding hat rack (H) which spreads and pushes head of cabbage (I) into net (J). Weight of cabbage pulls cord (K) causing shears (L) to cut string (M). Bag of sand (N) drops on scale (O) and pushes broom (P) against pail of whitewash (Q) which upsets all over you causing you to look like a marble statue and making it impossible for you to be recognized by bill collectors. Don't worry about posing as any particular historical statue because bill collectors don't know much about art.

Creating Visuals

How Well Can You Draw It?

Bacterial ReproductionThe sequence of events occurring in the life cycle of a bacterium is listed below.(A) The bacterium copies its single chromosome.(B) The copies of the chromosome attach to the cell membrane of the bacterium.(C) As the cell grows, the two copies of the chromosome separate.(D) The cell is separated by a wall into equal halves.(E) Each new cell has one copy of the chromosome.

This sequence most closely resembles the process of(1) recombination (2) zygote formation(3) mitotic cell division (4) meiotic cell division

Bacterial Reproduction

Easier the Other Way

Step-By-Step Diagrams

Try to Explain the Changes

Using the Step-By-Step Template

Follow the Arrows

1.Number/Circle the steps2.Add in additional

information3.Write a description of

each step4.Add intermediate, pre-, or

post- steps

Envelope Sort

Is this the only answer?

Write Out the Steps

A Little More Structure

Describe the four steps of producing recombinant DNA in bacterial cells.

What Wrong with this Picture?

Steps Left Out Lead to Questions … or Confusion

Experimental Procedure: from a Diagram

An experiment was carried out to determine which mouthwash was most effective against bacteria commonly found in the mouth. Four paper discs were each dipped into a different brand of mouthwash. The discs were then placed onto the surface of a culture plate that contained food, moisture, and bacteria commonly found in the mouth. The diagram below shows the growth of bacteria on the plate after 24 hours. Which change in procedure would have improved the experiment?

• (1) using a smaller plate with less food and moisture• (2) using bacteria from many habitats other than the mouth• (3) using the same size paper discs for each mouthwash• (4) using the same type of mouthwash on each disc

Written Experimental Procedure

The laboratory setups represented below were used to investigate the effect of temperature on cellular respiration in yeast (a single celled organism). Each of two flasks containing equal amounts of a yeast-glucose solution was submerged in a water bath, one kept at 20° C and one kept at 35°C. The number of gas bubbles released from the glass tube in each setup was observed and the results were recorded every 5 minutes for a period of 25 minutes. The data are summarized in the table below. (Graphed from Data Table)

Experimental Procedure:From a Table

An experiment was carried out to determine how competition for living space affects plant height. Different numbers of plants were grown in three pots, A, B, and C. All three pots were the same size.

Analyze the experiment that produced the data shown in the table. In your answer be sure to:– state a hypothesis for the experiment [1]– identify one factor, other than pot size, that should

have been kept the same in each exp. group [1]– identify the dependent variable [1]– state whether the data supports or fails to support

your hypothesis and justify your answer [1]

Process Steps

The diagram below represents events associated with a biochemical process that occurs in some organisms. Which statement concerning this process is correct?

• (1) The process represented is respiration and the primary source of energy for the process is the Sun.

• (2) The process represented is photosynthesis and the primary source of energy for the process is the Sun.

• (3) This process converts energy in organic compounds into solar energy which is released into the atmosphere.

• (4) This process uses solar energy to convert oxygen into carbon dioxide.

Demonstration Steps

A student fills a dialysis membrane bag with a mixture of red dye, yellow dye, and water. He soaks the bag in pure water for 24 hours and then observes that the water outside the bag turns yellow. Which statement best explains the results of this experiment?

• (1) Water diffused into the membrane bag.• (2) The dialysis membrane actively transported

yellow dye molecules.• (3) Only red dye diffused through the membrane.• (4) The yellow dye molecules are smaller than the

red dye molecules.

Written SequenceIn order to produce the first white marigold flower, growers began with the lightest these plants produced seeds, which were planted, and only the offspring with very light yellow flowers were used to produce the next generation. Repeating this process over many years, growers finally produced a marigold flower that is considered the first white variety of its species.

This procedure is known as

(1) differentiation (3) gene insertion

(2) cloning (4) selective breeding

Sequence from a Table

SBS: Simple Activities• Write a procedure

• Write a description of each step

• Compare and contrast steps

• Describe how the changes occur at each step or stage

• Describe why the changes need to occur at each step or stage

• Organize out-of-order steps

• Defend sequence of steps

SBS: Higher Order Activities• Identify missing/incomplete information from a

specific step• Identify variables that:

– could change time between steps – could change or interfere with specific steps – can be counted or measured to express differences in

steps

• Identify steps that are before, after, or in between the diagrams given steps

• Expand or condense into a storyboard• Make a table of step names and observed

characteristics

Choices with StepsDichotomous Keys

Beaks of Finches

Reorganizing Information: Variations in Darwin’s Finches

Finch SpeciesHead Bill Structure Bill

PurposeFood Source

Vegetarian Biting Tips Crushing Mainly Plant

Large Tree Biting Tips Grasping Mainly Animal

Small Tree Biting Tips Grasping Mainly Animal

Woodpecker Biting Tips Probing Mainly Animal

Warbler Probing Probing 100% Animal

Cactus Edge Crushing Probing Mainly Plant

Sharp-billed Ground Edge Crushing Crushing Mainly Plant

Small Ground Edge Crushing Crushing Mainly Plant

Medium Ground Edge Crushing Crushing Mainly Plant

Large Ground Edge Crushing Crushing Mainly Plant

Keying Four Finches

Create a Dichotomous Key (using the DK Template) for the:

- 1. Warbler Finch

- 2. Woodpecker Finch

- 3. Vegetarian Finch

- 4. Large Ground Finch

Finch Dichotomous Key• 1a. Eats 100% animal food – Warbler• 1b. Eats animal & plant food – Go to 2

– (Wood, Vegetarian, Large Ground)

• 2a. Has edge crushing bill – Large Ground• 2b.Does not have edge crushing bill – Go to 3

– (Wood, Vegetarian)

• 3a. Has a probing beak – Wood• 3b. Does not have a probing beak - Vegetarian

Question

Can You Add a 5th Finch to Your Key?

Assignment• 1. Create a TEMPLATE(s) that students can

use to process information (such as Step-by-Step Diagrams). 8-10 copies to share

• 2. Bring several samples of student work that have utilized your template.

• 3. Re-Organize a piece of information from the Living Environment Part D. 8-10 copies.

Next Session

• Thursday 5/22/08

• FDA – 2nd Floor Library

• 8:15 -11:45am