Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquirystatic.nsta.org/pdfs/store/pb186xweb.pdf · NSTA is committed to publishing quality material that promotes the best in inquiry-based science

By Karen Rohrich Ansberryand Emily Morgan

Arlington, Virginia

Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry

Grades 3–6

Copyright © 2005 NSTA. All rights reserved. For more information, go to www.nsta.org/permissions.

Claire Reinburg, DirectorJudy Cusick, Senior EditorAndrew Cocke, Associate EditorBetty Smith, Associate Editor

ART AND DESIGN, Linda Olliver, DirectorLinda Olliver, Cover art and interior illustration

PRINTING AND PRODUCTION, Catherine Lorrain-Hale, DirectorNguyet Tran, Assistant Production ManagerJack Parker, Electronic Prepress Technician

NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

Gerald F. Wheeler, Executive DirectorDavid Beacom, Publisher

Copyright © 2005 by the National Science Teachers Association.All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.06 05 04 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataAnsberry, Karen Rohrich, 1966- Picture perfect science lessons : using children’s books to guide inquiry / by Karen Rohrich Ansberryand Emily Morgan. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-87355-243-1 (alk. paper) 1. Science—Study and teaching (Elementary) 2. Children’s books. I. Morgan, Emily R. (Emily Rachel),1973- II. Title. Q181.A66 2004 372.3’5044—dc22

2004018033

NSTA is committed to publishing quality material that promotes the best in inquiry-based science education.However, conditions of actual use may vary and the safety procedures and practices described in this book areintended to serve only as a guide. Additional precautionary measures may be required. NSTA and the authorsdo not warrant or represent that the procedures and practices in this book meet any safety code or standard offederal, state, or local regulations. NSTA and the authors disclaim any liability for personal injury or damageto property arising out of or relating to the use of this book including any of the recommendations,instructions, or materials contained therein.

Permission is granted in advance for reproduction for purposes of classroom or workshop instruction.To request permission for other uses, send specific requests to: NSTA Press, 1840 Wilson Boulevard,Arlington, Virginia 22201-3000. Web site: www.nsta.org


1 Why Read Picture Books in Science Class? ............................................................................... 1

2 Reading Aloud ................................................................................................................................... 9

3 Teaching Science Through Inquiry ........................................................................................... 17

4 BSCS 5E Instructional Model ..................................................................................................... 27

5 National Science Education Standards .................................................................................... 33

6 Earthlets ............................................................................................................................................ 37Dr. Xargle’s Book of Earthlets and Seven Blind Mice

7 Name That Shell! ............................................................................................................................ 53Seashells by the Seashore and A House for Hermit Crab

8 Rice Is Life ........................................................................................................................................ 69Rice Is Life and Rice

ContentsForeword ......................................................................................................................................... vii

Preface .............................................................................................................................................. ix

Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... xi

About the Authors ...................................................................................................................... xiii

About the Picture-Perfect Science Program ........................................................................ xiv

How to Find the Picture Books ................................................................................................ xv

Lessons by Grade ........................................................................................................................ xvi


NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONvi

9 What’s Poppin’? .............................................................................................................................. 91The Popcorn Book

10 Mystery Pellets .............................................................................................................................. 115Animal Lives: The Barn Owl and Butternut Hollow Pond

11 Close Encounters of the Symbiotic Kind.............................................................................. 133Weird Friends: Unlikely Allies in the Animal Kingdom

12 Turtle Hurdles ............................................................................................................................... 153Turtle Bay and Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out!

13 Oil Spill! .......................................................................................................................................... 169Prince William and Oil Spill!

14 Sheep in a Jeep .............................................................................................................................. 181Sheep in a Jeep

15 Sounds of Science......................................................................................................................... 205Sound and The Remarkable Farkle McBride

16 Chemical Change Café ............................................................................................................... 215Pancakes, Pancakes!

17 The Changing Moon ................................................................................................................... 235Rise the Moon; The Moon Book; and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me

18 Day and Night ............................................................................................................................... 251Somewhere in the World Right Now

19 Grand Canyon ............................................................................................................................... 265Erosion and Grand Canyon: A Trail Through Time

20 Brainstorms: From Idea to Invention .................................................................................... 279Imaginative Inventions and Girls Think of Everything

Glossary ........................................................................................................................................... 295

Index ................................................................................................................................................ 301


PICTURE-PERFECT SCIENCE LESSONS vii

Foreword

I had the good fortune to meet the au-thors of Picture-Perfect Science Lessons,Karen Rohrich Ansberry and EmilyMorgan, in the fall of 2003 at a work-shop I facilitated on inquiry-based

science. At that event, we had a lively discus-sion about the nature of science and how theteachers in attendance might impart their loveof science to elementary-age children. The au-thors then took me aside and told me of theirplans to write a book for teachers (and par-ents, too) using children’s literature to engagechildren in scientific inquiry. I have alwaysbelieved that children in the elementary gradeswould experience more science if elementaryteachers were provided better ways to integrateliteracy and science. So, of course, I was in-trigued.

As I reviewed this manuscript, I was re-minded of one of my favorite “picture books”as an adult—The Sense of Wonder by RachelCarson. In that book, Ms. Carson expressesher love of learning and how she helped heryoung nephew discover the wonders of nature.As she expressed,

I sincerely believe that for the child, andfor the parent seeking to guide him, it is nothalf so important to know as to feel. If factsare the seeds that later produce knowledgeand wisdom, then the emotions and the im-pressions of the senses are the fertile soil inwhich the seeds must grow. The years of earlychildhood are the time to prepare the soil.Once the emotions have been aroused—asense of the beautiful, the excitement of the

new and the unknown, a feeling of sympa-thy, pity, admiration or love—then we wishfor knowledge about the object of our emo-tional response. Once found, it has lastingmeaning. It is more important to pave theway for the child to want to know than toput him on a diet of facts he is not ready toassimilate. (Carson 1956)Rachel Carson used the natural environ-

ment to instill in her nephew the wonders ofnature and scientific inquiry, but I believe,along with the authors, that picture books canhave a similar emotional effect on children andinspire their wonder and their curiosity. Then,when teachers and parents couple scientificinquiry experiences with the content of thepicture books, science really comes to life forchildren. Picture-Perfect Science Lessons providesan ideal framework that encourages childrento read first; explore objects, organisms, andevents related to what they’ve read; discernrelationships, patterns, and explanations in theworld around them; and then read more togather more information which will lead tonew questions worth investigating.

In addition, Picture-Perfect Science Lessonsis the perfect antidote to leaving science be-hind in the elementary classroom. As elemen-tary teachers struggle to increase the basicliteracy of all students, they often cannot findthe time to include science in the curriculum,or they are discouraged from teaching sciencewhen literacy scores decline. Teachers needresources such as Picture-Perfect Science Lessonsto genuinely integrate science and literacy.


NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONviii

of study, but the BSCS 5E model by no meansimplies that teachers and students do not evalu-ate, or assess, student learning as the studentsprogress through the model. Ongoing assess-ment is an integral part of the philosophy ofthe BSCS 5Es and the authors appropriatelyweave formative assessment into each lesson.

Once you place your toe into the watersof this book, I guarantee that you will diveright in! Whether you are a teacher, a par-ent, or both, you will enjoy this inviting ap-proach to inquiry-based science. If you followthe methods outlined in Picture-Perfect Sci-ence Lessons, you and the children with whomyou interact will have no choice but to learnscience concepts through reading and scien-tific inquiry.

I don’t know about you, but I’m rathercurious about those sheep in a jeep. Enjoy!

Nancy M. LandesDirectorCenter for Professional DevelopmentBiological Sciences Curriculum Study

ReferenceCarson, R. 1956. The sense of wonder. Berkeley, CA:

The Nature Company. (Copyright renewed 1984by Roger Christie. Text copyright 1956 by RachelCarson.)

There is no doubt that inquiry-based scienceexperiences motivate children to learn.Through this book, teachers have the best ofboth worlds—they will have the resources tomotivate children to read and to “do science.”What could be better?

As one of the developers of the BSCS 5EInstructional Model, I was gratified to learnthat the authors intended to use the “5Es” tostructure their learning experiences for chil-dren and teachers. These authors, as with manyteachers across the country, had become ac-quainted with the 5Es and used the model ex-tensively to promote learning in their ownclassrooms; however, they did not know theorigin of the model until we had a conversa-tion about BSCS and the 5Es. This book helpsto set the record straight—the 5E InstructionalModel was indeed developed at BSCS in thelate 1980s in conjunction with an elementarycurriculum project and thus is appropriatelytitled “The BSCS 5E Instructional Model” inthis book. The authors’ iterative use of theBSCS 5Es is appropriate because the model ismeant to be fluid where one exploration leadsto a partial explanation that invites further ex-ploration before a child has a grasp of a com-plete scientific explanation for a phenomenon.As the authors mention, the final E—evaluate—is applied more formally at the end of a unit


PICTURE-PERFECT SCIENCE LESSONS ix

Preface

Aclass of fifth-grade studentslaughs as their teacher readsJeanne Willis’s Dr. Xargle’sBook of Earthlets. Students arelistening to the alien professor,

Dr. Xargle, teaching his pupils aboutEarthlets (human babies): “Earthlets are bornwithout fangs. At first, they drink only milk,through a hole in their faces called a mouth.When they finish the milk, they are pattedand squeezed so they won’t explode.” Thefifth grade class giggles at his outrageouslesson as Dr. Xargle continues to lecture. Stu-dents then begin sorting cards containingsome of the alien professor’s “observations”of Earthlets. The teacher asks her students,“Which of Dr. Xargle’s comments are trulyobservations?” Students review their cardsand realize that many of his comments arenot observations but rather hilariously in-correct inferences. They re-sort their cardsinto two groups: observations and inferences.This amusing picture book and word sort-ing activity guide students into a hands-oninquiry where they make observations aboutsealed mystery samples Dr. Xargle collectedfrom Earth. Eventually students develop in-ferences about what the mystery samplesmight be. Through this exciting lesson, stu-dents construct their own understandings ofthe difference between an observation andan inference, how scientists use observationsand inferences, and how to make good ob-servations and inferences.

What Is Picture-Perfect Science?This scenario describes how a children’s pic-ture book can help guide students through an

engaging, hands-on inquiry lesson. Picture-Per-fect Science Lessons contains 15 science lessonsfor students in grades three through six, withembedded reading comprehension strategiesto help them learn to read and read to learnwhile engaged in inquiry-based science. To helpyou teach according to the National ScienceEducation Standards, the lessons are writtenin an easy-to-follow format for teaching inquiry-based science: the Biological Sciences Curricu-lum Study 5E Instructional Model (Bybee 1997,used with permission from BSCS). This learn-ing cycle model allows students to constructtheir own understanding of scientific conceptsas they cycle through the following phases: En-gage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evalu-ate. Although Picture-Perfect Science Lessons isprimarily a book for teaching science, readingcomprehension strategies are embedded ineach lesson. These essential strategies can bemodeled throughout while keeping the focusof the lessons on science.

Use This Book Within Your ScienceCurriculumWe wrote Picture-Perfect Science Lessons tosupplement, not replace, an existing scienceprogram. Although each lesson stands aloneas a carefully planned learning cycle based onclearly defined science objectives, the lessonsare intended to be integrated into a more com-plete unit of instruction in which concepts canbe more fully developed. The lessons are notdesigned to be taught sequentially. We wantyou to use Picture-Perfect Science Lessons whereappropriate within your school’s current sci-ence curriculum to support, enrich, and ex-tend it. And we want you to adapt the lessons


NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONx

to fit your school’s curriculum, the needs ofyour students, and your own teaching style.

Special Features1. Ready-to-Use Lessons withAssessmentsEach lesson contains engagement activities,hands-on explorations, student pages, sugges-tions for student and teacher explanations,opportunities for elaboration, assessment sug-gestions, and annotated bibliographies of morebooks to read on the topic. Assessments rangefrom poster sessions with rubrics to teachercheckpoint labs to formal multiple choice andextended response quizzes.

2. Reading ComprehensionStrategiesReading comprehension strategies based on thebook Strategies that Work (Harvey and Goudvis2000) and specific activities to enhance com-prehension are embedded throughout the les-sons and clearly marked with an icon .Chapter 2 describes how to model these strat-egies while reading aloud to students.

3. Standards-Based ObjectivesAll lesson objectives were adapted from Na-tional Science Education Standards (NRC 1996)and are clearly identified at the beginning ofeach lesson. Because we wrote Picture-PerfectScience Lessons for students in grades threethough six, we used two grade ranges of the

Standards: K–4 and 5–8. Chapter 5 outlines theNational Science Education Standards forthose grade ranges and shows the correlationbetween the lessons and the Standards.

4. Science as InquiryAs we said, the lessons in Picture-Perfect Sci-ence Lessons are structured as guided inquiriesfollowing the 5E model. Guiding questions areembedded throughout each lesson and markedwith an icon ?. The questioning process is thecornerstone of good teaching. A teacher whoasks thoughtful questions arouses students’ cu-riosity, promotes critical thinking skills, cre-ates links between ideas, provides challenges,gets immediate feedback on student learning,and helps guide students through the inquiryprocess. Each lesson includes an “InquiryPlace,” a section at the end of the lesson thatsuggests ideas for developing open inquiries.Chapters 3 and 4 explore science as inquiryand the BSCS 5E instructional model.

ReferencesBybee, R. W. 1997. Achieving scientific literacy: From pur-

poses to practices. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Harvey, S., and A. Goudvis. 2000. Strategies that work:Teaching comprehension to enhance under-standing. York, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

National Research Council. 1996. National scienceeducation standards. Washington, DC: NationalAcademy Press.

Children’s Book CitedWillis, J. 2003. Dr. Xargle’s book of earthlets. London,

UK: Anderson Press Ltd.

Editors’ Note: Picture-Perfect Science Lessons builds upon the texts of 27 children’s picture booksto teach science. Some of these books feature animals that have been anthropomorphized—sheep crash a jeep, a hermit crab builds his house. While we recognize that many scientists andeducators believe that personification, teleology, animism, and anthropomorphism promotemisconceptions among young children, others believe that removing these elements wouldleave children’s literature severely under-populated. Further, backers of these techniques notonly see little harm in their use but also argue that they facilitate learning.

Because Picture-Perfect Science Lessons specifically and carefully supports scientific inquiry—”The Changing Moon” lesson, for instance, teaches students how to weed out misconceptionsby asking them to point out inaccurate depictions of the Moon—we, like our authors, feel thequestion remains open.


PICTURE-PERFECT SCIENCE LESSONS xi

e would like to give spe-cial thanks to science con-sultant Carol Collins forsharing her expertise inteaching inquiry-based

l To Nancy Landes at BSCS for helping usto better understand the 5Es and guidingus with her advice.

l To Diana Hunn and Katie Kinnucan-Welshfor their help with our research study.

l To Patricia Quill and her students at West-ern Row Elementary for piloting our les-sons in their classroom.

l To Krissy Hufnagel for sharing her exper-tise in teaching reading.

l To Jean Muetzel and Sil Bobinski, won-derful librarians at Western Row Elemen-tary, for going to the ends of the Earth tofind picture books for us.

l To Ray Bollhauer and John Odell for theirlegal and business advice.

l To Christopher Canyon for inspiring uswith his beautiful artwork and for encour-aging us with kind words.

l To Jeff Alt for advising us to keep calling,keep calling, keep calling …

l To Jenni Davis for the opportunities toshare Picture-Perfect Science with teachers.

l To Jodee Seibert with Heinemann Libraryfor supplying us with books to preview.

l To John R. Meyer at North Carolina StateUniversity Department of Entomologyand Don Koller and Mike Wright at Mi-

W

Acknowledgments

science, for giving us many wonderful oppor-tunities to share Picture-Perfect Science Lessonswith teachers, and for continuing to supportand encourage our efforts.

We would also like to express our grati-tude to language arts consultant Susan Living-ston for opening our eyes to the power ofmodeling reading strategies in the content ar-eas and for teaching us that every teacher is areading teacher.

We appreciate the care and attention todetail given to this project by Claire Reinburg,Betty Smith, and Linda Olliver at NSTA Press.And these thank you’s as well:l To the Ohio Department of Education for

funding our very first teacher workshop.

l To NSTA and Toyota Motor Corporationfor giving us a jump start with the ToyotaTapestry Grant in 2002.

l To all the wonderful teachers and stu-dents of Mason City Schools for tryingour lessons and giving us feedback forimprovement.

l To the administration of Mason CitySchools for supporting our efforts.


NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONxii

ami University of Ohio for having the“gall” to review our Close Encounters di-chotomous key.

l To Linda Sutphin for reviewing Close En-counters.

l To Chris Lucas for proofreading sectionsof the book.

l To Amy Bleimund for sharing Seven BlindMice with us.

l To Shirley Hudspeth and her class at Ma-son Intermediate School for trying out theturtle fortune-tellers.

l To Kim Rader and her class at Mason In-termediate School for their popcorn in-vestigations.

l To Julie Wellbaum for her “instrumentalhelp” with the Sounds of Science lesson.

l To Sheri Hill, John Hutton, Sandra Gross,and all the good people at the Blue Mana-tee Children’s Bookstore in Cincinnati forhelping us in our search for fabulous pic-ture books.

l To Michelle Gallite and Erica Poulton forhelp in “cleaning up” our Oil Spill! lesson.

l To Theresa Gould and the research staffat RiceTec for their advice on growing ricein the classroom.

l To our husbands, families, and friends fortheir moral support.

l And to our parents, who were our very firstteachers.

The contributions of the following review-ers are also gratefully acknowledged: Mariam JeanDreher, Nancy Landes, Christine Anne Royce,Carol Collins, Lisa Nyberg, and Chris Pappas.


PICTURE-PERFECT SCIENCE LESSONS xiii

About theAuthors

Karen Rohrich Ansberry is the el-ementary science curriculumleader and a former fifth- andsixth-grade science teacher atMason City Schools, in Mason,

Ohio. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biol-ogy from Xavier University and a Master ofArts in Teaching from Miami University. Karenlives in historic Lebanon, Ohio, with her hus-band, Kevin, and their two dogs and two cats.

Emily Morgan is an elementary sciencelab teacher at Mason City Schools in Mason,Ohio, and a former seventh-grade scienceteacher at Northridge Local Schools in Day-ton, Ohio. She has a Bachelor of Science inElementary Education from Wright StateUniversity and a Master of Science in Educa-tion from the University of Dayton. Emilylives in West Chester, Ohio, with her husband,Jeff, and their dog and cat.

Karen and Emily, along with language artsconsultant Susan Livingston, received a ToyotaTapestry grant for their Picture-Perfect Sciencegrant proposal in 2002.

They share a passion for science, nature,animals, travel, food, and children’s literature.They enjoy working together to facilitate Pic-ture-Perfect Science teacher workshops.

KAREN ROHRICH ANSBERRY, RIGHT, AND EMILY MOR-

GAN, DEVELOPED PICTURE-PERFECT SCIENCE LESSONS

BASED ON THEIR WORKSHOPS SUPPORTED BY A TOYOTA

TAPESTRY GRANT.


NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONxiv

About thePicture-PerfectScience Program

The Picture-Perfect Science pro-gram originated from EmilyMorgan’s and Karen Ansberry’sshared interest in usingchildren’s literature to make sci-

ementary language arts curriculum leader forthe Mason, Ohio, City Schools, in an effortto integrate literacy strategies into inquiry-based science lessons. They received grantsfrom the Ohio Department of Education(2001) and Toyota Tapestry (2002) in order totrain all third-grade through sixth-grade sci-ence teachers, and in 2003 also trained sev-enth- and eighth-grade science teachers withdistrict support. The program has been pre-sented both locally and nationally, includ-ing at the National Science TeachersAssociation national conventions in San Di-ego and Philadelphia.

For more information on Picture-PerfectScience teacher workshops, go to:www.pictureperfectscience.com

ence more engaging. In Emily‘s 2001 master’sthesis study involving 350 of her third-gradescience lab students at Western Row Elemen-tary, she found that students who used sci-ence trade books instead of the textbookscored significantly higher on district scienceperformance assessments than students whoused the textbook only. Convinced of thebenefits of using picture books to engage stu-dents in science inquiry and to increase sci-ence understanding, Karen and Emily begancollaborating with Susan Livingston, the el-


PICTURE-PERFECT SCIENCE LESSONS 37

CHAPTER

6

EarthletsDescriptionLearners develop understandings of the differences between observations and inferences byanalyzing Dr. Xargle’s comical, yet misguided, attempts to teach his students about humanbabies. Learners then make observations and inferences of “mystery samples” collected fromEarth by Dr. Xargle.

Suggested Grade Levels: 3–6

Content Standard A:Science as InquiryK–4: Employ simple equipment andtools to gather data and extendthe senses.

5–8: Develop de-scriptions, explana-tions, predictions,and models usingevidence.

Lesson Objectives Connecting to the Standards

Content Standard B:Physical ScienceK–4: Understand that objects have many observ-able properties, including size, weight, shape,color, temperature, and the ability to react withother substances. Thoseproperties can be measuredusing tools, such as rulers,balances, and thermometers.

Title SevenBlind Mice

Author Ed YoungIllustrator Ed YoungPublisher Penguin Putnam Books for Young

ReadersYear 2002Genre StorySummary Retells the fable of the blind men

discovering the different parts ofan elephant and arguing about itsappearance

Featured Picture Books

Title Earthlets as Explained by Professor XarglePublisher Dutton Children’s BooksYear 1988 (reprinted 1994 by Puffin)

Title Dr. Xargle’s Book of Earthlets

Author Jeanne WillisIllustrator Tony RossPublisher Andersen PressYear 2003Genre StorySummary Dr. Xargle, a green, five-eyed alien,

teaches a lesson about that mostmysterious of creatures: thehuman baby.

Or a U.S.edition of the

same book


NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION38

CHAPTER

6

Time NeededThis lesson will take several class periods. Suggested scheduling is as follows:Day 1: Engage with read aloud of Dr. Xargle’s Book of Earthlets, Explore with word sorts, and

Explain with observation versus inference and Inference Frayer Model

Day 2: Explore and Explain with mystery samples from Planet Earth

Day 3: Elaborate with Seven Blind Mice, Evaluate with Observation and InferencePractice

Day 4: Evaluate with review and Observation and Inference Quiz

Materialsl Black film canisters with lids (1 per student) to make mystery samples: Before the mystery

sample from Planet Earth activity, prepare one film canister for each student. Put in itemsthat make distinctive sounds, such as water, a paper clip, rice, a marble, or a penny. Makethe mystery samples in pairs so you can randomly distribute two of each kind: two canis-ters with rice in them, two with marbles in them, and so forth. (Make sure you put inequal amounts, such as 1 tsp. rice in each and one of the same-sized marble in each.)Number the canisters, and make a key so you can determine whether students havefound a matching sample.

l Magnets for testing magnetic properties

l Balances for measuring mass

Student Pagesl Earthlets Word Sort Cards

l Inference Frayer Model

l Mystery Sample from Planet Earth Data Sheet

l Observation and Inference Practice

l Observation and Inference Quiz



CHAPTER

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engageRead AloudIntroduce the author and illustrator of Dr.Xargle’s Book of Earthlets. If you are using theversion published under the title Earthlets asExplained by Professor Xargle, refer to the alienteacher as professor rather than doctor. All otherinformation in the book is the same.

Making InferencesShow students the cover of the book, and askthe following questions:? Who do you think Dr. Xargle is?

? What do you think Earthlets are?

Then read Dr. Xargle’s Book of Earthlets to theclass.

exploreAsk students the following questions after read-ing the book:

? Who is Dr. Xargle? (a teacher or professorfrom another planet)

? What are Earthlets? (human babies)

? What observations did Dr. Xargle makeabout human babies? (responses will vary)

? What is an observation? (information takenin directly through the senses)

Word SortsWord sorts help learners understand the rela-tionships among key concepts and help teachclassification.

Open Sort: Pass out the Earthlets WordSort Cards student page to each pair of stu-dents. Have them cut out the cards contain-ing several statements made by Dr. Xargleabout Earthlets. Then ask them to sort thecards any way they wish. At this point, it shouldbe an open sort, in which students group thecards into categories of their choice and then

create their own labels for each category. Asyou move from pair to pair, ask students toexplain how they categorized the cards. Thenask

? Do you notice any differences among thekinds of statements Dr. Xargle makes onthe cards?

? Which statements are truly observations:information Dr. Xargle got directlythrough his eyes or ears?

Closed Sort: Tell students that now youwant them to classify the cards into onlytwo groups: statements that are observationsand those that aren’t. Give them time tosort the cards.

Next, make a T-chart on the board. Don’tlabel it yet. Discuss the statements the studentshave identified as observations. As students giveanswers, write them on the left side of the T-chart if they are truly observations with thecorresponding (incorrect) inferences on theright. Then ask

? Does anyone know what the statementson the right-hand side of the T-chart arecalled? (inferences)

Next, label the T-chart with “Observations”on the left and “Inferences” on the right.

Sample T-Chart

Observations

Earthlets are patted andsqueezed.

The parent Earthlingmashes food.The parent Earthlingdries the Earthlets.Earthlets are sprinkledwith dust.

Inferences

Earthlets are patted andsqueezed so they won’texplode.Earthlets are fed throughthe mouth, nose, and ears.Earthlets are dried so theywon’t shrink.Earthlets are sprinkledwith dust so they won’tstick to things.



CHAPTER

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explainObservation versus InferenceDiscuss the differences between observationsand inferences using the following explanation:“Making an observation involves using one ormore of the senses to find out about objectsor events. Making an inference involves logicalreasoning—drawing a conclusion using priorknowledge to explain our observations. A prob-lem Dr. Xargle has is that he makes incorrectinferences to explain his observations. Dr.Xargle observes people patting their babies. Dr.Xargle infers that people pat babies so the ba-bies won’t explode.”

? Why do people really pat babies? How doyou know? (People pat babies so they willburp or to calm them. We know this fromour past experiences with babies.)

Use the following example to further il-lustrate the concept of inference:“Inferences are always based on observations.When you make an inference, you use yourobservations combined with your past experi-ences to draw a conclusion. Think about thisexample: You are walking on the grass bare-foot. It is a warm, sunny day. You reach theend of the grass and have a choice betweenwalking barefoot on blacktop or on a sidewalk.You notice heat waves rising from the black-top. You choose to walk on the sidewalk, be-cause you infer from the heat waves and yourprior knowledge about dark surfaces that theblacktop is too hot. This is an inference be-cause you did not directly observe the tem-perature of the blacktop by stepping on it, butyour observations, combined with past expe-rience, lead you to the conclusion that theblacktop is hotter than the sidewalk.

“Dr. Xargle, being from another planet,doesn’t have any past experiences with humanbabies. So, he makes inferences that are incor-rect. For example, Dr. Xargle makes an incor-

rect inference about the babies exploding ifthey are not patted. He does not base his in-ference on past experience with Earthlets (per-haps babies from his planet explode if not pat-ted!). Sometimes scientists have to reject theirfirst inferences when observations later dis-prove them. If Dr. Xargle went back to Earthto make more observations, he would be ableto revise his incorrect inferences.”

Lead students to more examples of infer-ences by asking the following questions:

? Your dog comes in from outside and youobserve its fur is wet. What inferencescould you make from your observation?(It is raining outside, your dog jumped ina creek, someone gave it a bath.)

? You walk into your backyard and you ob-serve feathers all over the ground. Whatinferences could you make from your ob-servation? (An animal caught a bird,someone had a pillow fight, birds werefighting.)

? A paleontologist observes a fossil of a fishin the desert. What inferences could shemake from her observation? (The desertwas covered with water at one time, some-one dropped the fossil there.)

explainInference Frayer Model

The Frayer Model is a tool used to help stu-dents develop their vocabularies. Students writea particular word in the middle of a box andproceed to list characteristics, examples,nonexamples, and a definition in other quad-rants of the box.

Give each student an Inference Frayer Modelstudent page. Explain that the Frayer Model is away to help them understand the meaning ofconcepts like inference. Have students formulatea definition for inference in their own words in



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the top left box of the Inference Frayer Modelstudent page. Then have students write somecharacteristics of inferences in the top right box.Have students work in pairs to come up withexamples and nonexamples from their own lives.Encourage them to use their previous experiencesas a basis for their inference examples. Refer backto the blacktop example and encourage them tothink of similar experiences from their lives. Fornonexamples, encourage students to think ofdirect observations they have made using theirsenses. Students can then present and explaintheir models to other groups. As they present toeach other, informally assess their understand-ing of the concept and clarify as necessary.

exploreMystery Samples from PlanetEarthTell students that they are scientists fromDr. Xargle’s planet and that he has askedfor their help in identifying certain samplesthat have been collected from Planet Earth.The problem is that students cannot look

Sample Frayer Model for “Inference”

Characteristicsl Uses your past

experiences

l Always based onobservations

Nonexamplesl I saw an umbrella

Examplesl I inferred that it

was raining outsidebecause peoplecame in carryingwet umbrellas

Inference

DefinitionConclusion you drawto explain yourobservations

directly at the samples to make observations.The samples must be kept sealed in smallblack containers because Dr. Xargle believesthey could contain radiation or harmful mi-croorganisms. Tell students that under nocircumstances can they open the contain-ers. Discuss the properties of the objectsthat they might be able to observe withoutlooking at them (sound, mass, and magneticproperties). Then pass out the MysterySample from Planet Earth Data Sheet andthe sealed mystery samples.

Procedure for Mystery Samplesfrom Planet Earth Activity1 Before the lesson, prepare one film canis-

ter for each student. Put in items that makedistinctive sounds, such as water, a paperclip, rice, a marble, or a penny. Make pairsof canisters so that you can randomly dis-tribute two of each kind: two canisters withrice in them, two with marbles in them,and so forth. Make sure you put equalamounts of materials in each pair of can-isters, such as 1 teaspoon rice in each, andone of the same-sized marble in each.Number the canisters and make a key soyou will know whether students have founda matching sample.

2 Students can calculate the mass of thesamples in their canisters by subtractingthe mass of an empty canister from themass of their full canisters.

3 Ask students to make observations of thesounds the samples make. Walk aroundand check their descriptions. Are theymaking observations or inferences? Theymay find it difficult to make an observa-tion of sound without inferring based onpast experience. Accept observations suchas “swishy,” but do not accept inferencessuch as “It is water” at this point. Studentsshould be using their senses to describe



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what they hear without making inferencesas to the identities of the samples.

4 Students can slide a magnet against theside of the film canister to observe whetherthe contents move with the magnet.

5 Have students make an inference about thecontents of their canisters. “I think themystery sample is ________________ be-cause______________________________.”

FINDING THE MASS OF A “MYSTERY SAMPLE”

explainAfter they have finished the Mystery Samplefrom Planet Earth student page, and beforethey open their containers, discuss how sci-entists use observations from their data tomake inferences. For example, biologists col-lect evidence from scat (animal droppings) tomake inferences about the diet and habits ofanimals they are studying. Forensic scientistsexamine evidence from crime scenes to inferwhat happened during a crime. Archaeologistsmake observations of artifacts to infer howpeople lived long ago. Paleontologists studyfossils to make inferences about ancient lifeforms. And very often, scientists have to makeinferences without ever knowing for sure ifthose inferences are correct.

Students will want to open their samplesto see if their inferences were correct, but don’tlet them yet. Instead, have them take turnsquickly sharing the unseen, but observable,properties of their objects, such asl “My object has a mass of 18 grams.”

l “My object makes a rattling sound.”

l “My object is magnetic.”

Then, have each student get up and sit nextto the person he or she thinks has the samesample based on the mass, sound, and mag-netic properties of the sample. Use the key tocheck whether or not each student located hisor her matching sample.

Have students explain what propertiestheir objects may have that can’t be observed,such as:l shape

l color

l temperature

l ability to react with other substances

Discuss the following: “Think about somethings in the world that cannot be directlyobserved using the senses. For example, atoms,which are the building blocks of all matter,are much too small to be seen, even with themost powerful microscopes. How, then, doscientists learn about the structure of atoms?Just about everything known about atoms hasbeen learned from indirect evidence. This evi-dence is gathered by studying how matter be-haves in all kinds of chemical reactions. Scien-tists have to make inferences about thestructure of atoms based on this indirect evi-dence rather than by directly observing them.These inferences help develop various modelsof atoms. Does anyone know for sure what anatom looks like? No. Just as you can’t be sureabout what is inside your containers.”

Let students open their containers now, ormake them wait until the next class period—orthe end of the year. Or, if you really want to makeyour point, never let your students open them!



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elaborateSeven Blind Mice

QuestioningIntroduce the author and illustrator of thebook, Seven Blind Mice. Show students thecover of the book.

? What do you think this book might beabout?

Then read the book aloud. Ask the followingquestions:

? What did the first mouse observe? (He feltthe elephant’s foot.)

? What did he infer from his observation?(He thought it was a pillar.)

? What did the seventh mouse do beforemaking an inference? (She ran from oneend of the elephant to the other and madeobservations of each part.)

? Why is it a good idea to make multipleobservations before making an inference?(When you base your inference on moreobservations, you are less likely to makean incorrect inference.)

? The mouse moral is, “Knowing in part maymake a fine tale, but wisdom comes fromseeing the whole.” How does this apply tomaking good observations and inferences?(Making only one observation may allowyou to make an inference, but it is not likelyto give you the big picture. Making mul-tiple observations is more likely to give youthe wisdom to draw an accurate conclu-sion about something.)

Making Connections: Text-to-Text? What advice could White Mouse give Dr.

Xargle about his study of Earthlets? (Dr.

Xargle should go back to Earth to makemore observations, reject his original ideasabout Earthlets, and make new inferences.)

evaluateObservation and InferencePracticeHave students practice making observationsand inferences using the Observation and In-ference Practice. Check for understanding byhaving students explain their thinking.

evaluateReview and Observation andInference QuizAfter reviewing the differences between obser-vations and inferences, have students completethe Observation and Inference Quiz. Answersare below:

1 Answers will vary, but should be based onwhat can be directly observed in the pic-ture. Responses may include the follow-ing: water or another liquid is drippingfrom the fish bowl, water or another liq-uid is on the floor, there is no fish in thebowl, the cat is “smiling.”

2 Answers will vary, but should be basedupon the observation in question number1. Responses may include the following:the cat put its head in the fishbowl, thecat ate the fish, the cat is happy.

3 b.

4 b.

5 d.

6 c.

7 Answers will vary, but should indicate anunderstanding of the difference betweenan observation and an inference.



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More Books to ReadKramer, S. 2001. Hidden worlds: Looking through a

scientist’s microscope. Boston, MA: HoughtonMifflin Co.Summary: This book for upper elementary stu-dents provides a wealth of information abouthow scientists study the world using powerfulelectron microscopes. The book features thework of microscopist Dennis Kunkel, who hasexamined and photographed objects rangingfrom a mosquito’s foot to a crystal of sugar tothe delicate hairs on a blade of grass. It describeshow he became interested in microscopes as aboy, how he prepares specimens for study, andhow different kinds of microscopes work. Thedescription of how he worked on Mount St.Helens in 1980 in order to study the effect ofvolcanic ash on algae is an exciting example ofhow scientists do their jobs.

Pallotta, J. 2002. The skull alphabet book. Watertown,MA: Charlesbridge Publishing.

Inquiry PlaceHave students investigate animal tracks in a natural area. A good time to do this iswhen the ground is wet or snow-covered. Students can place food in the area to attractanimals. A cast of a track can be made by encircling it with a dam made of a strip ofposter paper taped together at the ends, and then pouring plaster of paris into thetrack.

If a natural area is not available, you can construct a simulation by placing two ormore different kinds of animal footprints made of paper on the floor of the classroom.Arrange them in a pattern that suggests how the animals interacted. For example, placerabbit and fox footprints in a pattern that implies there was a chase. When students enterthe room, they can try to figure out what happened. As they work to solve the mystery,assess their ability to distinguish observations from inferences.? What observations can you make about the footprints?

? What inferences can you make from your observations?

Students can present their findings in a poster session.

Summary: A detailed painting of an animal’sskull represents each letter of the alphabet. Thename of the animal isn’t revealed, but visualtips to its identity are given in the backgroundand through clues in the text. Readers will en-joy using their observational skills and priorknowledge to make inferences about the iden-tity of the animals.

Selsam, M. E. 1998. Big tracks, little tracks: Followinganimal prints. New York, NY: HarperCollinsChildren’s Books.Summary: This picture book for lower elemen-tary students leads readers through the pro-cess of identifying animals and animal activi-ties by their tracks. Explaining that scientistsuse clues to investigate the natural world, thebook tells readers to make observations of aset of tracks, collect information about theanimals that left those tracks, and finally inferwhat happened based on information revealedby the tracks.



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EarthletsWord Sort Cards

Earthlets aresprinkled with dustso they won’t stickto things.

The parentEarthling dries theEarthlets.

Earthlets aresprinkled with dust.

Earthlets are fedthrough the mouth,nose, and ears.

Earthlets are driedso they won’tshrink.

The parentEarthling mashesfood.

Earthlets are pattedand squeezed.

Earthlets are pattedand squeezed sothey won’t explode.

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Frayer ModelInference

Name: _________________________

NonexamplesExamples

CharacteristicsDefinition

Inference



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fromPlanet EarthMystery Sample

I think the mystery sample is________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________because________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sample + Container = ______ gEmpty Container = ______ g

Sample = ______ gMass

SoundMake an observation of thesound your sample makes whenyou shake the container:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MagneticProperty

Use a magnet against the side ofthe container to determine if thesample is attracted to a magnet.______ YES ______ NO

Inference

Name: _________________________

Data Sheet

Mystery Sample From



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Observation InferenceThe man is sitting by The man is warm.a fireplace.

Observationand Inference

Look at thepicture. List in thechart below threeobservations andthree inferencesthat can be madefrom thoseobservations. Anexample of each isgiven for you.

Name: _________________________

Practice



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Look at the picture above. Write one observation about the picture.Then write one inference based upon that observation.

1 Observation: _____________________________________________________

2 Inference:________________________________________________________

3 Scientists must be able to tell the difference between observationsand inferences. Which of the following is an inference?

a The bird has blue feathers and a yellow beak that measures3 cm long.

b The rodent might be nocturnal, because it has large eyes andlong whiskers.

c The snake is wrapping its body around its prey.

d The leaf measures 12.4 cm long.

Name: _________________________

Observationand Inference Quiz



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Rainforest Journal 2/16/04

Today I found the body of anunusual frog. The frog might bepoisonous because it is verybrightly colored.

It has a mass of 22.4 grams.The frog is probably a treeclimber because it has large,round toe pads. I think the frogis a species of poison dart frogbecause of its size and color.

4 A scientist discovers the body of an unknown species of frog in therainforest of Brazil. She writes several statements in her journal aboutthe animal shown above. Which of the following is an observationabout the frog?

a The frog might be poisonous because it is very brightly colored.

b It has a mass of 22.4 grams.

c The frog is probably a tree climber because it has large, roundtoe pads.

d I think the frog is a species of poison dart frog because of its sizeand color.

Name: _________________________

Observationand Inference Quiz cont.



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Number of Number of Number ofmealworms mealworms mealworms

Trial under light in cardboard tube in water dish

1 12 37 1

2 6 44 0

3 7 43 0

5 A student placed 50 mealworms in the middle of an aquariumcontaining a light, a cardboard tube, and a water dish. He waited 5minutes and then recorded the data in the table above. Analyzethe data. Which of the following is the best inference that couldbe made from the data?

a One mealworm went to the water dish in Trial 1.

b 44 mealworms went to the cardboard tube in Trial 2.

c Mealworms seem to prefer light places.

d Mealworms seem to prefer dark places.

Name: _________________________

Observationand Inference Quiz cont.



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6 A scientist finds the skeleton of an animal that lived long ago. Heobserves that the animal had broad, flat teeth and feet with hooves.What is the best inference he could make from his observations?

a The animal lived in an area with few trees.

b The animal was a good swimmer.

c The animal was probably a plant eater.

d The animal was probably a meat eater.

7 Write about a time you made an incorrect inference. Whatobservations led to your incorrect inference? What observations madeyou realize your inference was incorrect? Use the back of this sheet ifyou need more space.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Quiz cont.Observationand Inference Quiz cont.

Name: _________________________


Documents

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