This week I designed an earth science lesson where my students conducted a guided inquiry to learn more about earth materials. On day one my students worked in small groups and put the earth materials in a two liter bottle. Students shook the bottles up and then drew the observations of what they saw. Students discussed and wrote predictions as to what they thought the bottles would look like the next day. One day two students observed and drew what they saw in their science journals. Students then compared their drawings to the drawing from the previous day.
This lesson went very well with my first grade students. They were very engaged and excited about putting the earth materials in the bottle and shaking them up. My students worked together well and actively participated with one another throughout the lesson. My students were highly motivated during this lesson. Students could not wait to see their bottles when they came in the door the following day to see how the earth materials settled and if their predictions were correct. I heard students say things like, “Look, the water is clear” and “I can see the rocks”.
I was a little disappointed in the quality of my students work in their science journals. Some of my students had a difficult time actually drawing what they saw. I noticed that some students drew the earth materials all the way to the top of their bottles when they were actually only about one-fifth full. Some students also used colors in their drawings that were not there and some students did not label the earth materials in their bottles. More students labeled their drawing in day two because I discussed the importance of labeling their observations.
My students needed more prompting than I expected to predict what they thought would happen as the earth materials settled over night. Some students were not able to come up with any ideas as to what they thought might happen. I was surprised that one of my very bright students predicted that the rocks would be gone the next day. I thought that was interesting, and I would like to have a conversation with him now that he has observed that the rocks are still in the bottle. I learned that this student has a misconception that the rocks could disappear from soaking in water. As I plan more investigations and inquiries I will be sure to discuss this further and make sure that my students all of my students know that water will not make rocks disappear.
I learned more about earth materials in implementing this lesson with my students. I was unsure of the difference between a gravel pit and a quarry prior to planning this lesson. After discussing this with my father, Chuck Carson, who owns a trucking company and regularly hauls dirt, sand, gravel and stone, I learned that sand and gravel are dug out of a gravel pit. After the sand and gravel dug up it is sorted into large piles according its size so that it can be sold. Stone comes from a quarry, where it is broken into smaller pieces. Stone is blasted into smaller pieces so that it can be used for different purposes (personal communication, December 1, 2011) .
The goals of my lesson were met, but my students required more prompting than I expected. My students were able to come up with some predictions as to what they thought might happen as the earth materials settled. My students did not seem to know what it meant to predict or hypothesize. I had to give my students examples of what predictions could be to get them think on their own. My students were able to draw the bottles with the earth materials, but some students struggled with drawing them accurately.
My students loved creating the model. It was messy and students had to get their hands dirty. Our classroom was noisy and students had to work together, but every student participated and was actively engaged. Creating this model was an effective way to show my students how earth materials are found in the real world. Students were able to see how the sand settled to the bottom of the bottle. Students saw a mud or silt layer that was on top of the sand. They observed the rocks and gravel settling on the sand. Students saw the earth materials in the water settle to the bottom of the bottle. This was an especially effective way to teach my students with diverse needs because it was hands on and students were given the opportunity to work with each other. All of my students gained a deeper understanding of earth materials from participating in this lesson.
Overall, I was very pleased with this lesson. The excitement I saw in my students was priceless. They loved this lesson. This was a great opportunity to see where my students are working independently. I learned more about my students as scientists. I now know that my students need to practice making predictions and drawing their observations accurately. I plan to design future inquiries with my students to address these two areas.
