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Using Tools of Inquiry to Explore
and Understand Environmental and Societal Issues |
 Disciplinary
Focus:
English/language arts, Social Studies, Art and
Science Curriculum
Grade Level:
Grades 6 - 8
This curriculum is intended for use in elementary
and secondary content area classrooms. It aims to
provide knowledge, skills, and strategies that
students can use throughout their lives to explore
and answers questions that are personally meaningful
and have the potential to inspire social action.
Specifically, students learn a process for posing,
refining, and answering questions they may have
about science, math, language arts, history, or art.
They acquire critical thinking skills, such as
analyzing, drawing inferences, and synthesizing.
Finally, they create and share a presentation that
applies and captures their learning.
In this unit, middle school students explore the
research processes and methods of scientific inquiry
that will enable them to:
- Generate research questions and issues about which
they care deeply;
- Identify and gather a variety of reliable sources
of information including bias free web sites,
newspapers, books, periodicals, primary sources,
interviews with elders and experts, and the like;
- Create a reflective, ongoing journal that
documents their search for information. This "Behind
the Scenes: The Making of My Research Project
Journal" provides teachers and students with a tool
for evaluating learning;
- Assess the reliability and efficacy (breadth and
depth) of their research information and gather
additional information if necessary;
- Use a numbered note card system for recording
relevant information from various sources;
- Evaluate and refine the research questions;
- Identify information gaps and/or inconsistencies
in the data and conduct additional research;
- Double check key facts (verification/fact
checking);
- Synthesize data and identify findings consistent
with the data;
- Include MLA citations;
- Create a "Works Cited" (bibliography or
references) page;
- Avoid plagiarism; and
- Plan and share their findings and conclusions for
the target audience.
Special Features:
* This curriculum is accompanied by a comprehensive
model curriculum, Using Tools of Scientific Inquiry
to Explore and Understand Environmental, Economic,
and Societal Issues of Energy Use, Grades 6-8, that
provides a step-by-step guide through a scientific
inquiry unit. This extensive model unit is ready to
implement in your classroom tomorrow! See #1.b.
below.
* Online technology such as "Citation Machine" or "MassAnswers"
is utilized to help students with double checking
key facts, citations, and the Works Cited page.
* The power of the student-selected question or
hypothesis is emphasized in this unit.
* Whether working alone or in an interdisciplinary
team, teachers using this curriculum will be able to
guide their students through a research process
based on student curiosity, grounded in state
standards, and formatted in Backward Design
(Understanding by Design) lesson plans.
*This research/inquiry curriculum unit has been
piloted in a grade 7 classroom. Notes from the
piloting teacher are included. These notes contain
quotes from actual student "Behind the Scenes"
journals at each stage, revealing the research
process through the eyes and words of grade 7
students. Reflections from the piloting teacher are
also included.
* Teaching students how to conduct valid research
independently empowers them to locate a variety of
reliable information, recognize and avoid bias,
synthesize data and share their findings with an
appropriate audience in a variety of formats
including: Power Point presentations, brochures,
tri-panel displays, public service announcements,
reports, letters to the editor, and the like. |
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What is ECHO?
ECHO is an educational and cultural enrichment initiative, annually serving thousands of children and adults in Alaska, Hawaii and Massachusetts. Established by Congress as part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, ECHO brings innovative programs collaboratively produced by the regional cultural institutions to culturally diverse audiences. Read
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