Science – Inquiry Teaching https://www.inquiry-teaching.com Lesson Plans for Inquiry Based Teaching Wed, 17 Jul 2024 13:07:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-inquiry-home-v2-1-32x32.jpg Science – Inquiry Teaching https://www.inquiry-teaching.com 32 32 The Flowers of Guatemala https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/lesson/the-flowers-of-guatemala/ Thu, 31 Aug 2017 03:50:32 +0000 http://www.inquiry-teaching.com/?post_type=product&p=330 Life's Rich Pageant" album to  teach students about making deductive inferences and the limitations of using the Scientific Method with the Social Sciences. Instead of deduction which uses only logic to explain an outcome when all other possibilities have been examined, social scientists must use deductive inference which is a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning alone. Much of our study of history is based on inferences with incomplete facts.  Even our understanding of recent history can be made more clear in the future as more information is revealed or discovered through diaries, additional eye witness accounts, and other records. This lesson includes complete procedures and directions and generally runs for an entire class period. Follow up this lesson with our role play and writing assignment lesson "Atlantis."
  • Subject Areas: History, Humanities
  • Materials Required: Soap, water, small clear dish, whiteboard or display, song "The Flowers of Guatemala," and its lyrics.
  • Time Needed: 30 - 40 minutes
]]> This lesson uses the song and lyrics from R.E.M.’s “The Flowers of Guatemala” from their Life’s Rich Pageant” album to  teach students about making deductive inferences and the limitations of using the Scientific Method with the Social Sciences.

Deduction uses only logic to explain an outcome when all other possibilities have been examined. Instead of this, social scientists must use deductive inference which is a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning alone. Much of our study of history is based on inferences with incomplete facts.  Even our understanding of recent history can be made more clear in the future as more information is revealed or discovered through diaries, additional eye witness accounts, and other records.

This lesson includes complete procedures and directions and generally runs for an entire class period.

Follow up this lesson with our role play and writing assignment lesson “Atlantis.”

  • Subject Areas: History, Humanities
  • Materials Required: Soap, water, small clear dish, whiteboard or display, song “The Flowers of Guatemala,” and its lyrics.
  • Time Needed: 30 – 40 minutes
]]> Teaching Guide for Open Ended Discussions https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/lesson/teaching-guide-for-open-ended-discussions/ Thu, 31 Aug 2017 03:44:24 +0000 http://www.inquiry-teaching.com/?post_type=product&p=327 successful open ended discussion takes planning. This free teaching guide will provide you with direction and guidance on how to use this teaching strategy to motivate and stir interest in for any topic in your classes.  Open ended discussions are a great way to start a new unit, too, as a means of learning what background knowledge your students may already possess on a given topic. A few sample lesson ideas are included in this guide in addition to details about how to create your own.
  • Subject Area: Any
  • Materials Required: Whiteboard or display
  • Time Needed: Can be an entire class period or only an introduction item.
 ]]> Most teachers are well versed in handling directed discussions where students are asked questions and guided to a particular conclusion.  Open ended discussions where there might be no single “right” answer are a very different kind of discussion, and much harder to do well.

Creating a successful open ended discussion takes planning. This free teaching guide will provide you with direction and guidance on how to use this teaching strategy to motivate and stir interest in for any topic in your classes.  Open ended discussions are a great way to start a new unit, too, as a means of learning what background knowledge your students may already possess on a given topic.

A few sample lesson ideas are included in this guide in addition to details about how to create your own.

  • Subject Area: Any
  • Materials Required: Whiteboard or display
  • Time Needed: Can be an entire class period or only an introduction item.

 

]]> Teaching Guide for Using the Concept Attainment Strategy https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/lesson/teaching-guide-for-concept-attainment-strategy/ Wed, 23 Aug 2017 20:28:12 +0000 http://www.inquiry-teaching.com/?post_type=product&p=278
How many times do we teach a lesson which hinges on the understanding of what adults consider basic concepts only to discover too late that our students have not grasped this "basic" item? Concepts are often difficult for middle and high school students to grasp. Cognitively, students this age just have not always developed the ability to think conceptively without help. Studies show that the true skill of thinking and articulating concepts doesn't develop in most humans until age 16 to 18. This free teaching guide includes a description of this teaching strategy, a couple of sample lessons, and a planning form for you to use with your own lesson development.
  • Subject Area: Any
  • Materials Required: Whiteboard or display
  • Time Needed: Typically an entire class period, or less.
]]>

How many times do we teach a lesson which hinges on the understanding of what adults consider basic concepts only to discover too late that our students have not grasped this “basic” item?

Concepts are often difficult for middle and high school students to grasp. Cognitively, students this age just have not always developed the ability to think conceptively without help. Studies show that the true skill of thinking and articulating concepts doesn’t develop in most humans until age 16 to 18.

This free teaching guide includes a description of this teaching strategy, a couple of sample lessons, and a planning form for you to use with your own lesson development.

  • Subject Area: Any
  • Materials Required: Whiteboard or display
  • Time Needed: Typically an entire class period, or less.
]]> Who Killed Caesar? Murder Mystery Party https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/lesson/who-killed-caesar-murder-mystery-party/ Sun, 20 Aug 2017 04:08:35 +0000 http://www.inquiry-teaching.com/?post_type=product&p=33
Why a murder mystery you might ask? The teaching team that developed this unit had a Science partner with background in advertising.   He suggested that they do a project involving parents that would get families to talk about all of our lessons and what was being taught at school.    This murder mystery party, and the lessons associated with it, is the results of that effort. The objectives of the unit are simple; provide students with a vehicle for learning about Roman history, modern criminology and forensics, while also improving their writing skills. As an added bonus, you get parent involvement, and hopefully some great Italian leftovers. If you are worried that the evening won’t go as planned, just remember -- it is supposed to be a mystery!   "Wow! What a mystery we have here! Isn't this great?"  This party has been used over and over again with great success. This culminating activity includes:
  • Social Studies lessons for teaching about the Romans.  (This includes our Connecting Past to Present - The Fall of Rome lesson plan, our Caesar's Dilemma, and also The Roman Times lesson plan!)
  • Science lessons on fingerprinting and other resources.
  • English/Language Arts lessons on using "show not tell" language. Includes our Monster Drawing lesson.
  • A complete guide to running a murder mystery party where parents are the suspects and characters involved in the mystery of who killed Caesar during an Italian themed potluck dinner.
There are handouts, complete instructions, scripts and invitations for the party, and more.
  • Subject Areas: Social Sciences, Science, Humanities, Language Arts, Math
  • Materials Required: All handouts and necessary lesson plans are included.  A shopping list of props and party items is included.
  • Time Needed: This is an entire multidisciplinary unit and will require multiple class periods to complete.  The murder mystery is normally a two hour party.
 
]]> Why a murder mystery you might ask?

The teaching team that developed this unit had a Science partner with background in advertising.   He suggested that they do a project involving parents that would get families to talk about all of our lessons and what was being taught at school.    This murder mystery party, and the lessons associated with it, is the results of that effort.

The objectives of the unit are simple; provide students with a vehicle for learning about Roman history, modern criminology and forensics, while also improving their writing skills. As an added bonus, you get parent involvement, and hopefully some great Italian leftovers.

If you are worried that the evening won’t go as planned, just remember — it is supposed to be a mystery!   “Wow! What a mystery we have here! Isn’t this great?”  This party has been used over and over again with great success.

This culminating activity includes:

  • Social Studies lessons for teaching about the Romans.  (This includes our Connecting Past to Present – The Fall of Rome lesson plan, our Caesar’s Dilemma, and also The Roman Times lesson plan!)
  • Science lessons on fingerprinting and other resources.
  • English/Language Arts lessons on using “show not tell” language.  Includes our Monster Drawing lesson.
  • A complete guide to running a murder mystery party where parents are the suspects and characters involved in the mystery of who killed Caesar during an Italian themed potluck dinner.

There are handouts, complete instructions, scripts and invitations for the party, and more.

  • Subject Areas: Social Sciences, Science, Humanities, Language Arts, Math
  • Materials Required: All handouts and necessary lesson plans are included.  A shopping list of props and party items is included.
  • Time Needed: This is an entire multidisciplinary unit and will require multiple class periods to complete.  The murder mystery is normally a two hour party.

 

]]> Teaching Guide for Cognitive Moral Dilemmas https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/lesson/cognitive-moral-dilemmas/ Sun, 13 Aug 2017 23:56:57 +0000 http://www.inquiry-teaching.com/?post_type=product&p=45 FREE!  This handout explains the cognitive moral dilemma teaching format in greater detail and should be downloaded and read with any purchase of our other dilemma lessons. Morality plays a part of everyday life, and yet teachers struggle with how to not inculcate their own moral code upon their students. This teaching strategy will give students the ability to consider all points of view, and articulate their moral choices with one another. The teaching of cognitive moral dilemmas will provide teachers with the structure needed to allow students to debate and view alternative viewpoints. This teaching guide provides a detailed description of Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory and definition of cognitive moral development, detailed instructions for using this lesson format, and a guide for constructing your own.  It also has a sample moral dilemma you may wish to use with your classes, too.
  • Subject Areas: Social Sciences, Sciences, Humanities, Government
  • Materials Required: Whiteboard or display
  • Time Needed: Typically an entire class period
]]> FREE!  This handout explains the cognitive moral dilemma teaching format in greater detail and should be downloaded and read with any purchase of our other dilemma lessons.

Morality plays a part of everyday life, and yet teachers struggle with how to not inculcate their own moral code upon their students. This teaching strategy will give students the ability to consider all points of view, and articulate their moral choices with one another.

The teaching of cognitive moral dilemmas will provide teachers with the structure needed to allow students to debate and view alternative viewpoints.

This teaching guide provides a detailed description of Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory and definition of cognitive moral development, detailed instructions for using this lesson format, and a guide for constructing your own.  It also has a sample moral dilemma you may wish to use with your classes, too.

  • Subject Areas: Social Sciences, Sciences, Humanities, Government
  • Materials Required: Whiteboard or display
  • Time Needed: Typically an entire class period
]]>