Summer Workshop Plans

Summer Workshop Agenda

1. Overview 30 Minutes
   1. Introducing Inquiry & Logistics of Inquiry Strand
      1. Provide some background regarding the tension between inquiry and content (inquiry as both a scientific process -- ie, the "scientific method" -- and as a means to enrich content understanding) and an overview of our goals for the week. Refer to an overhead or a poster outlining the goals of the Content & Inquiry Strand.

      2. Explain that we will meet those goals through an inquiry in the garden. Describe the monocrop/intercrop system planted for use by teachers in the Summer Academy (draw or refer to a map of the garden layout). Briefly describe the mini-ecosystems that might be present in a garden environment. Explain that while the Academy teachers are utilizing the garden ecosystem for long-term studies, it is our intention to complete a short-term investigation this week. We intend to complete this inquiry as follows:
         • The first two days will be spent observing interactions in the garden and generating questions that might be investigated in a couple of hours.
         • You will generate an hypothesis regarding some observed interaction and design a way to test your hypothesis.
         • You will conduct your test and collect supporting data and/or observations.
         • You will use your observations to draw a conclusion and argue your conclusion before the rest of the group.

      3. Refer participants to the wall chart stating the unifying concept for the garden science: "Living and nonliving things in the garden interact with each other and are interdependent." Explain that all inquiry shall be conducted around that unifying concept. Spend a brief amount of time describing what is meant by "conceptual learning", explaining that it is an idea to which we shall constantly return throughout the year.

      4. Finally, explain how each day will be structured to meet the multiple goals we have for this strand:
         • Brief introduction
         • Garden-based activity or investigation (each day adding to the day before: observations; questions, hypothesis and test design; test & data collection; conclusion & presentation)
         • Share & discuss findings in garden-based activity (what did we learn?)
         • Debrief ways in which the garden-based activity presented science effectively (inquiry as process)
         • Connect learning with the unifying concept (inquiry as content)
         • Discussion of ways in which the science activity supports or develops language acquisition

   2. Setting the Stage:
      1. Describe the garden as a wonderful, controlled environment in which to conduct scientific investigations. All scientific investigations begin with questions. As adults, we often have enough experience with phenomena or objects to generate interesting questions. But this is not always the case; too often, we assume that our prior knowledge is sufficient when what we really need is more experience, a newer and more fresh experience, or a closer experience. We need to look at things more closely. And sometimes, it must be noted, our experiences (and so-called "explanations") are misleading or are based upon misconceptions. In short, our prior knowledge is not necessarily to be trusted.

      2. What is true for adults is especially true for children. How often have we begun a lesson or activity or investigation by asking the children to brainstorm their questions, only to be disappointed because they seem lost, confused, unsure or even disinterested? Perhaps the problem is not so much a lack of interest, but rather a lack of experience. There are a couple of ways to provide experiences from which children may generate questions -- one is through teacher directed questions (teacher invented, or those supplied by kits or instructional materials), the other through student generated questions.

      3. By far the most productive, in terms of learning science, are those generated and answered by students themselves. But students, as already mentioned, need an experience from which to generate their questions. Throughout the rest of this year, we shall explore and talk about ways to use existing instructional materials to generate kid questions. Today, we will begin with something even more direct -- observation.

      4. To see something in a new light, to look at it carefully is often enough to generate lots of questions. I am reminded of a workshop at the Exploratorium where they asked me to look carefully at a chunk of ice, record my observations, and begin to ask questions about what I saw. My first reaction was "duh" . . . . I thought I knew everything there was to know about ice cubes. Not true. As a person who has successfully taught children (and adults) to draw for 20 years -- the first trick is to get the student to look at the thing to be drawn. I mean REALLY look at it. It is amazing what the simple act of careful observation does in terms of "understanding".

2. Assigning & Conducting the Task 45 Minutes
   1. So that is our task today. We are going to go out to the garden and, using the eyes of an artist, the eyes of a scientist, we are going to make careful observations in the garden. We are going to look at the garden as a whole, we are going to look at a small group of plants (or small groups of plants), and ultimately we are going to look at individual plants in order to better understand what is happening.

   2. Distribute the Observing Garden Interactions directions (Figure 1) and journals. Summarize the directions and break them into groups of 3-4. Explain that the group needs to keep a single set of observations for the entire group (perhaps one person acts as group recorder), but each person will be responsible for summarizing the group's observations when we return to the classroom, so each person may wish to keep some kind of individual record as well. Emphasize the importance of drawing pictures of things observed -- pointing out the gridded pages in journal as an aide. Additionally, ask participants to keep a log of examples of the types of language they hear their peers using while in the garden.

   3. Distribute hand-lenses and journals, then go to the garden. Take a box of rulers, measuring tapes and magnetic compasses. Spend the remaining time in the garden, recording observations and drawing things of interest. Circulate among the groups, interacting in ways to encourage closer observation and attention to detail.

   4. Somewhere during the roughly one hour they have in the garden, it might be beneficial to model how to direct student observations (since students -- and even adults -- sometimes lose concentration in extended activities). Conduct a modified pair-share. Have two teams working in different parts of the garden meet to describe what they are looking at to each other. Hopefully, there will be differences and one group will provide hints or clues to the other group regarding things it perhaps overlooked (Note: Read the audience . . . . if such an interruption would be detrimental to their focus, then don't do it) Encourage the groups to question one another -- especially to clarify terms or vocabulary that is used (Note: Facilitators should listen to these conversations and keep track of the type of LANGUAGE that is being used for use later in the day.)

   5. Remain in the garden until break-time (those wishing to remain during the break may do so), instructing everyone to meet back in the classroom at the specified time.

3. Debriefing the Observations 30 Minutes
   1. Explain the debriefing procedure for the garden activity:
      1. Because it will take too long for each group to report everything it observed, we will form (4-5) new groups (depending upon size of audience) to report on how our observations are connected to the idea of interactions in the garden

      2. Each new Reporting Group will consist of at least one person from each of the original Observing Groups. In your Observing Group, you will number from 1-(4 or 5), and your number indicates which Reporting Group you belong to.

      3. When you meet in your Reporting Groups, each person will try to summarize the types of things its Observing Group recorded (using your own notes, or running back and referring to the group notes). As the report/discussion develops, keep track of contradictions, irregularities, and/or other things of interest that emerge, particularly as related to the unifying concept (interactions).

   2. Do the Debriefing Procedure (renumber and meet in number, and provide 20-30 minutes for members of the new groups to share and discuss.

4. Effective Science Instruction 25 Minutes
   1. Return to the original Observing Group. Distribute two pieces of chart paper and marking pens to each group while each group appoints a recorder. They should be asked to discuss the following two questions, recording the key comments on a separate chart for each of the following:
      • What made this activity effective in the terms of a science lesson?
      • What did you learn in this activity related to interactions within a system?

   2. Post all of the charts recording "effective elements" in one part of the room, and the charts describing "things learned" in a different part of the room.

5. Content Connections 30 Minutes
   1. Refer everyone back to the Unifying Concept chart (interactions)

   2. Think-Pair-Share:
      1. How are the things we learned, as reflected on these charts, connected to the Big Idea we are investigating? Provide time for brief reflection, then encourage pairs within sitting groups to discuss the question for about 10 minutes.

      2. Explain the "sharing" -- any team that wants to may share one thought they came up with that addresses the question. We will take turns until all thoughts have been shared. Facilitator must record their responses on a separate chart paper for later reference.

      3. Final comments connecting "things learned" (ie, content) to "observation" -- the point being that even a "process" is connected to content learning.

6. Language Applications 20 Minutes
   1. Return to the morning experiences with Language Acquisition & Development. Discuss and chart the following two questions:
      1. In what ways (how?) was the content (the science) made comprehensible & accessible for all students?

      2. What strategies were used to accomplish this goal?

   2. Academic Language Chart: Distribute blank copies of the Academic Language Chart. Use the double-entry journal kept earlier in the day (a record of language used in the garden) to complete this chart. For each type of inquiry process activity (observing today, questioning & designing tomorrow, conclusions Wednesday and reporting with evidence on Thursday), participants will provide examples of the types of language functions, patterns and structures used.

   3. Precise Description
      1. Find a partner and describe one garden observation drawing while the partner tries to draw it without looking. Compare drawings for accuracy of description.

      2. Change roles and repeat.

7. Closure 15 Minutes
   Do one of the following:
   1. Reflective Journal: Think of one lesson you have done in the past. How would you modify that lesson in order to utilize what you have learned today about observation and language strategies?

   2. Reflective Journal: Look at the unit you are going to teach at the beginning of next year. Predict or describe in which lesson(s) making observations might be used, and explain how they could be modified to support the larger idea of the unit. Describe language modifications you might make to support observational skills.

DAY 2: Questioning & Investigative Design

1. Setting the Stage 15 Minutes
   1. Reassemble in investigative teams from yesterday.

   2. Connect yesterday's experiences to today's activity
      • Inquiry is the way that we learn about science -- it is both a process, with steps, and a means to develop content understanding.
      • All inquiry begins with questions . . . . but questions must arise in a context of experience. Yesterday, we provided the context by having you LOOK at the garden. We had you write, talk, draw and share your observations. It was the looking (and the sharing) that provided the common experience from which we can now begin to generate investigable questions. It was that common experience that also initiated some concrete content understanding.
      • Meanwhile, some of you have already begun to generate questions. Today, we will formalize the question formation process (and at the same time generate questions that WE want to investigate).

   3. Provide 5-10 minutes to review their observations and any questions that they had begun to generate.

   4. Explain that today's task is to generate as many questions as possible and then, from the large list, select one question which could be investigated tomorrow (ie, no long-term investigations) -- for example: Which type of plant has the most leaf holes?

   5. Discuss the relationship between question, hypothesis and test design

2. Generating Questions (In the Garden) 30 Minutes
   1. Distribute handfuls of 3x5 index cards to each group. Explain that they will return to the garden for about 30 minutes. During that block of time, members of each team will pair up and walk through the garden with their partner (or otherwise use it as a resource) in order to generate questions related to interactions and interdependence. Partners may talk and interact in any way that they wish, but each person is to think of as many questions as possible related to possible interactions in the garden. Each question should be clearly written on a separate index cards. More cards are available, should a person use all that they have.

   2. Go to the garden and provide 20-30 minutes for partners to observe and record as many questions as they can. Take additional cards to the garden and give them to people who use all of theirs.

   3. Return to the classroom with the cards.

3. Tea Party 30 Minutes
   1. Each person still hangs on to their own cards, and is given an additional stack of blank cards (if they need them). Instruct them to look over their cards and pick out their 10-15 "best" questions.

   2. Describe the "Tea Party" (An exercise used to generate ideas and share work in a short period of time; an exercise in which the exchange of ideas and the use of language is critical.)
      • Each participant finds 2-3 other people (one at a time) with whom they have not talked. They share their top 10-15 questions with each other.
      • They also may make comments about, or discuss, the effectiveness of the questions (for example, two people engaged in the tea party may generate a new -- or a richer -- question from the questions they have or their interaction).
      • The blank cards can be used to write any questions that are shared that a person finds interesting.

   3. Do the Tea Party (about 15-20 minutes): Facilitators should circulate and record examples of language used during this exercise.

4. Developing Investigable Questions 60 Minutes
   1. Investigative Teams reassemble with all of their question cards.

   2. Direct them to go through their cards and sort or group them by those which they think could be investigated and those which they think do not lend themselves to investigation. Explain that as they sort, they should be thinking about the criteria they are using to determine whether or not a question can be investigated. They will be sharing their thinking to the rest of the groups in about 20 minutes.

   3. While they work, distribute half sheets of chart paper for them to list the criteria for all to see. Also, give each group two sentence strips, asking them to write one example of an investigable question on one and a question that they feel does not match their criteria on the other. Collect these and mount them as opposite pairs.

   4. Provide about 20 minutes for each group to share their criteria for investigable questions, using the posted pairs of examples to illustrate their thinking.

   5. Summarize key elements of investigable questions (if possible)

   6. Explain that in the afternoon, they will select a question which interests them from all those that we have been collecting and which they will investigate tomorrow. We therefore have two more criteria to add to the list (if not already mentioned) -- it must be a question around which data can be collected and it must be an investigation that can be completed in 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

   7. Distribute about 10 sentence strips to each group. Use the agreed upon criteria to select the ten "best" questions from their pile, and copy them each to separate sentence strips. Provide masking tape for them to post the sentence strips as they leave for break.

   BREAK

5. Debriefing Questioning 25 Minutes
   1. Meet in their Investigative Teams upon returning from break. Distribute two pieces of chart paper and marking pens to each group while each group appoints a recorder.

   2. Emphasize the importance of questioning in the process of learning. Ask them to discuss the following two questions in relation to the questioning activities done this morning, recording the key comments on a separate chart for each of the following:
      • What made this activity effective in the terms of a science lesson?
      • What did you learn in this activity related to interactions within a system?
   3. Post all of the charts recording "effective elements" in one part of the room, and the charts describing "things learned" in a different part of the room.

6. Content Connections 25 Minutes
   1. Refer everyone back to the Unifying Concept chart (interactions)

   2. Think-Pair-Share:
      • How are the things we learned, as reflected on these charts, connected to the Big Idea we are investigating? Provide time for brief reflection, then encourage pairs within sitting groups to discuss the question for about 10 minutes.
      • Explain the "sharing" -- any team that wants to may share one thought they came up with that addresses the question. We will take turns until all thoughts have been shared. Facilitator must record their responses on a separate chart paper for later reference.
      • Final comments connecting "things learned" (ie, content) to "questioning" -- the point being that even a "process" is connected to content learning.

7. Language Applications 25 Minutes
   1. Discuss and chart the following two questions:
      • In what ways (how?) was the content (the science) made comprehensible & accessible for all students?
      • What strategies were used to accomplish this goal?

   2. Academic Language Chart: Participants provide examples of the types of language functions, patterns and structures used during the question generating phase of the inquiry process. Use the second row on the Academic Language Chart begun yesterday.

   3. Questioning Syntax
      1. Select 3-4 questions written by participants at some point earlier in the day. Rewrite the questions on 3 x 5 index cards, one word per card. Color code each question (ie, write all words of the first question in purple, the second in orange, etc.)

      2. Distribute the cards randomly and ask participants to group themselves by sentence code. Once gathered together, direct participants to sequence the questions in an order that makes sense.

      3. When all sentences sequenced, direct each person in the first group to read their word, in the sequence they have ordered the words. Ask other groups if the question is clear and correct. Ask members of the group to resequence themselves to make a statement. Discuss changes. Repeat with remaining sentences.

   [Facilitator Note: During lunch, sort and post their questions by type]
   LUNCH

8. Selecting & Designing a Test 75 Minutes
   1. Point out their questions (sentence strips), which have been sorted and posted. Summarize each "type" of question, with a few examples of each type.

   2. Explain that their task, between now and break, is to select a question which interests them and design a plan for investigating it. They are not bound by any constraints of previous groupings -- at this point, we want them to focus on a question in which they are truly interested in finding an answer (or at least a question that closely approximates a true burning desire). There are a few constraints, however, and we would like for them to follow this procedure:
      • First, walk around and look the questions over, then settle in front of a question "type" or group that interests you. This should be done in 5-6 minutes. Don't worry immediately about the specific questions, though a specific question may be what draws you to that group.
      • Once people have settled in front of their question type, tell them to select one question (or a series of related questions) that they can investigate tomorrow. We would like people working in teams of 2 or 3 (not individually) -- if a team exceeds three, split yourselves up and find another question. Once they have formed teams of 2-3 around a single question, take the sentence strip back to a table and wait for everyone to finish.

   3. For the rest of this block of time (until break), please discuss ways in which you can investigate this question. This will probably involve moving back and forth between designing possible tests and predicting the results of those tests. We would like for you to try to keep track of the process you use, but focus mostly on trying to predict an answer to your question and something that you can design to test your prediction.

   4. Display Transparency "Test Design" (Figure 2). Explain that we would like for them to prepare a formal description of the test they plan to conduct, using this example as a model. Spend rest of time planning and preparing their report. Facilitators circulate and help them come unstuck (good questions are really helpful)

   BREAK

9. Lesson Planning 105 Minutes
   1. Meet in grade level groups. Explain how, during the past two days, they have learned or experienced a lot in regards to language acquisition/development and initial processes of science inquiry. For the rest of this day, apply your understanding of these ideas to actual planning of classroom activities.

   2. Direct them to get out the instructional materials they brought. Ask them to select a unit they plan to teach and to look at it for ways to modify the lessons that will make them accessible to all students and that will open them up to a more inquiry-based approach.

   3. When they have made some decisions (10 minutes?), direct members of each grade level group to share what they plan to do with the members of their group. When all have finished, ask them to determine how they want to group themselves to best use the remaining time for planning (in pairs? as a whole group? independently?)

   4. Near the end of this bloc of time (30 minutes before closure? . . . . check for appropriateness), have grade level groups reassemble and report their progress. If appropriate and if time remains, groups may wish to share with each other the direction their planning is moving.

DAY 3: Conducting the Investigation

1. Setting the Stage 15 Minutes
   1. Review the process so far (observe, question, select, hypothesize, design test). In the brief discussion, remind them that the hypothesis guides them as they collect evidence -- they should have a sense of what it is they are looking for in terms of their hypothesis.

   2. Meet in investigative teams. Review the question, hypothesis and test design. Make any adjustments or refinements based upon yesterday's discussion.

   3. Collect any materials needed and proceed to the garden.

2. Testing & Data Collection (in the garden) 75 Minutes
   0. Set up the test, collect any required data and record any pertinent observations. As they finish, clean-up any messes and return to the room

   1. Those who return to the room early may begin the next step.

3. Preparing a Science Report 45 Minutes
   0. Complete a write-up for the investigation -- members of each team can take responsibility for different parts of the "report", though all should work together to facilitate collaboration and consultation. Redisplay Figure 2 to guide the writing.

   1. As groups finish this portion of the activity, inform them that tomorrow they will be giving a report of their findings -- describing the investigation, data collected, conclusions, and evidence supporting those conclusions. They are to prepare a visual (poster, chart, model, etc.) to support the presentation. Emphasize the importance of presenting a solid line of evidence to support any conclusions reached.

   BREAK

4. Debriefing Testing, Effectiveness & Content 45 Minutes
   0. Distribute one copy of the Discussion Guide [Figure 3] to each person. Have them quietly look over the questions and record their responses to each one (5-10 Minutes)

   1. Stop the writing. Point out the White Boards in each corner of the room. Explain that each White Board corresponds to one of the questions on the Discussion Guide. Direct them to select the question about which they feel the strongest (or like the best) and meet at the corresponding White Board. Ask that there be no more than 7 people at a white board (ie, move to your second choice if it is full). (5 Minutes)

   2. Each group should select a recorder. Members share their answers and each is recorded.

   3. When all responses are recorded, agree by consensus on the 4-5 most important to share.

   4. Report "answers" to the Discussion Guide questions in the order they appear. Record their responses to the questions about Effective Strategies and Content.

   5. (if time permits & audience seems amenable) Journal write: Summarize what you have learned about interactions & interdependence in the garden.

5. Debriefing Language 25 Minutes
   0. Discuss and chart the following two questions:
      • In what ways (how?) was the content (the science) made comprehensible & accessible for all students?
      • What strategies were used to accomplish this goal?
   1. Academic Language Chart: Participants provide examples of the types of language functions, patterns and structures used during the test design and data collection phase of the inquiry process. Use the third row on the Academic Language Chart begun on Monday.

   2. Preparing a Science Report
      0. Distribute blank drawing or writing paper. Divide the paper into four corners. Number the corners 1-4. Draw the following sketches in the indicated corners, thinking in terms of the science report they designed and investigated:
         0. What did you see in the garden?
         1. What did you want to know about it?
         2. How did you find the answer?
         3. What did you learn?

      1. Turn to a partner to share your drawings.

DAY 4: Supporting Conclusions With Evidence

1. Setting the Stage 8:30
   0. Read Gots & Needs

   1. Announce changes to today's calendar

   2. Provide 10-15 minutes to conclude preparations and planning for their presentation

2. Sharing the Reports 8:55
   0. Ask for volunteers to begin the reporting process. Try to limit each report to about 10 minutes. MUST be done by 9:30, so probably will only have time for 2 (possibly 3). At the close of each report, encourage questions about the conclusions & findings. Does the evidence support their findings?

3. Observation Criteria 9:30
   1. Break into grade level groups

   2. Distribute Evidence for Effective Science handout. Explain that this is an unorganized effort to record the types of things they have been reporting on the charts about the effective elements of a science experience. This handout and the Language Acquistion Charts might be useful to them as they prepare for their first classroom visits, where they will have an opportunity to see teaching in the LASERS Summer Academy.

   3. What kinds of things do they think they will see? Use the handout and charts to discuss what types of things they would expect to see in the instruction, and to guide what they might look for.

   4. After talking a little, each person might wish to make a list of "Things to Look For". The list could be the same for all members of the grade level group, the same with a few variations, or completely different for each person.

4. Observations 10:00 10:45 BREAK

5. Debrief the Observations 11:00 12:15 LUNCH

6. Continue Reporting: Supporting Conclusions with Evidence 12:45

7. Debriefing the Conclusions 1:30
   1. They may finish the reporting before the 2:00 Break. If so, begin the embedded assessment and continue to the break, then finish playing upon return. (See next page)

   2. Embedded Assessment (model): "Celebrity"
      Celebrity is a timed, clue-giving game that pits pairs of participants against one another. The object of the game is to correctly guess as many facts as possible that are written ahead of time on small slips of paper. It is a great way to assess understanding, serves as a model for other applications, and will lend itself clearly to issues related to language acquisition. To prepare for the game:
      • Tear paper into small strips (approximately 1" x 2") so each person has ten pieces.
      • Each person writes a separate fact or true statement about something we have learned regarding interactions in the garden on each piece of paper. These statements should be SHORT -- single words would be preferred, but 3-4 words could be used if necessary.
      • Fold each piece of paper once in half, and place all in a container.
      • Participants pair up (with members of the same investigative team or not, doesn't matter) to play the game. Each pair is a "team". We will need a timer and a score-keeper.
      • Everyone sits with their partner and close together (preferably in a circle), so all can hear (if they choose to listen). The first team prepares to start the game.

      To play:

      1. Teams take turns drawing papers from the container and trying to give clues so that their partner can guess what is written on the paper. The goal is to guess as many of the words as possible in one minute.
      2. The first member of the team draws a slip of paper from the container. That person has one minute to try to get their partner to correctly identify the word(s) written on the paper.
      3. Any and all clues are acceptable, with three exceptions: (1) the word(s) written on the paper cannot appear in the clue; (2) clues cannot be about spellings (e.g. "starts with the letter ..."); and (3) clues cannot be "sounds like" or "rhymes with" type clues.
      4. When the player guesses the word(s) correctly, discard the slip and the team scores a point. Once the word is guessed correctly, the guessing partner then reaches into the box and quickly draws out another slip of paper, giving clues this time as their partner becomes the guesser. Each partnership alternates giving clues and guessing until the minute is up.
      5. Slips of paper cannot be put back into the container, and teams cannot "pass" -- even the most difficult words must be played out until the minute is over. It is therefore conceivable that a team will score no points on a round, unable to correctly guess the first slip of paper.
      6. If time expires before the animal is correctly guessed, place the slip back in the container and it is the next team's turn. Because slips are returned to the pot, word(s) often are drawn more than one time. It pays to listen!
      7. Continue, with each team taking a turn, until all the papers have been guessed.
      8. Winning team is the team with the most points.

   3. Play enough of the game to get a feel for how it would play out.

   4. Create new teams by combining two pairs of partners (four per group). In these new groups, discuss the activity (questions posted on chart paper):
      • How well does this activity address the issue of "conclusions" and "closure"?
      • What have you learned about interactions & interdependence in the garden?
      • Would this type of activity serve as an assessment of student understanding?

   5. Report out responses from the various groups.
   2:30 BREAK

8. Language Closure 2:45
   1. Discuss and chart the following two questions:
      • In what ways (how?) was the content (the science) made comprehensible & accessible for all students?
      • What strategies were used to accomplish this goal?

   2. Academic Language Chart: Participants provide examples of the types of language functions, patterns and structures used during the reporting & supporting with evidence phase of the inquiry process. Use the last row on the Academic Language Chart begun on Monday.

   3. Supporting Conclusions with Evidence
      1. Summarize functions and forms of language used in the previous parts of the investigation. Discuss the language of "closure" or "supporting conclusions with evidence". Use sticky dots to identify which types of strategies (from the "Effective Science" posters) match the elements of language development & acquisition with which we have worked.

      2. Generate a list of strategies from the dotted charts for supporting student language acquisition. Where do we go from here?

9. Comments & Cautions regarding Inquiry
   Share few cautions based upon our experience:
   1. The investigation that we did was clearly not completed. We tried to bring some type of closure to what we were doing by connecting back to the big idea, but (in most cases), each question could be explored in greater depth OR new questions have emerged that could be investigated.

   2. Inquiry is NOT the only way to teach science. Inquiry is NOT the LASERS method of teaching science. Elements of inquiry might be included in various lessons that you do with your students (and we will be addressing that issue through the course of the year), and one or two full-blown inquiries might be tried. But we do NOT expect you to return to your classrooms and do this type of hands-on science every day.

   3. This particular investigation was a professional development technique -- designed to help you explore your own content knowledge as well as to explore issues related to the teaching of science. We were able to complete it in a relatively short period of time because ach of us, as adults, brought a tremendous amount of prior knowledge to this investigation. We do NOT recommend that you try to replicate this investigation with your students. If you insist (and how can we stop you?), then we caution you to do so with very DIFFERENT expectations about what you will get from your students.

   4. Content: All week long we have asked you to tell us what you have learned from this experience. We have been trying to get at the issue of "content". All week long, you have essentially resisted. This is NOT a value judgement, it just is (give the example of the symbiotic relationships and how many questions I had to ask in order to get to the actual science of the general statement -- pH and nitrates). This is VERY COMMON -- probably more so amongst your students than amongst adults.

10. Debriefing Science & Language 3:00
    1. Remain in the same groups of four.

    2. Prompt: Make a poster which illustrates the story of effective science instruction and be prepared to share it with your colleagues in about 20 minutes. As groups work, circulate and comment on their progress. As necessary, remind them of the elements of language acquisition and language development that have been an integral part of their experience.

    3. Share the posters. Post them where administrators will see them tomorrow.

Observing Garden Interactions

As you reflect upon this investigation (especially on the final steps -- test design, data collection and report preparation), record your thoughts about the following questions:

1) What elements -- or things that you remember doing -- contributed to make this an effective learning experience?

2) What have you learned, or seen in a new light, regarding the teaching of science?

3) How was this approach to learning about interactions and interdependence different from other ways that the same concept might have been taught?

4) What have you learned about interactions and interdependence, or how has your scientific understanding of those concepts been refined?

• Observation
• Encouraged to draw/observe
• Free Choice
• We liked having a choice of tools/activities/place
• Were allowed to follow own interest
• Things came about naturally
• We hypothesized and came up with lots of creative questions
• Choosing your own question
• Striving for clarity in the questions
• Experiential basis for the questions
• We discussed methods and procedures/experiments to find out answers to our questions
• Exposure to other's thoughts/ideas through their questions
• Interaction - student to student
• Sharing observations and interacting with other people and groups
• We help clarify for each other
• Larry likes working next to Joyce (I'll tell Gary)
• Collaborative effort/lowered anxiety
• Discussing the results with my partner and the extension
• Getting group consensus
• Shared knowledge within group and with other groups -- inside classroom and in garden
• Eavesdropping was encouraged
• Allowed to switch focus
• Free exploration - tools (fun toys)
• Tools available
• Needed tools available
• We had garden and materials to help observation (raised interest)
• Tools gave us a sense of direction
• Utilized many senses
• It was real
• Physically gathering the data: getting dirty, gathering snails, finding bugs, eating worms, etc.
• We enjoyed being outside learning with real soil, plants and insects (not just a book)
• Not removed from studying the garden by remaining in the classroom -- studied in garden.
• Recording data/held accountable
• Negotiating the purpose of the test
• Sense of a purpose
• High motivation to learn more
• Ample time
• Allowing sufficient time for careful observation
• Plenty of time and opportunities for students to observe, ask questions, record, chat, etc.
• Relaxed atmosphere, adequate time and space, freedom to take task according to ability and availability of resources
• Fun and low stress
• We had fun, fun, fun!
• Prior knowledge
• Sitting outside and questioning life
• Directions were clear
• Had guidance/structure (basic) followed morning directed activity
• Effective because the students are given a list of possible items to focus observational skills
• Having a wonderful facility!