A Note on Inquiry based lab

Inquiry-based labs are different.  For one, they tend to be more open-ended.  Often the experiments in the home-school textbooks are more cook-book style.  Inquiry also involves more experimental design.  One lab I've done to help teach both inquiry and experimental design is this Accuracy and Precision lab.  After a brief discussion of the difference between accuracy and precision, I let the kids design the lab with meter sticks, solo cups, and sponges.  Before they start, the kids are instructed to do at least 30 trials; the statistics teacher had recommended 30 as a minimum for human trials.  Try it.  Loads of questions arise.  How will you replicate each trial?  What height?  Should the partners trade roles?  Should we wet the sponge?  Will that make the results more or less accurate?  Should we measure in centimeters or inches?  Centimeters or millimeters?  I have the kids calculate and report the mean, median, and mode.  Lastly, they write a brief explanation distinguishing between accuracy and precision.  Simple tools with loads of science.