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.

Planning an Inquiry-based lab

Yesterday, during one of my classes at Co-op, the kids made 'apple mummies'.  The experiment in the Young Explorer Human Anatomy textbook to make a mummy with a mixture of baking soda and salt with one apple, leaving a second as a control.  Fine.  But, this is an opportunity to take an experiment and adapt it for inquiry.  First, the Egyptians used natron, a fact I remembered back when I'd helped the school librarian sponsor an Egyptian camp.  We made orange mummies.  Natron is a mix of compounds and can be approximated with washing soda, baking soda, and salt.  I tossed in Epsom salts for our lab.  Since natron is a mixture, it would be logical to test a similar mixture.  But how would you determine if the individual compounds might also work?  Which combination?  See where I'm heading.

Here's what we did.  This class has five home-schoolers, aged 6-11.  Together, we determined the supplies.  I set the total mass of compounds at 60 grams.  On a blackboard, I drew cups, labeled the compounds by their names and assigned numbers: 1. washing soda, 2. Epsom salts, 3. Baking soda, and 4. table salt.  Cup 5 is the control.  Under this row, I drew another row of cups and walked the kids through  two different combinations of compounds: 1+2, 1+3, 1+4, 2+3, and 2+4.  In the third row, I drew another series of cups with three different mixtures: 1+2+3, 1+3+4, and 2+3+4.  After a minute to explain the mixtures, the kids dispersed to weigh, mark cups, locate the different chemicals, and trouble shoot.  We decided to weigh the apples and write their respective masses on individual cups.  This takes time.  We made sure everyone had a chance to weigh with a digital balance using the tare button.  After, the kids noted their predictions regarding which mixture would dry the apple most and copied the blackboard into their notes.  Next week, we'll look at the mummies and weigh the apple pieces.  Finally, we'll look at their predictions to see if the evidence supports or refutes their hypotheses.  Yes, this is a lot more work.  The result is a lot more science.  This apple mummy lab is similar and can be adapted to add more salts.

Notebooks

This fall, I'm teaching a class of elementary age children with Apologia's Young Explorer's Human Anatomy.  The series has companion notebooks for both younger and older elementary students.  So, I'm going to use both the Junior and regular notebooks with the class.  My emphasis is always to use 'hands-on' instruction; the book series suits me.  What's new for me is the integral focus on notebooks.  Don't get me wrong.  My kids have used notebooks for their classes.  I've never had a dedicated workbook I liked and which have some flexibility.  Apart from science camps or college courses,  I haven't taught mixed aged classes either.

Here's my plan.  First, I want to include book activities and photos of activities from class to make the notebook more of a scrapbook or lapbooks-ideal for portfolio submissions.  We'll add Montessorri album ideas, mini-books, and pockets.  Montessori Three Part Cards are useful to introduce nomenclature.  You can follow my adventure with notebooks and Young Explorers at my science blog.  Look for the Young Explorer headings.

How about a Co-op?

Many Home-school families turn to Co-ops for help.  These Co-ops vary.  In our area, parents club together to assign teaching duties; classes meet weekly.  The Priory nearby offers Latin classes.  At our church, three adults offer Biology, Accounting, and Spanish, one a retired teacher, one a retired financial controller, and a native speaker.  The Classical Cottage School at the Baptist church has several retired teachers who act as independent contractors, whom parents pay directly.  They offer a wide range of courses two days each week.

The Home-school families I work with asked me to teach science classes several years ago.  The families were a bit intimidated by the subject matter and materials needed.  The families asked me to help.  We meet on Wednesdays, three hours,  from September to May.

  How do you find a Co-op?  First, ask around to see if there's a home-school network.  Access the network to locate a Co-op.  None in your area?  Does the private school allow part-timers?  Does your pastor teach a Latin class?  What about retirees?  Ask!  Create your own!  See if your church can offer space.  Meet with a few like-minded home-schoolers to gauge need.  Network!  Ask about retirees!  Put a notice in the church bulletin.  Be brave!

Last week, sisters from a new convent came to our church yard sale to pick up furniture and household goods.  The sisters are from Mexico.  The Mother Superior spoke with me and mentioned her need for English lessons.  My friend, Suzy, just retired--she was an ESL teacher.  I spoke with her after Mass.  See?  Network!  Ask around!  You can do this!

Easy Ways To Add Technology

The local, public schools have a Chromebooks initiative.  Too often adding technology means watching a video or PowerPoint slideshow from a Smartboard or typing answers to questions and emailing them to the teacher.  Instead, the hunt should be for meaningful ways to inject a little technology-other than Khan Academy!  Why not create a blog yourself?  My home-school students make videos, posted them to YouTube, and linked them to their own blogs.  Check out A Half Eaten Muffin's blog. The kids were instructed to imagine they were addressing a home-schooler in Alaska or Montana, isolated, and in need of help.  For my kids, this is a means of assessment.  If you can teach a lesson, I think you probably understand it.  Their blogs became part of their digital portfolios.

This fall my kids are going to write and illustrate their own children's science books.  Fun, right?  You can, too!  Pick a topic germane to your lessons.  My kids are going to select an animal, any animal. Together, the kids and I will develop a rubric, a guide to determine just what constitutes a completed project.  We'll set a reasonable time-line to finish, say two weeks or so.  I'll ask the kids to scan their illustrations (or use images from Creative Commons-with citations!) and send me their books.  Once they're finished, we look for ways to publish.   These book creator tools look promising.

One more idea: create an app.    Start by learning to code at Code Academy or do an Hour of Code with Khan Academy.  Try an App Maker's templates to create an app.  Now, isn't this more meaningful than jousting watching an Internet video?  This time the kids will be watching YouTube for tips to improve their app!    Too ambitious?  My Bio kids are going to evaluate apps, such as Plant ID,  House Spiders (Spida in Da House), and Merlin, a bird ID app.  I may have the kids write reviews to evaluate these apps.  Now, isn't this practical?

Project Ideas: Backyard Habitat

I'm always looking for new ideas.  This year my Co-op class is meeting at church and a Head Start class meets in the Knights of Columbus building on the church campus.  I'd like the Co-op to do some outreach with the little ones.  I've done this successfully in the past.  My students assemble activities to teach young children.  It's a great way to assess understanding.  Right now, the church has a playground out back.  I think we can do better.  Why not create a backyard habitat?  Our church has a woods, stream, and over 50 acres.  We're going to start by polling the Co-op class to see what they'd like to do.  Easy ideas can include building bluebird boxes, a bat house, a raised bed with native plants or pollinator plants, a vertical pallet garden, a toad abode, bird feeders, and even a bird bath!  Want to learn more about creating a backyard habitat?  Below are loads of resources.  You could even get yours certified!


Backyard Habitat
How-to Guide Part 1
How-to Guide Part 2
How-to Guide Part 3
How-to Guide Part 4

Create a Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat
Schoolyard Habitat
Common Qualities for Excellent Schoolyard Habitats

What's Your Habitat? An Elementary Habitat Lesson
Who Can Live Here? High School Habitat Lesson

National Wildlife Federation Webinars

TI 84 with EasyLink

The easiest way to collect data is to use a TI 84 graphing calculator, an EasyLink, and a sensor.  Voila!  You're digital.  The TI 84 has EasyData preloaded.  This app enables the calculator to collect data.  Collecting data is a cinch.  If you connect the EasyLink to a sensor, such as the temperature probe, and connect the EasyLink to the calculator, the TI 84 will identify the sensor and display data on its screen.  Accessing this data is another matter.  The manual has details-too many for a novice.  If you collect data, it's stored in the Stat function.  Watch these!