| Information
and Resources
Once the class has determined the context (i.e., where
to conduct the watershed fieldwork) and the organizing and supporting
questions, the teacher should direct students to resources that provide
a deeper understanding of the topic. As students learn to keep records
of their research, teachers have an opportunity to introduce the basic
purpose and components of a bibliography. (See Using
the Library Media Center for Project Research in the Project
Action Guide.)
Fieldwork
(Investigations)
The students should also be making and recording observations that
will help them to answer their supporting and organizing questions.
For instance, the class may decide that they need to know what kinds
of plants and animals are living on their school grounds to determine
the health of their schoolyard. The students may go to the schoolyard
and count the number of different plants and animals they see living
nearby. Authentic data collection is an important skill that will allow
a student to experience genuine scientific procedures. (See Keeping
a Journal in the Project Action
Guide.)
As fieldwork
progresses, the students will begin to hypothesize answers to their
questions. Questioning is important not just in planning, but throughout
the learning process. As students enter the investigative stage of
the project, questions from the teacher and classmates may help students
see different routes to a solution and spur subsequent exploration
and new hypotheses. Such questions might take many forms:
- What
exactly are we doing?
- What
would happen if you changed this?
- What
would happen if we try the same thing over here?
When students are ready to propose explanations, questions help to clarify,
justify, and in some cases alter their thinking:
- Did
anything you discover surprise you?
- What
do you have to say about your classmate’s answer?
Teacher
Planning Activity
Performing
Research:
You will want to do your own research in preparation for the students’ search
for resources:
- Books,
magazines, audiovisual items, maps, and reference materials from
your media center
- Commercial
textbooks
- Booklets,
brochures, or maps published by state, national, and local
government agencies
- Materials
and speakers from museums and other related organizations
- Teaching
colleagues with discipline specialties or interests complementing
yours
- Age-appropriate
Web sites that focus on the issues raised in your organizing
questions
See Using
the Library Media Center for Project Research and Using
the World Wide Web for Project Research in
the Project
Action Guide.
Student
Activities
Documenting
Research:
Students may benefit from a formatted worksheet to keep track
of their resources. See the Student
Resource Chart handout (PDF; also available in a Word
file).
Recording
Data:
As your students begin gathering observations, they may find it
helpful to use a standard format for recording data collected.
See the Data Collection Sheet
handout (PDF;
also available in a Word file).
Next: Generating
and Analyzing Possible Solutions
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