Instruction

Using Research to Gain Deeper Understanding

Print version of "Process Model": PDF • Word

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 websites 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 • Word.

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 • Word.

Top of Page