Crissy Harris-Dec. Blog Post-Inquiry

So, this year I decided to jump head first into more inquiry based lessons.  In the past I have been very hesitant about doing a lot of inquiry, because it can get messy, off task, and it can take a long time to complete.  However, with the help of Mrs. Blackwelder I have completed two inquiry based lessons.  The first lesson I chose to have the students complete was to design a landscape that would withstand weathering and erosion.  The students received a pie tin and had to use their knowledge of soils to choose which soil they wanted to use and then design a structure to prevent erosion.  We incorporated reading into this unit by having students read articles about how to prepare a build site.  As we read we pointed out some of the techniques that real builders use and discussed how we could use some of this in our own landscapes.  Students also had the added challenge of creating a landscape on a hill.  Once the students completed the reading, they were to take their knowledge a develop a plan.  This really showed how difficult it can be for third graders to collaborate!  They had a hard time agreeing on a plan and drawing it out so they would be able to follow it.  Once their plan was complete they received materials and began constructing their landscapes.  Several of them completely abandoned their original plans so they had to be reminded several times to stick to their plans and then make adjustments.

This first lesson was a learning experience for both myself and the students.  They really got into some great discussions about problem solving and through their discussions I was able to see they had a true understanding of erosion and soils.  I was also able to see them make real world connections to our science standards.  They had great questions that they were able to research and test out in the classroom.

The next step of the unit was to build a house on the landscape that would withstand earthquakes and flooding.  Once again we had some difficulty with the collaboration process, but all students are currently working to complete their projects.  I really enjoyed seeing the connections they made between reading the articles and their actual projects.  I felt they were more engaged in the close reading because they knew they needed the information for their projects.  This gave the reading more purpose.