Frequently Asked Questions
Question:
How can students who struggle with writing or are absent have a complete record of what they observed during testing?
Answer:
Create a bulletin board that can display the results for each test for each mineral. After each test, gather as a class to share and discuss results and add general information to the bulletin board about the results. This can be a great resource for students who are absent or have difficulty recording their own information accurately. Remember, student observations need to be valued even if they don’t match up with the majority.
Question:
How can I make sure students keep track of their materials during the entire unit?
Answer:
At clean up time, go through the "Check your Science Pail" poster, asking students to check to make sure those material are in their pails. Assign one helpful student to check the pails when they are returned to the materials center at the end of each lesson.
Question:
What do I do when students want to identify the unknown solids at the beginning of the unit?
Answer:
Ask students to continually think about what the unknown solids might be and why, but avoid classroom discussion about it. Keep students focused on testing and collecting data because the more information they collect, the more sure they can be about their thinking when it is time to reach a conclusion. Focus discussion on what test results give them important or "stand out" information.
Question:
How do I get all the material ready to start the unit?
Answer:
Instead of having students stock their science pail, have a parent volunteer come in to color code and fill all the containers ahead of time. This will save a ton of time.
Question:
What do you do if the red cabbage indicator isn't working?
Answer:
Blend a half of a head of red cabbage with a 16 oz. bottle of water. Strain it and pour it back in the bottle. What you don't use, freeze and save for the next year.
Question:
What lessons are the most important to teach?
Answer:
All of them. This unit is set up to teach from beginning to end. Some lessons can be shorted and combined, but all must be included for children to go through the inquiry process.