Seventh Graders in Life & Environmental Science class, performed an activity to construct scientific explanations and organize data. Students asked themselves if tested the school’s water reservoir had the adequate conditions to sustain life; to answer their investigative question, they measured alkalinity, pH, number of nitrates, number of phosphates and amount of dissolved oxygen. Based on their results they were able to determine which variables needed to be modified and proposed some ways to improve the quality of the ecosystem. Students used their findings to construct a scientific explanation of the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms, and to organize information and ideas through graph organizers depending on the information collected and the message they wanted to communicate.
With this activity, students also practice the following science skills: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solution. Additionally they worked cooperatively and had a lot of fun taking the samples and conducting the experiment, and in the end, they were able to gain a bit more knowledge and belonging about their school.
In the Sixth Grade Environmental and Life Sciences class, students conducted an activity to construct scientific explanations and organize collected data. The students wondered if the school's reservoir had adequate conditions to support life; to answer their research question, they measured the alkalinity, pH, amount of nitrates, amount of phosphates, and amount of dissolved oxygen. Based on their results they were able to determine which variables needed to be changed and proposed some ways to improve the quality of the ecosystem. Students used their findings to construct a scientific explanation of the role of photosynthesis in the cycle of matter and the flow of energy to and from organisms, and to organize information and ideas through graphic organizers according to the information gathered and the message they wanted to communicate.
With this activity, students also practiced the following scientific skills: planning and conducting investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, constructing explanations, and designing solutions. In addition, they worked cooperatively and had a lot of fun taking the samples and conducting the experiment. In the end, they were able to gain a little more knowledge and ownership of the school.
Daniela Guerra Science Teacher