Science Inquiry Project

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Science Inquiry Project

Corrine Dumas & Kayla Propst
University of South Florida
23 April 2015

Over the past sixteen weeks we have been conducting a long-term investigation (LTI) on
the life cycle of a mealworm. This project has taught us both the following: how animals are
useful in the classroom, the purpose of science notebooks, how to teach through the process of
inquiry, and how to implement the Nature of Science standards into science lessons. Many
educators do not see science as an important subject, however we both believe that science is
imperative for young learners. This LTI has given us a well-rounded example of how science
should be implemented in the classroom.
Animals should be introduced into the classroom at an early age, when it is appropriate. It
is important that when animals are entered in the classroom that the educator goes over safety
and handling instructions. By putting animals in the classroom, students will be able to
overcome their personal icks and yucks. When animals are entered into a classroom

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appropriately, students will be able to observe the organisms evolving through the life cycle. This
is important for young learners because they will be given the opportunity to realize that
everything changes over time. Though for scientific motives they are often there solely for
observation, animals in the classroom also serve a broader purpose, especially for the younger
gradesresponsibility. Students are given the chance to feed, clean, and care for animals in
some circumstances, which can help students to understand how to accountable in many areas,
which can lead back to science in its own way.
Science notebooks are imperative to a successful learning experience in science. Science
notebooks are essential to tracking students progress and for keeping them accountable. They
are also useful for instilling a sense of Science notebooks help build interest by allowing students
to go back and review previous wonderings and predictions to see whether their questions were
answered and if their hypotheses were accurate. This never-ending process should be used as
often as possible; every time a science lesson is taught (which should be every school day), the
science notebook should be implemented so that students develop an understanding of its
importance.
When teaching through inquiry, it is important to make sure that the educator is using the
correct steps and methods. By teaching through inquiry, the educator is requiring students to
learn by using his or her critical skills and by allowing them to create their own wonderings.
Teaching through inquiry is important because it allow students to come up with their own
hypothesis that they are able to test through their own methods. For example, over the past
semester we have been given the opportunity to work with mealworms. We followed the inquiry
steps in order to make the LTI effective. For the first couple of weeks, we observed the larva at a
younger stage. Later, we were given the opportunity to change the mealworms food source. We
substituted the cornmeal for sugar, leading us to the wondering of whether the new diet would

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affect the mealworms development. This is another opportunity to use science notebooks in the
classroom by having students state their process, wonderings, and results. It makes it easier to
keep track of the inquiry process and further assists with the thought process involved in the
investigation.
In order for students to fully understand science, students must be taught the Nature of
Science (NOS) standards. The NOS is important to teach because it enhances the understanding
of the science content, it increases the students interest, and it shows how humans affect science.
In order for an educator to reinforce the nature of science, remind students that they are all
scientists (Farland & McComas, 2009). These standards can be found across all grade levels
and align with other science standards to create big ideas about what science is and is not, which
easily can be integrated into science lessons. We have learned much about the NOS and its
importance, along with the understanding that it must be incorporated in science lessons by
giving students opportunities to create hypotheses, make observations and inferences, and then
learn that these things are rarely definitive and it is okay to be wrong.
As pre-service teachers, being given the invaluable opportunity to practice such tactics as
long-term investigations to use in our future classrooms is something we find to be vital to our
own learning experiences. Not only did we have the chance to practice building these skills, but
we also learned how animals are useful in the classroom, the purpose of science notebooks, how
to teach through the process of inquiry, and how to implement the Nature of Science standards
into science lessons, which is knowledge we can take with us to our future careers.

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References
Farland-Smith, D., & McComas, W. (2009). Teaching the Human Dimension of Science.
Science and Children, 46(9), 48-51.