Inquiry Project - Fall 2012

The Inquiry Project that we have been working on is an Optics Science Project for the grade 8 students. The goal is for students to have a better understanding of the properties of light and shadow. Students will experience, through experimentation, the properties of visible light. They will create various projects that will show others what they have learned about the properties of light.
 

Curricular Outcomes:

Outcome OP8.1
Identify and describe, through experimentation, sources and properties of visible light including: rectilinear propagation, reflection, refraction.

Oucome OP8.2
Explore properties and applications of optics-related technologies, including concave and convex mirrors and lenses

The essential question that will guide student learning is:
"How can I effectively teach others about the properties of light and shadow?"
 

We started with the Immerse Stage (Nudging Toward Inquiry). During this stage, considerable time was spent determining readiness to learn, interest in topic, building background, and developing and inquiry stance.

 

Characteristics of Immerse stage included; Invite Curiousity, Build background knowledge, find topics and wonder. We started with a student poll using Poll Everywhere to determine student knowledge and our starting point.

 

 Students were then given opportunity to experiment with various resources from the Optics kit (available from CMC).



The kit includes 316 pieces of science equipment, including; light boxes, slit plates, coloured filters, prism sets, and concave/convex lenses and mirrors.

  

Our next step in the Inquiry process was the Investigate Stage (Nudging Toward Inquiry).

During this stage, considerable time was spent developing questions, searching for information, and discovering answers.

 

The students were given opportunity to determine how light interacts with transparent, translucent, and opaque materials.



They also investigated to determine  how light interacts with concave and convex mirrors and lenses.

 

Students were given opportunities to predict and verify the effects of changes in lens position on the size and location of images produced by a convex lens and / or mirror.

 

The student booklets included in the Optics kit suggested experiments that allowed students to experience and see for themselves how light reacts in each of these situations.

 

 

Students were given ample opportunity to experiment and discover how they can manipulate light. Students loved the hands-on experiences in  the Investigation

Stage of the Inquiry Process.

We were then ready for the Coalesce Stage (Nudging Toward Inquiry). Students combine their understandings in order to construct, blend, and build new knowledge.

Intensify Research

Synthesize Information

Build Knowledge

In this stage, students considered "What does all of this mean?". Students reflected on everything that they had learned about the properties of light and shadow. They then had to use the information they learned to construct, blend and build new knowledge. They needed to synthesize what they had learned and then determine how to effectively teach others about the properties of light and shadow.

Our checklist for teaching and learning strategies / scaffolding included...

-how to find reliable sources, how to credit sources

-develop research skills - how to determine importance when reseaching, how to research / take notes

-how to storyboard (balance of images, text, etc)

-teach saving protocols

-how to collect images that are copyright free or their own

-how to cite an image

-how to take relevant and good quality photos

-co-construct criteria (rubric)

 

 Our final stage in the Inquiry process was the Go Public Stage (Nudging Toward Inquiry).     

 

Students showcase their learning to their intended audience in order to persuade action or to enlighten others about a specific topic. Characteristics of this stage include:

Share Learning

Demonstrate Understanding and Learning in a Variety of Ways

Take Action
 

 Our checklist for teaching and learning strategies / scaffolding included...
-how to export student work
-student reflection & articulation of learning process


Many students chose to showcase their learning by creating educational posters using the program Comic Life.

Comic Life is an easy-to-use interface. Students simply drag in their pictures, and type in text boxes to create an effective end product. SPSD has purchased this program for student use. The posters were an effective way to demonstrate student understanding and share student learning.

More information about our Inquiry Project can be found on the SPSD inquiry wiki. Scroll down to our Optics & Vision Inquiry Project...