Quick Plan Thinking/Inquiry Quick Plan: Can we just add more fertilizer? - General Biology Section I: Description Thinking/Inquiry Inquiry is a great way to inspire students to be curious and creative in an academic setting. In an inquiry lesson, students get to ask the questions and seek out answers. They have the opportunity to practice being independent learners by getting information and forming conclusions independently from the teacher. These lessons are especially applicable in the science classroom because it encourages creativity and curiosity, two essential aspects of scientific endeavors. In inquiry lessons, the teacher becomes the guide, while the students take ownership of their own learning. This type of lesson works especially well when students are diving into a new topic or stretching their understanding of a previously introduced topic. Topic and Rationale The cycling of nutrients is an essential concept to understand life on earth. Through inquiry, students can gain a better understanding of how the cycling of nutrients plays a role in wide range of biological processes. Through analyzing and interpreting data, student construct meaning and draw conclusions. Because they developed these ideas themselves, students are more likely to be engaged in the concepts and remember them. Investigating the factors that influence populations would lend itself well to an inquiry lesson. Students would be able to discover for themselves what affects populations through simulations. A lesson looking into how biological processes maintain homeostasis could also be more student driven through inquiry. Students could uncover the cause and effect relationships that are involved in reaction to a changing external environment through inquiry rather than being told. Purpose To prepare students to be life-long learners who find meaning in the information they come across in their daily lives, they need to learn how to ask questions, recognize patterns, and draw conclusions. These are the key components of an inquiry activity. Students also may find more engagement in an inquiry activity because they are constructing the meaning themselves, rather than being given the information and meaning by someone else. Thus, inquiry lessons help students develop the independence they need later in life, as well as help them engage with and understand the content. Advantages and Disadvantages The advantages to inquiry activities include the opportunities they offer students to explore a concept and develop interest in it. They also help students learn to ask questions and be independent in their own learning. One disadvantage is that students who are not accustomed to inquiry activities may struggle. For this reason, it is important to ease students into these activities and not assuming they know how get what they need independently. Another disadvantage is that inquiry lessons typically require a lot of organization and materials. The amount of structure and organization will need to reflect the students' experience and ability with these kinds of lessons.
Section II: Implementation
Learning Objective Students will be able to analyze and interpret data on the impacts of the addition or removal of matter in an ecosystem by working in groups to research the effects on an ecosystem when fertilizer is added or removed. Materials Each group will be given a list of suggested research resources (books and websites). Each group will also receive a note-catcher to organize their findings. A worksheet will be handed out to each student including discussion questions. Teaching Model The lesson is taught using inquiry because inquiry allows students to ask questions to guide their research in a direction that follows their interests. Inquiry also reflects the nature of the problem they are trying to solve. The effect of fertilizer on the environment is a real-world issue that does not have a clear answer when put into a larger context. Once our of school, students will need the skills to evaluate information, ask questions about it, and seek more information to answer those questions. By using inquiry to teach this lesson, students are also learning how they can tackle other complex issues in the future. Key Concepts Students will gain an understanding of how the introduction of matter, such as fertilizer, can have positive and negative effects. The removal of matter greatly affects the producers in an ecosystem, and therefore, the ecosystem as a whole. In agriculture, we add fertilizer because we are removing nutrients from the soil through standard practices. Background knowledge Students will need to be aware of some of the requirements of plants, specifically nitrogen and phosphorous. Assessment Criteria for success include a complete note-catcher turned in for the group and complete individual discussion worksheets. Quality answers to the discussion questions will include answers that are supported by evidence from their research.