YEARS 7–12 IDEAS FOR THE CLASSROOM
Using Cultures of Thinking to Promote an Inquiry-based Approach (continued)
Bringing together the way in which geologists use their knowledge
of Earth to learn about Mars, and a highly scaffolded thinking
routine from Project Zero, has enabled my students to engage
and connect with concepts in Geology at a much deeper level. I
am going to share with you my opening lesson, in the hope that
other teachers might find it useful.
•
Fossil (I usually use one of a plant);
• Stromatolite;
• Marble;
• Limestone.
A crater observed on planet Mars.
I begin by finding, printing and laminating satellite images of the
following formations on Mars:
'Olympus Mons', a volcano on Mars which has a crater 80 km
across.
• Volcano;
• Sand dune;
• Gully;
Laboratory set-up: I position any 2 images, a rock sample, 3
pieces of A3 and 1 piece of butchers’ paper on benches (how
you set up your lab depends upon your own class). Students are
separated into groups of no more than 3. Ideally, each student
would have one of these items to begin with. In the images I have
provides as examples, this was not always the case.
• Meteorite Crater;
• Mountain Range.
I then find, print and laminate satellite images of the following on
Earth:
• Volcano (there are great ones of Mount St Helens);
• Sand Dune;
• Gully (I do some with flowing water and some without);
• Meteorite Crater;
• Mountain Range.
1. The first part of the task for students is to write what they see
and/or feel on the A3 paper. These MUST be observations. The
aim of this entire activity is not for them to guess what they are
looking at, or to guess “what’s in the teacher’s head”. I put an
online timer up and provide students with 3 minutes to write 10
“I see….” (images) and/or “I see….” “I feel….” (rock samples).
Whilst they are writing these observations it is important to
walk around the room and provide specific feedback to clarify
expectation. If a student has written “I can see lines that zig
zag” then the teacher can say things like “lines that zig zag,
a very descriptive observation, well done”. If a student has
written “I see a river”, then it is equally important to help them
to access the observation they used to make this inference.
As we want them to look closely at this stimulus. “That’s a
I also access the following rock samples from the school kits and
my personal collection:
• Dendrite;
• Quartz;
• Pumice;
• Obsidian;
• Conglomerate;
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 2