Handout 4: Three Examples

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• As a group, read the examples and place them in order from least enquiry-based to most
enquiry-based.
• Then discuss when it is appropriate for each kind of investigation and how the activities are
related to each other.

Green
• In this classroom, the teacher provides small groups of students with a lab worksheet and
the following materials: a tub of water and two balls of clay about 3 cm diameter. The lab
worksheet provides detailed steps for students to follow as they explore buoyancy. Students
begin by dropping the clay balls into the water to see whether they float or sink. They are
then directed to create various shapes with the clay and to repeat the process of dropping
the clay into the water. Students mark which shapes float and which shapes sink then
answer questions about how the shape changed the buoyancy of the clay. Students are on
task and focus mostly on following the procedure and answering the questions.
Notes:
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Yellow
• In this classroom, students are given a tub of water and two balls of clay about 3 cm
diameter. The teacher introduces the task, to create a shape using a ball of clay that will float
and hold the most liquid. The teacher provides an example of an open box she has created
with a ball of clay and shows the students how the clay floats. Students begin their task,
exploring different shapes they can make with the clay that will float and then measuring
how much liquid their designs can hold. Groups quickly begin to compete to see if they can
beat the other groups in creating a shape that will hold more. At the end of the class period,
the group that created the design with the greatest capacity that will float feels a sense of
accomplishment. Other groups want to continue the investigation to see if they can “beat”
the winning group.

Notes:
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Blue
• In this classroom, students are given a tub of water and two balls of clay about 3 cm
diameter. The teacher introduces the materials and the task, to see what they can determine
about buoyancy. The teacher reviews key terms and the expectations for using the materials
before allowing students to begin their task. Some students are eager to jump into
investigation while others seem concerned with the lack of direction. As students start to
explore, they begin to determine which designs are more likely to float. Some teams try
different designs. One team asks about using some pennies to see if some designs are more
stable or more likely to hold more weight than others. Other groups talk about how ships are
created and work on finding designs that could hold people or liquid. At the end of the class
period, there are many different conclusions from the various groups because each group
explored a different concept based on their interests.
Notes: