Scientific thinking and the design process are sometimes difficult concepts toteach at the elementary level. Students often do not see the connection betweenthemselves and science. They believe that scientists have to be adults working inlaboratories. The consumer research project described in this application allowsstudents to see themselves as a scientists as each one selects a product that interestshim/her, decides on one aspect of the product to test, and then designs and carriesout an experiment to answer his/her question. As a culmination, the student-researchers become the experts as they share their results with parents and friends ata Consumer Fair. By allowing the students to choose their topics of study, theirinterests are piqued and they are more likely to stay engaged and fully investthemselves in the project. This consumer research project incorporates both scienceand social studies (economics) standards in real-world situations.

Description of the Science Program

Philosophy, goals and objectives:

Anyone who has ever set foot in a classroom knows that all students are

different. No two come with the same background, level of readiness, challenges, or

strengths. A basic belief that all students can participate and succeed is paramount to

the success of any inquiry-based program. In my fifth-grade science classroom, I have

students with reading levels ranging from first grade to eleventh grade, as well as

hearing-impaired students for whom English is a second language. Although they

may participate differently, all of these students can learn to think scientifically and

do what scientists do.

In an effort to provide an opportunity for all of the students to participate at

their own individual levels the consumer fair project was developed. The goal of this

project is to get the students thinking not only as scientists, but also as smart

consumers, and to expand their scientific understanding. Each student selects a

product. Students are encouraged to choose something that their family uses so the

information will be useful to them. This can be a food product, a beauty product, a

piece of sports equipment, and office supply, an art supply, a cleaning product -

almost anything. An important part of getting the students engaged in the project is

the fact that each student gets to select a product that appeals to their own interests.

For example, it would not make sense for a student who doesn't have a younger

sibling at home to choose to test diapers.

After selecting the product, each student develops a testable question focusing

on one quality of the product. For example, one student testing paper towels might

want to find out how much water each brand will absorb, while another student might

try to find out which brand is stronger. Once the product choices are approved and

the questions developed, the students go through the design process forming a

hypothesis, writing a procedure, conducting the test, collecting data, and reaching a

conclusion. These basic objectives are the same for all of the students, however each

project looks very different based on the student's readiness and level of

understanding. A student with a very basic understanding might decide to find out

which brand of marshmallow cereal has the most marshmallows. He might begin by

just counting the marshmallows, but then realize that counting is not enough because

the marshmallows are not equal in size. After this realization, he may decide to find

the mass ofthe marshmallows to make a better comparison. This change in thinking

shows me that his scientific understanding has grown. A student with a higher level

of readiness might design a project that is much more involved. For example, a

student who is very interested in basketball might decide to find out which brand of

basketball bounces higher. He has to consider, and decide how to control, many

variables that could influence the outcome, such as the inflation of the basketballs, the

force with which each ball is dropped, the height from which each ball is dropped, and

the surface onto which each is dropped. While the two students are clearly working

at different levels, they are both using scientific thinking and inquiry to answer a

question.

Evolution of inquiry-based science teaching practices in the school:

When I first began teaching science, my students participated in a typical

science fair, as many students do. This had been done for many years and was a

tradition at the school. The students were provided with many choices of projects

and each selected one to conduct and then present at a science fair. This did provide

the opportunity for choice, as well as for some differentiation, however an important

aspect was missing. Instead ofthinking like scientists, asking questions,

hypothesizing, and designing tests to answer questions, the students were simply

reading and following directions. It's not that that was a bad thing, however there

was definitely room for improvement. I wanted to create a situation in which the

students could design their own tests, focusing on one question and controlling the

variables. This obviously is not something that the students could instantly do. It

would require many exposures to the scientific process, as well as opportunities for

guided practice. Each school year, before the consumer fair project is introduced, the

students participate in many hands-on activities where they make predictions, follow

(and later write) procedures, and collect data. We point out variables and discuss the

importance of controlling the variables in order to have a fair test. We compare

results to discover that they may vary from group to group, showing the importance

of conducting a test multiple times to get reliable results.

Over the past several years I have also noticed a change in the earlier grades.

The third and fourth grade teachers in my building have begun to use more inquiry-

based strategies in their classes as well. Those younger students come to visit the

Fifth-Grade Consumer Fair and get excited about the projects and about seeing their

friends and siblings "be the scientists." By the time they are in fifth grade, they

already have some ideas about what they would like to do for their consumer project.

One might think that they would simply repeat a project that they had seen at an

earlier presentation, however I rarely see the products tested in exactly the same way.

Each year the students come up with different products to test and new, creative ways

to do the testing. I have seen everything from nail polish, to fishing line, to

skateboards, to one student who tested duct tape by taping his younger brother to the

wall ofthe gymnasium (with parent supervision, of course).

Nominee's inquiry-based classroom activities:

While I wholeheartedly believe that my students are scientists, I also know that

they are kids. They are only ten and eleven years old. They need to move, to be

engaged, and have many opportunities to "think and do" science. For this reason, my

classroom is not a quiet place. There is always something gong on. For example,

during our current unit on the Earth, my students have experimented with graham

cracker tectonic plates, built fold mountains using towels, designed and tested

earthquake-proof structures using earthquake tables made out of cafeteria trays and

springs, taken core samples of "Earth cupcakes," conducted rock tests on different

kinds of rocks, and acted out the rock cycle to music.

Nominee's impact on students, other teachers, parents, community groups:

While I cannot take credit for the change that has taken place in my building,

this shift in thinking about science instruction has definitely had an impact. Every

science teacher uses some inquiry-based activities in his/her classroom. The students

that arrive at my door in the fall have much more of an idea of what scientists do. The

parents have also become more accustomed to this way of thinking and learning.

They know that their child's grade will not be based solely on worksheets and

paper/pencil tests, but rather on performance-based activities and applications.

Many of them have become involved in the process, not only by assisting their own

children, but also by volunteering to come to the school to work with those who do

not have the support at home.

Connection with grade-level and National Science Education Standards:

Both the state and the national standards place a high priority on scientific

inquiry. Content Standard A of the National Science Education Standards and the

Scientific Inquiry strand of the Ohio science standards set forth expectations for

students to ask questions, make observations, conduct investigations, construct

reasonable explanations based on these experiences, and communicate the results.

The Ohio standard describes this as "using scientific habits of mind an they use the

processes of scientific inquiry." The consumer fair project provides an opportunity

for the students to apply all of these things in a situation that is meaningful because

they have chosen something that is of interest to them.

Another aspect of this type of project is the opportunity to make cross-

curricular connections. The Ohio fifth-grade standards for social studies requires

students to learn about choices made by consumers, and about the relationship

between competition, price, and product quality. This project is a perfect fit. I also

have the opportunity to extend the conversation into my language arts class when we

read the story Max Malone and the Great Cereal Rip-Off by Charlotte Herman. After

reading, students share stories of times that they have experienced poor product

quality, and eventually write a narrative about a time they were "ripped-off." By

making connections in all of these areas, the students see that science and scientific

thinking are a part of our everyday lives.