I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Models

Essential Question:

How can understanding the steps in the Scientific Method be useful in other disciplines besides sci

Bridge:

Biography of a Watermelon

Content:

Scientific Method/problem solving

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To enter into an experience.

Activity: Students' attention will be captured by displaying the watermelons and by using a group problem-solving activity before using the Scientific Method. The teacher will ask the question, "How much water is in a watermelon?" Discussion will occur and all reasonable ideas as well as questions will be accepted.

Assessment: Teacher will observe number of ideas generated and engagement of all students in group discussion.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To reflect on the experience and make a prediction.

Activity: The students will share what they already know about the parts of a watermelon and how much they predict will be water. Each group's predictions will be recorded on chart paper and displayed.

Assessment: The ability of each student to make a reasonable prediction.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: Use of another medium to connect personal knowledge to the concept.

Activity: Students will personalize watermelons. Their group's watermelon will become a person ? complete with a personality, biography and other human characteristics. They will know their watermelon inside and out. Within each cooperative group, some will be illustrators while others will be biographers. Through discussion, before writing and illustrating, members will create a common picture in their minds of the watermelon's appearance, place of work or play, likes and dislikes, etc. Biographers will communicate with illustrators. Information will be shared. They will edit and revise together. Illustrations will be displayed and biographies read aloud to entire class. Classmates will listen to the biography and then identify the illustration that fits the description.

Assessment: Quality of production.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To define each of the six steps of the Scientific Method.

Activity: Each of the six steps will be written on a colorful strip of paper: Purpose, Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Analysis, Conclusion. In random order, the following questions will be also written on strips of manila paper: What do I want to know?, What do I already know about this?, What do I think the answer is?, How can I find out the answer?, What have I observed?, What have I discovered? Each group will match these questions with a step. The teacher will give information about each part of the Scientific Method explaining that this is an organized way of discovering facts. The groups will then reevaluate their answer and see if they are correct. The teacher will randomly call on students to move the questions to a location under one of the six steps allowing the entire class to evaluate if it is correct. This completed activity will become part of a bulletin board display.

Assessment: Verbal checking of correct responses.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To use the Scientific Method.

Activity: Students will use a lab report to begin answering the question, "How much water is in a watermelon?" Their hypothesis must be reasonable and based upon researched facts. (Measurement terms have already been taught in a previous lesson using this theme.) They will record the purpose of the experiment, record researched facts using content reading (already taught in a previous lesson using this theme), and personal experience. Using the collective knowledge of the group, they will each record their own hypothesis.

Assessment: Information recorded correctly on the first three steps of the lab report.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: Plan an experiment.

Activity: In cooperative groups, the students will plan a procedure for removing the water from the watermelon. They will also decide what tools will be needed to do this and assign members of the group to bring these in. This will be recorded under step four on their lab report/experiment.

Assessment: Teacher evaluation of written response.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: Conduct hands-on experiment.

Activity: In cooperative groups, students will measure circumference and length of their watermelon. They will weigh the watermelon in pounds and kilograms. Then, they will use their procedure for extracting water from the watermelon. It will be measured and data recorded under step five (Analysis) on their lab report. A written conclusion will be recorded.

Assessment: Ability of students to complete the experiment and complete steps five and six on their lab report.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: Share data and conclusion with other students.

Activity: On a large wall display, students will record how much water they extracted from their watermelon. Comparisons will be made and variables discussed. Groups will evaluate themselves. The use of each step of the Scientific Method will be discussed. Original predictions will be shared and compared. Watermelon ice cream and/or pie will be enjoyed by all.

Assessment: Teacher will observe the quality of the final product and enjoyment of the celebration.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: