REASONS FOR THE SEASONS: CREATING HANDS-ON INQUIRY-BASED ACTIVITIES FROM COOKBOOK LABS

Cookbook laboratory investigations have effectively removed the fundamental element of ingenious discovery from the classrooms. When used in a classroom setting, cookbook laboratories require students to only follow a set of perfunctory directions, hindering the development of concepts and higher order thinking skills beyond the mechanistic understanding. However, through the utilization of adaptive principles such as “giving students, groups, or the class opportunities to define variables and develop their own procedures and make predictions” (Volkmann, et al., 2003), lessons can be transformed from cookbook to inquiry.

The mini-unit ‘Reasons for the Seasons' was developed as part of the NSF GK-12 grant for Northeast Ohio Geoscience Education Outreach (NEOGEO) from multiple cookbook activities and modified to use inquiry techniques. Activities incorpated into this mini-unit investigate each of the potential explanations for seasons through laboratory activities in which quantitative data is obtained by students. From this data, students draw their own conclusions concerning which potential cause has the greatest impact on the Earth's seasons. Specific exercises call for students to investigate the angle of incoming solar radiation and then determine the change in solar radiation for perihelion and aphelion using flashlights, soccer balls, rulers, and overhead transparencies. Kinesthetic activities, combined with discussions, peer consultation, and critical analyses of results, provides an array of educational tools to reach and engage diverse learners. These techniques require that students incorporate higher order thinking skills such as inference, extrapolation, and implications into their schema, allowing for greater understanding and retention.

Reference: Volkman, M.J., Abell, S. K. 2003, Rethinking Laboratories, The Science Teacher, NSTA, September, Pg. 38-41.