Great ideas for assessments supporting an inquiry mindset in children

This article explores the subject,"What do Plants Need," by taking the children outdoors to experience the needs of plants with the guidance of field study guides (aka classroom volunteers).... See More

This article explores the subject,"What do Plants Need," by taking the children outdoors to experience the needs of plants with the guidance of field study guides (aka classroom volunteers). We can expand thinking beyond "What does a plant need to grow" to "How much sunlight (for example) does a plant need to grow" Adding the words "How much" leads to more critical thinking in our young scientists. The article includes a "How much sunlight" chart for various plants that can be used as a formative assessment. The authors share a strategy for a summative assessment as well: "I used to think _______, but now I think ______." Assessments such as these lead students toward an inquiry mindset. Allowing children to discover knowledge through hands-on investigations supports deep understanding.

Children's Reality & Reality of Nature: The Same?

Have you encountered a preschool where children are outdoors daily, year-around, experiencing firsthand the many phenomena in nature? The Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois, where a... See More

Have you encountered a preschool where children are outdoors daily, year-around, experiencing firsthand the many phenomena in nature? The Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois, where a preschool is in its second year of operation, is such a place. Here, like the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, the children are outdoors all of the time observing, digging, gathering, exploring, etc. This article was of particular interest to me as it provides an informal science learning environment template for educators and parents of preschoolers unable to attend a preschool like the one described in the article or like the one in Illinois. It shows how to organize outdoor experiences in order to challenge children’s misconceptions about the needs of plants. The authors mention some common misconceptions of preschoolers - such as trees and grass are not plants or sunlight is only helpful because it keeps a plant warm (p.57). Besides creating activities and science experiences to lay the foundation for learning about phenomena in kindergarten, the article shares ways preschoolers can make meaningful observations, collect data, and confront their own misconceptions about what they are experiencing outside. A sunlight data sheet is included.