Writing in Inquiry Stage Two
In this stage, students work with different graphic formats to record their data. This stage of inquiry requires the careful recording of firsthand investigations and data so that students can conduct their analyses and replicate experiences. Students develop vocabulary to make their observations more precise and their directions more specific. Writing at this stage includes written procedural text, tables, charts, and graphs as well as emerging ideas and questions.
Resources for Writing in Inquiry Stage Two
Doing What Scientists Do
by Ellen Doris. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1991.
This book introduces the methods of teaching inquiry science to young
children. The text contains numerous examples of children’s comments
and written work that illustrate the author’s points and make the
material highly accessible. In Chapter 7, “Interpreting Children’s
Work,” the author presents pages from the science journals of 14
students, and analyzes how the drawings and the text indicate simultaneous
development in representational skills and observation skills. These samples
of early science recording are particularly helpful in understanding the
development of writing in Inquiry Stage Two.
I See What
You Mean: Children at Work with Visual Information
by Steve Moline. York, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 1995.
This book is a comprehensive look into the ways that children communicate
using visual texts. The author describes how some concepts are better
described by diagrams and pictures than by word-only texts, and shows
how children’s thinking can be represented in a variety of visual
displays. By encouraging children to use many forms of representation,
the author suggests that both communication and literacy skills are enhanced.
Using over 100 examples of children’s work, the book takes a thorough
look at both the breadth and depth of children’s writing in Inquiry
Stage Two.
Science Workshop:
Reading, Writing, and Thinking Like a Scientist, 2nd edition
edited by Wendy Saul. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann, 2002.
This book is a collection of essays by different elementary teachers.
All of the chapters focus on the inquiry process, and each provides numerous
practical suggestions, strategies, and examples of children’s work.
The book attempts to integrate inquiry-based science with literacy strategies
at all levels. Chapter 5, “Writing: A Way into Thinking Science,”
contributed by Jeanne Reardon, includes a lengthy section on setting up
and using student science notebooks. Analyzing and summarizing information
in charts, diagrams, and graphs, in addition to text, is an important
component of writing in Inquiry Stage Two.
Active Assessment
for Active Science by George E. Hein and Sabra Price.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1994.
This book was written to help teachers assess their students’ progress
in hands-on science. The authors present theoretical information about
how and why to apply active assessment, give tips on how to manage the
assessments, and suggest forms of scoring. In Chapter 5, “Interpreting
Children’s Work,” the authors provide many examples of students’
written work, and review the kinds of evidence of learning that teachers
can look for in their representations. With sections on drawings, written
work, graphs and tables, and journals, the chapter provides a glimpse
into the variety of graphic devices that are part of writing in Inquiry
Stage Two.
