Class 1: Reading 1

Science in the elementary classroom has been lacking inquiry based science it is merely reading out of text books how science is supposed to look. Students are not able to see the process in action and thus is a problem. Without the experiences and hands on approach students are not able to explore and then not able to make the connections between science experiments. The Gunckel piece shows students exploring science on their own. They are able to work with instruments that allows them to ask questions - these questions are not comprehension based they are based off of curiosity that children always have. Without science actually becoming science students are not able to ask these questions. They need to see things happen so gather their data together and formulate "why" or "how" things happen. Students are smart enough no matter the age to figure out how things work - they love to explore and find out how things happen. Science is all around us and students should be able to be scientists in their classroom.
"In scientists science, inquiry and application work together." (Gunckel, pg. 4). Students are never allowed enough time to follow the inquiry approach whether it be because there is not enough time, there is not enough resources, or kids just get out of hand. None of these are good enough excuses. Inquiry and application go hand-in-hand as Gunckel states. Students should be able to work together and develop a reason why the science is happening. They are excited to explore and see how things are working and what makes science happen. Integrating science in the classroom should take up time that there is not enough of - science can and should be integrated with other subjects. Students can write and read about science after they see it in action. Teachers will see that this leads students to more experiences and they will in fact become better learners. As students are able to find patterns within their experiments they are able to draw conclusions and are able to explain their thinking more coherently.
The EPE table that Gunckel has set up provides students with a chart that they are able to explain. The first column has them write their experience (what happened). The second column has them list the important idea/pattern (big picture). The third column summarizes for them what they learned. This EPE table helps organize the experiment. The students are not only telling what they learned/saw but they are writing it in a coherent way. My students would benefit from this approach as they are used to completing "graphic thinkers" this is another way that science can be implemented into the class routine.