Inquiry Based Dissolving - Review

Inquiry-based Dissolving provides a framework for inquiry based investigation of properties at the middle school level. It would be an excellent resource for teachers just starting to use in... See More

Inquiry-based Dissolving provides a framework for inquiry based investigation of properties at the middle school level. It would be an excellent resource for teachers just starting to use inquiry or those who have been reassigned from an elementary level to a middle school level. Most helpful are the brief transcripts of student talk which allow the reader to better understand what inquiry "sounds like" as well as looks like at the middle school level. The student discussions with each other and the teacher are highly important for inquiry to succeed. This article provides a basis for understanding the types of teacher and student talk needed.

Developing Inquiry

This article uses the concept of dissolving to engage students in developing an inquiry question and designing an experiment. It includes some great background on inquiry versus traditional ... See More

This article uses the concept of dissolving to engage students in developing an inquiry question and designing an experiment. It includes some great background on inquiry versus traditional learning. The article includes a list of relevant questions from which to start the inquiry process and explains how to introduce students to the idea of controlling their variables and conducting an experiment. Although this activity was written for middle school students, it can be adapted for upper elementary students.