YEARS 7–12 IDEAS FOR THE CLASSROOM
Year 7 Practical Skills for Inquiry Learning – Part 4 (continued)
then contribute to a discussion on the necessity of repeating
experiments to check results.
Possible questions to investigate:
1. Which type of frame will blow the best bubbles?
• I have suggested that some equipment is already on the
benches, but that the rest is in two central locations for students
to select what they need – the aim being not to pre-empt their
thinking. If you think your class might need more guidance
then all apparatus can be put on the individual benches.
2. Which shaped frame will blow the best bubbles?
3. Which bubble mixture will blow the biggest bubbles?
4. Which bubble mixture will blow the longest-lasting bubbles?
5. or any others you can think of – including any questions
students may come up, with as long as they are investigative
questions?
• Students may want to ‘play’ with the bubble mixture – but not
until after they have finished their experiments – if at all. Even if
they are all working sensibly, the bench and possibly the floor
will get ‘wet’, and the safety officers will need to keep this in
check. You may decide to warn students about slipping if the
floor does get wet.
Students doing questions 1 or 2 will have to decide how they will
determine ‘best’ etc. in a scientific way (i.e. what criteria they use
to decide which of the bubbles is best for the question they will
try to answer). All groups will need to decide whether a fair test is
needed; what must stay the same, and how to ensure this is so;
what they will deliberately change in each experiment; how they
will measure what changes are caused; whether there are other
things which may affect the experiment but over which they have
no (or little) control; whether they need to repeat the experiment
to check results and if so how many times. They will be using
their growing knowledge of the ‘scientific method’ ideas far more
specifically in this activity so it is important you keep watch and
be ready with questions to prompt them to explain what they are
doing and why.
• Listen to what the groups are saying as you move round the
lab, and if necessary ask them questions to try to prod them in
the right direction. It is important, however, that you don’t tell
them what to do, and that they don’t need to have their plan
checked by you before they begin.
• However, don’t insist that the students write a full experimental
plan; just let them get on with it once they have worked out
what to do. When they have completed the task and answered
their question, they can write down the steps taken and their
results – perhaps as a flow chart. This can then be used for
the class discussion which follows.
What the teacher does:
What the students do:
• If possible, students should be in groups of 3, making it easier
for each group member to actively participate, both by offering
ideas and blowing bubbles – and also for you to check on that.
It is also a good idea to use the role cards – perhaps reporter,
recorder and equipment manager/safety officer.
• You will be working in groups of three to work out how you
will answer one of the 4 questions about blowing bubbles!
Choose your roles from the role cards – reporter, recorder and
equipment manager/safety officer. Each one of you will be an
experimenter.
• Once students have chosen a question to investigate they will
need to discuss what they are going to do to try to answer
it. Maybe the recorder could jot down the ideas proposed,
indicating who made each suggestion – but you may feel this
is going too far? The only purpose for this would be for you to
ensure each group member is contributing ideas rather than
for you to need to ‘check’ them.
• You will find some apparatus and your question at your work
station. There is extra apparatus for you to choose from on the
front bench – one set for Q1 and Q2 and another set for Q3
and Q4.
• Each group will need to discuss what your question is asking
you and what experiments you will need to do to answer the
question. Each member of the group needs to contribute
answers, and the recorder should jot down all the ideas and
indicate who contributed which. This is just to try to encourage
all members to contribute rather than criticising the ideas of
others!
• All groups will have to work out an ‘operational definition’ i.e.
which criteria they will use to define ‘best’, ‘biggest’, etc., and
again we want the recorder to write down each person’s ideas
as well as any decisions the group makes.
• If, for example, one group is testing 3 different types of frame
to answer Q1, they will need to realise that, to be consistent,
the same person will need to blow bubbles using all 3 frames.
For every person to have a turn to blow bubbles they will
have in effect repeated the experiment 3 times. This can
• Decide on your plan (you may want to write it down) so the
equipment manager can collect the necessary stuff from the
front bench. Ask your teacher if you think you need anything
extra.
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 4