ABSTRACT
The Scientific and Engineering Practices articulated in the Next Generation Science Standards help facilitate Haberman’s recommendations. Sharon usually doesn’t require students to raise their hand to contribute ideas or ask questions. An inquiry approach allows students to explore and discover science concepts through hands-on, direct experience. Inquiry also provides an authentic purpose for using language to learn about science. The students struggle and struggle to make the cars move, and their perseverance is impressive. In a more traditional setting that stresses rote learning, these students might never have been given the chance to think like scientists. Although understanding the concept of energy takes time, students’ ideas are evidence that they have a sense of energy being transferred from one object to another. While planning a lesson, Sharon thinks about what support students will need to help them learn about the content or big ideas in the unit.
