Scientific Inquiry Journal Article Assignment PDF

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Running Head: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY JOURNAL ARTICLE ASSIGNMENT 1

Scientific Inquiry Journal Article Assignment Alexandra Kern Ivy Tech Community College

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Personal View of Inquiry My definition of inquiry thus far is a process that uses questions, claims, evidence and support to address an issue. Inquiry starts with asking an open ended question about something you want to find out. Next, you make a claim about this question using background knowledge as an educated guess. Then, you gather evidence to back that claim. This evidence will either support or not support your claim. You can then modify your claim and start over if necessary. Students should understand inquiry on multiple levels. Inquiry is to be used not only in science, but in every aspect of life. Students need to realize that inquiry is something they probably already use, but are not aware of it. Students should learn inquiry and the terms that go along with it to fully understand the concept and be able to apply it and evaluate it. Students should use inquiry in the classroom to assess problems they face. It is helpful for students to learn inquiry to promote inquisitive behavior and organization of thoughts into questions, claims and evidence. Article’s View of Inquiry The article I chose is called “Responses of a top and a meso predator and their prey to moon phases.” This article interested me because the students I work with on a daily basis are currently studying the phases of the moon. In this article, inquiry is used as defined in this class. The question asked by Penteriani et al. (2013) is simply: How do the moon’s phases affect top and medo predators and their prey (pg. 1). The claim made by Penteriani et al. (2013) is that “the shared prey would reduce its activity at most risky moon phases (i.e. during the brightest nights), but that fox, an intraguild prey of lynx, would avoid lynx activity peaks at the same time. Rabbits generally moved further from their core areas on darkest nights (i.e. new moon), using direct movements which minimize predation risk” (pg. 1). The evidence collected showed that, “First,

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at the time of the full moon, rabbit movement rate was low within their core area. Second, rabbits increase their movement activity both within and outside their core area around new moon, when darkness potentially offers the safest opportunities for movement. Thirdly, on the darkest nights, rabbits moved far from their core area and seemed to optimise this strategy by using oriented movement pattern.” (pg. 8). This article is a good example of the inquiry process and although the reading level is high, the concept would be intriguing to children and would provide them with a model for their own inquiries. Reflection on What Inquiry Is My personal view of inquiry is changed dramatically over the past few weeks. I started with absolutely no concept of what inquiry is. Through this activity, I have learned that inquiry is used by adults and professionals, not just children in schools. The process of inquiry is very important and is an underlying theme in many scientific processes and procedures. This article was set up perfectly to dissect all of the elements of inquiry. I was clearly able to find the question, claim and evidence without having them labeled explicitly. The National Science Teachers Association quotes the National Science Education Standards (1996) to define inquiry. It states that, “the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence derived from their work. Scientific inquiry also refers to the activities through which students develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world.” (para. 1). This article most definitely displays the unique ways that scientists study the world. In this case, animals and the moon are combined to create a compelling study about the moon’s effect on those animals. This

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concept can be used to show students that different things can be connected even if it seems impossible.

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REFERENCES American Association for the Advancement of Science (1993). Benchmarks for science literacy. New York: Oxford University Press. National Research Council (1996). National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. National Research Council (2000). Inquiry and the national science education standards: A guide for teaching and learning. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Penteriani, V., Kuparinen, A., del Mar Delgado, M., Palomares, F., Lopez-Bao, J. V., Fedriani, J. M., & ... Lourenco, R. (2013). Responses of a top and a meso predator and their prey to moon phases. Oecologia, (3), 753....