![\"IMG_6834\"](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/485\/2014\/12\/IMG_68341.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nKaty Butler\u2019s first grade class at Jackson Street School opened their study of water through multiple avenues. While reading water-related books such as Thomas Locker\u2019s Water Dance<\/em>, students became interested in the question of where water goes. The quest for an answer resulted in the experiment pictured above, where students watched Ms. Butler pour water on a number of surfaces in various locations. Differences between predictions and observations, as well as individual experiments, provoked questions. When water was poured on a yellow carpet, for example, students wondered whether the water droplets changed color to match the surface below.<\/p>\n At the Smith College Campus School, Robbie Murphy launched her second grade class\u2019 investigation using the lens of a natural scientist. \u00a0The book Henry Works<\/em> by D. B. Johnson, which tells the tale of a bear modeled after Henry Thoreau, provided an opportunity to discuss the value of making observations. The story opens on a \u201cmisty, muzzling morning,\u201d prompting a later discussion about where rain comes from. Students created a series of beginning ideas, among them the intriguing concept that \u201cwater has a life cycle”.<\/p>\n On the pine trees it gets stuck on the needles and on the other trees, it gets<\/p>\n stuck on the leaves and fills it up like a cup. Then, when the sun comes out, it evaporates??<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Jan Szymaszek started a conversation about water with her third graders at the Campus School after being caught in the rain at recess. \u00a0Jan noted that students were \u201creally engaged\u201d in the discussion about water flow on the sloping school grounds. \u00a0Sharing observations about where water collected, they began to ask questions about where water goes when it is no longer visible. Does it go into the reservoir? The sewers? Does it become drinking water or does it go where the toilet water goes? Jan plans to take students out during a hard rain and refine the framing question, observing \u201cwhere does the water go when it is raining?\u201d.<\/p>\n Renee Bachman, a third grade teacher at Leeds Elementary School, decided to take her students outside one rainy day and observe water. While sloshing through massive puddles and watching water pouring into storm drains, students determined that water went towards the \u201clower ground\u201d. Renee also took her students outside after the downpour. As they were discussing evaporation, students wondered if oil went through the water cycle, and, if so, if it was converted into water. We look forward to hearing more student thoughts on the role of oil, a topic brought forward by both Renee\u2019s and Kathie\u2019s students.<\/p>\n As teachers begin classroom inquiries, our team is struck by the multiple points of entry for inspiring students\u2019 imaginations and encouraging their questions about \u201cwhere does water go?\u201d Many teachers choose to use literature to incite creative questions about water and nature, while other openings involve experimentation and outdoor observation. We notice that teachers pay careful attention to questions about water that seem to catalyze students\u2019 curiosity. For example, Kathie and Renee use video to document their students\u2019 observation of oil slicks on the pavement and their questions about how oil behaves differently than water. We hope to track these student inquiries over the year to learn how their questions and ideas develop.<\/p>\n Our blog will update frequently, showcasing new aspects of water inquiries across schools and putting teachers in dialogue with each other. To engage in this learning community, we encourage you to offer commentary, share what\u2019s going on in your water inquiries, pose questions, and let us know how we can be a resource for you and your students.<\/p>\n We\u2019re eager to hear about how you investigate snow on the school grounds!<\/p>\n In the meantime, happy holidays from the water team.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n –\u00a0Ally, Carol and Hannah<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Welcome to the Investigating Water Blog, home to all things regarding our water inquiry. Inquiry based learning takes a big question and converts it into a problem for students to solve. Our \u2018big question\u2019 – where does water go? – is one that many classrooms have engaged with over the past few months. In this … Continue reading Beginning Water Inquiries<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":735,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/735"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n\n
<\/a>Kathie Bredin set out to discover her fourth grade students\u2019 ideas about water with an eye to sustaining inquiry over time. The inquiry began in her classroom at Jackson Street School with a discussion about water, a resource that was all around them, but often went unnoticed. \u00a0The inclusion of \u201c(right now)\u201d in the title gives an expectation for a continuous building on student ideas.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n