Introduction/rationale
The unit titled “Questions to Discoveries: Exploring Grasslands and Temperate Forests” aligns perfectly with the seminar topic “Asking Questions in Biology.” This unit is designed for a diverse population of 6th-grade science students at Stanton Middle School in Wilmington, Delaware. The unit is relevant because these students are naturally curious and eager to learn more about their environment through purposeful questioning and discovery. The goal is to boost their confidence in science and to motivate and encourage strong, meaningful academic discourse as they investigate living and non-living things, their environments, interactions, and sustenance. This will spark curiosity and enthusiasm in science among 6th graders, which will ultimately lead to a better understanding of science and improved academic discourse. The unit will also focus on developing scientific inquiry skills and science content knowledge through the study of these two major biomes. Students will be encouraged to use questioning, observation, research, data analysis, and collaborative inquiry as the avenue for scientific investigation.
The unit will complement the middle school OpenSciEd curriculum that is used across the state of Delaware. It was developed by leading science researchers and educators and is a model that is designed to align with how students learn best. The OpenSciEd curriculum is phenomenon-based and centers on student-led questioning, investigation, and problem solving.[1] Sixth graders are naturally curious but often find it difficult to create the questions that will assist them in finding answers. Students are often taught to find answers to various questions but not to generate their own questions. Hence, emphasis will be placed on positioning these students to perform the role of scientists as they learn to formulate and refine questions, gather evidence, and develop explanations based on their results. This unit about grassland and temperate forest biomes is ideal for inquiry-based learning in science since they exhibit distinct biodiversity, climate conditions, and ecological relationships. They will try to find answers to questions such as: Why do different ecosystems support different types of organisms? How do environmental factors influence biodiversity? What happens when ecosystems experience disturbances caused by natural events or human activity?
In addition, this curriculum unit is not only relevant to my 6th graders whose environmental literacy is rapidly increasing, but it’s also important to me as I have a responsibility as an educator to help students to become responsible environmental stewards and informed citizens. In a world where we are faced with a plethora of issues such as habitat destruction, climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss that are detrimental to us and our planet, many students are oblivious to this pertinent information. They may encounter snippets of the information through social media or online games but seldom possess the scientific understanding needed to critically analyze these issues. Having the opportunity to engage students in this unit will not only develop their content knowledge and scientific inquiry skills but also their critical thinking skills and help them to make informed decisions about protecting and preserving our world. The ultimate goal is to meet every student where they are, to have them realize that science is not merely a collection of information but an ongoing process of discussions, observations, collaborative problem-solving, modeling, etc. These activities effectively lend themselves to strong communication skills, which is an important aspect of acquiring scientific literacy.
In teaching this unit, students will be reminded that science is not about being right or wrong but more about formulating and searching for evidence to support claims while embracing mistakes and the opportunity to learn and grow. The unit complements the goals of the Yale National Initiative Seminar Asking Questions in Biology by emphasizing the role of questioning as a driving force in scientific discovery. Teachers, especially those of science, should be intentional and purposeful in teaching students not to be fearful about asking questions and participating in class activities. Hence, the learning environment in the classroom should encourage them to be structured in the way they think, talk, listen, read, and write within the context of science
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