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I created this PCA based on lesson 15.3 of the Cat Events unit.  Please feel free to use it in your own classroom.  Please let me know if you make any changes.  Enjoy! 
eqfrictionscenario_key.doc

eqfrictionscenario.doc

Here are some general measurement activities to supplement the modules or, in some cases, to leave for a substitute.

measuring Volume of Irregular Objects lab.doc

Measurement of Body Parts.doc

Measurement activity.doc

Mass Lab.doc

Triple Beam Balance Questions.doc

volume of boxes.doc

This is the 2003 WASL Science released Bubble Gum scenario. The OSPI document from which it is taken is quite long and not printer-friendly, so I’ve reformatted it to print on four pages (two pages double-sided) for use with students. Word format. Download.

Many archived here from MadSci.org.

This looks like a good way to have students practice observing skills. You could give students directions and have them do it in groups, too, if you wanted procedure-following practice:

The raisins sink to the bottom. When enough bubbles of CO2 collect on
the surface, they float to the top. As the CO2 combines with the air
and the bubbles break, the raisins sink. They will turn side to side
depending where the bubbles are.

Source

This Australian site has great activities for math/science teachers. Lots of classic brain-twisters like how to walk through a hole in a gum wrapper, the Moebius strip, magic numbers, and more. Great for getting kids hooked on scientific inquiry without much heavy content to overwhelm them when you’re trying to teach process skills.

The Moebius strip has some amazing properties that make for great inquiry science. There are several activity ideas here.

The creators of Mathematica have this on their website, which fascinated me:

I’m planning to use some Moebius activities in my problem-solving class.

This 4-page experiment plan template (also PDF) has been expanded from the original two-page format. You can modify it to meet the needs of your class, and even customize it for a specific experiment if you like. If you have any other experiment plan templates that you’d like to share, email them to jdbaeder AT seattleschools.org and I will post them.

Experiment Plan Template | PDF

In previous years, I haven’t started with a unit on the scientific method. Instead, I’ve jumped into the modules, hoping students picked up all the important ideas along the way. My more traditional colleague always front-loaded the scientific method, spending a few weeks on it at the beginning of each course.

I’m rethinking my approach now. Too often, I saw kids thinking about the module activities in non-scientific ways, and never developing the scientific reasoning I wanted them to have. They say you can’t teach new content and new process skills at the same time, and I think that’s true. I found kids using balances without understanding what the numbers meant, and I don’t want that to happen again.

So this year I’m going to start with measurement and the scientific method. Any ideas?

The Inquiry Continuum (PDF) describes teaching and learning at each level of inquiry. Useful for determining how inquiry-based a lesson really is.

Also available in editable Excel format. Note: The text is a bit small for 8.5×11 printouts.