Phase / Activity Description / Estimated number of 60-minute sessions / Teacher notes / Materials
Challenge / ½ / On the first day of this unit you should be able to complete the challenge and get started on Initial Ideas (Phase 2). A good stopping point would be after students have completed their individual initial ideas. /
  • Idea Journal
  • Pictures of isopods

Initial Ideas / Students work individually to brainstorm and write what they know or think they know about isopods and draft an initial plan for a habitat. / ½ / See above /
  • Idea Journal
  • Blank Team Habitat Plan
(1 per team)
Initial Ideas /
  • Students work as teams to share and record ideas
  • Each team creates an initial plan
  • The whole class shares ideas and compiles a list of questions to investigate
/ 1
Experimental Research:
Whole class /
  • Discuss class experiment
  • Write prediction, materials, procedure, and identify variables
/ 1 / Depending on how much prior experience your students have had with inquiry science, your students may need more or less scaffolding and it may take more or fewer days /
  • Sample inquiry sheet
  • Runway construction instructions
  • Sample procedure
  • Inquiry sheet: Moisture
  • Blank inquiry sheet (if needed)
  • Science conclusion shaping sheet
  • Idea Journal
  • Soil (moist and dried)
  • Runways
  • Isopods

Experimental Research:
Whole class /
  • Conduct Experiment
/ 1
Experimental Research:
Whole class /
  • Compile class data
  • Write conclusion
/ 1 / Your students may need more or less scaffolding and it may take more or fewer days
Decision Point: At this point in the unit, you will need to evaluate your students’ readiness to move on to guided practice with experimental research. If they seem ready, you can begin student-generated experiments; if not, you may choose to model or scaffold this with one or two more whole-class experiments.
Experimental Research:
Student-Generated /
  • Decide on topic
  • Write investigative question
/ 1 /
  • Blank inquiry sheet
  • Science conclusion shaping sheet
  • Runways
  • Isopods
  • Other supplies as determined by teams
  • Idea Journal

Experimental Research:
Student-Generated /
  • Write procedure
/ 1 / Following this lesson, you will want to collect the students’ procedures in order to give them feedback before they make revisions in the following lessons.
Experimental Research:
Student-Generated /
  • Revise procedure based on teacher feedback
  • Begin investigation
/ 1 / Depending on how the repeated trials are structured, you may be able to finish the investigation in this day.
Experimental Research:
Student-Generated /
  • Finish investigation if needed
  • Write conclusion
/ 1
Experimental Research:
Student-Generated /
  • Share findings with class
  • Add to class question list based on findings
  • Begin new student-generated research cycle
/ 1
Decision Point: Now that you have finished the first student-generated research cycle, the students will repeat this process as time allows. They will continue to generate relevant questions and investigate them as described above. The second student-generated experimental research cycle will serve as the Inquiry Assessment. The class should have completed at least two student-generated research cycles (preferably more if time and student interest allows) before moving on.
Revised Ideas /
  • Revise individual student ideas
  • Revise team ideas
  • Begin to generate ideas for print/web research
/ 1 /
  • Idea Journal
  • Team Habitat Plan

Research /
  • Conduct print/web research
/ 3 / The amount of time for this may vary greatly, depending on your class, the topics they are researching, and the amount of time you have available. /
  • Idea Journal
  • Computer access
  • FOSS science stories
  • Isopod book from FOSS
  • Other books/sources on isopods from library, as available

Revised Ideas /
  • Revise individual student ideas
  • Revise team ideas
  • Create final habitat plan
/ 1 /
  • Idea Journal
  • Team Habitat Plan

Create/Go Public /
  • Set up habitats
/ 1 /
  • Terrariums
  • Isopods
  • Other supplies as determined by teams

Create/Go Public /
  • Prepare for Go Public
/ 1-2 /
  • Supplies needed based on the final project chosen by teacher

Go public! Celebrate and share student accomplishments.