Natural Inquirer

Writing Course

Learn to write a Natural Inquirer article in just 250 easy steps

(Just kidding!)

Welcome to the

The Natural Inquirer is a science education resource for middle school students. A typical journal contains 6-7 articles. Each article is rewritten directly from a published scientific paper. The newest member of the Natural Inquirer family is the monograph series. A monograph contains just one article. No matter how you look at it, the scientific article is the heart of the Natural Inquirer.

In this course, you will learn to write a Natural Inquirer article.

This course is intended to be mostly self-directed.

There will, however, be occasionally scheduled “meetings” conducted by simultaneous conference call and possibly a powerpoint presentation. The purpose of these meetings is to:

1. Answer questions

2. Provide feedback

3. Share experiences

4. Improve this course

This course respects that your work week is busy and filled with commitment. To learn to write a Natural Inquirer article, however, your commitment is essential. To keep this commitment, you will have to allocate time every week.

You must be thoroughly familiar with a Natural Inquirer article before you can learn to write one. Before you begin, therefore, please do two things:

1. Read a Natural Inquirer article from beginning to end, noting the different sections. Briefly describe each of these sections in your notebook. If you do not have a Natural Inquirer article, you can download one from http://www.naturalinquirer.org. NOW…

2. Review the following presentation. This presentation introduces the journal and specifically describes the sections of a Natural Inquirer article. Reflect on each section and what it should accomplish.

Before you begin, get a notebook or folder to keep all of your Natural Inquirer notes.

Before you view the following slide show, remember this:

You are learning to write a Natural Inquirer article.

This means that you will be writing or be responsible for every one of these sections! It is important to understand each section thoroughly and clearly.

The Natural Inquirer is a science education resource….

…for middle school students and educators.

Its overall objectives are to provide a resource for learning the scientific process through reading and critical thinking, AND to learn about natural resource and environmental science. The NI is a foundational resource for hands-on science instruction.

Emphases of the Natural Inquirer:

Learning the scientific process (Addresses science process standards)

Reading science

Critical thinking about science

Learning natural resource and environmental science (and about natural resources and the environment)

(Supportive and foundational resource)

The heart of the NI is the scientific paper, written at the middle school level.

The heart of each article is the standard scientific paper format:

Introduction

Method

Findings

Discussion (or Implications)

Excuse me while I flow my snows

Do what you water

And then there were nun

Hurry up and wait

Can you hear me now?

What you see is not what you get

Generates interest in and curiosity about

the article.

Articles have...

Supports outreach by showing students that they can be

scientists. Puts a human face on science.

Note: Each edition is improved based on feedback from students and educators.

Preparation to read. Students should be given background material so that they

have some knowledge of the subject matter. This helps them to maintain

their focus and interest (Santa, Havens, & Maycumber, 1996).

Students need a purpose to read and comprehend well. For example,

giving them background information and helping them to understand how

they will use the information are powerful tools for better reading

(Tovani, 2005).

Comprehension is enhanced if students

know how a text is organized (Coutant & Perchemlides, 2005).

The principal parts of a written research paper are presented. These include the sections of Introduction, Method, Findings, and Discussion (or Implications).

16

Think of a newspaper. It helps to know how publications are organized.

Students should read with a pencil in hand. They should ask and

answer the familiar questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how (Coutant & Perchelides, 2005).

Many if not most of these questions do not have right or wrong answers.

In newer editions, possible answers are provided at the back of the journal.

Reflection Sections

Can be used to check student comprehension

Number crunches integrate math into the learning process.

Middle school students should learn how to read

and interpret charts and graphs.

Students should develop the abilities and

understandings that will enable them to engage in

scientific inquiry (National Research

Council, 2000).

Reference to PLT activities added in later editions.

One of the measures of naturalness used by the scientists is distance from roads. In this FACTivity, you will use your experience and imagination to explore whether you agree with the scientists’ conclusion. You will write a story about going home from the viewpoint of an animal who makes his or her home in the forest.

In this example, students are asked to compare their own experience with the scientific findings, and to apply this by

writing a story. Writing in conjunction with reading fosters more critical thinking

(Tierney & Shanahan, 1991).

Students should learn how to

present data in a variety of formats

(NAAEE, 1999).

23

On the web, Science Benchmarks are correlated also.

The lesson plan is designed for formal settings.

Generic or written for one article only.

The lesson plan should enable an educator to use the NI in a classroom.

Recent lesson plans:

More generic

Focused on reading and thinking: minds-on

Incorporate FACTivity for hands-on

27

Sidebars

Used occasionally

By now, you should be familiar with the sections of a Natural Inquirer article. (A journal or a monograph includes additional sections, but don’t worry about that now!)

For the remainder of this first session, we’ll focus on other important background material.

To write a Natural Inquirer article, you must also be familiar with a few educational concepts and standards. These are:

•National Science Education Standards for middle school

•Critical thinking

•The scientific process

•Steps in the scientific process

•The importance of reading in science

You will learn about these in upcoming sessions.

You have completed the first session of the Natural Inquirer Writing Course!

When you are ready, download and view Session 2: The Mind of An

Adolescent