Extreme Deep Teacher's Guide.pdf - Evergreen Exhibitions

Hundred-Inch Hike
ACTIVITY
Materials
■ stopwatch
■ magnifying glass
■ pencil and paper
Questions to Begin
■ How to scientists make discoveries? (Have students offer their points of view, then explain the
OPENS method.)
Procedure
1. Lay a 100-inch tape measure across each of several microhabitats on or near your school
grounds. Possibilities include the sidewalk, lawn, forest trail, garden edge, meadow, etc.
2. Instruct students that they’re going on a 100-inch adventure.
3. Have students pick (or assign them to) one of the microhabitats.
4. On their hike, students will make a list of 5 observations in one column, and a list of inferences
(possible meanings) about those observations in another column (see the Observation Sheet).
For instance, if a student notices a leaf that has a hole in it, she might write “leaf with hole in
center” in the observation column and “a caterpillar chewed the hole” in the inferences column.
5. Gather students together and have each make a list of evidence they’ll need to support each of
their inferences. For the caterpillar example, finding a caterpillar eating the same kind of leaf
and leaving a similar pattern would be strong evidence to support the inference.
6. Return to the micro-hikes areas and have students collect evidence to support or refute one of
their inferences. If there’s time, have them bolster their findings with additional evidence from
nearby areas.
7. When they’re done, have students present their observation, inference and evidence to support
their discovery to the class.
Questions to Close
■ What was your observation?
■ What inferences did you make about what you observed?
■ What evidence did you find to back up your conclusion?
Adapted from:
Cornell, Joseph. Sharing Nature with Children: Ananda Publications, 1979.
Gross, Phyllis, and Esther P. Railton. Teaching Science in an Outdoor Environment. Berkeley, CA: University of California
Press, 1972.
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