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This inquiry was selected because it covered many objectives in the Mason Kindergarten Curriculum. The students were able to examine sunflowers, grass and trees and make comparisons. (How are they alike, how are they different) It also helped them to observe like "scientists" using their senses to make observations. We had good discussions about drawing only what we see, as it wasn't a time to use our imaginations. They were actually reminding their peers not to add extra details to their drawings if the observations weren't actually made. I did add in some books not listed in the original inquiry I read parts of "What is a Scientist?" by Barbara Lehn to help support our roles as "scientists". I also read "Is It Alive" by Marcia S Freeman a big book on living and non-living. ( Portions of this unit were added in, as it is in our curriculum) It was a great book written at a level Kindergartners could understand. The children were fascinated by the pictures in this book. I could not locate "Look at a Tree" so I substituted "A Tree is Nice" by Janice Udry. Due to space considerations, I chose to send the children's plants home for observation. They each planted a cup with "mystery seeds" to be observed at home. It was actually grass seed, which will grow quickly. We talked about why it wouldn't be a good idea to plant a flower seed outside at this time of year. I did package up some sunflower seeds to go home, with a note about planting them in the spring or summer. The children have absolutely loved being "scientists" and going outside to make observations. Adding this much science to our curriculum at this time of the year has been a challenge time-wise, but everyone ( including the teacher!) has been very engaged in the lessons.

Debbie Egner
Kindergarten Teacher
MECC
Mason OH 45040

I finished an abbreviated version of Learning to Look with a sunflower head. The students were excited about the seeds. I didn't have the sunflower book that was recommended, but found two more in our library that worked well. After our observations we harvested the seeds and used them in an estimation activity in math class the next day. With 1732 seeds we decided to save half for our spring planting activities and to feed half to the birds outside our window this winter.

Sue Cunningham
Second Grade Teacher
Madeira Elementary
Cincinnati, OH 45243

We chose this inquiry because our science curriculum includes scientific
inquiry/observational skills as an element in each unit. This
foundational information and experience will serve the children well
through the entire school year. We also use the Responsive Classroom
approach in our building and the design of the inquiry lent itself well at
this point in the school year.

I liked the active nature of the inquiry. The children were able to
move around and use their senses. The lessons were fast paced and
age-appropriate with very few modifications needed for early Kindergarten.
I liked the ease with which this inquiry blended with other curricular
areas.

We made a few modifications to the inquiry: In addition to one large
teacher written chart paper record of the observations, each child drew a
detailed picture of their observation. They were challenged to draw only
what they could see - they wanted to draw what they knew could be there,
like bugs, but did not observe at that time. Also, I brought a newly cut
sunflower plant into the classroom to compare to a dried sunflower head
for the "Dead and Alive" lesson. Our day is so short that eliminating
travel time was essential to give enough observation, comparison, and
recording time for this part. I used the "Comparing Plants I See" page
from Living and Non-Living as a recording page. I was unable to find
flower seeds at this time of the year, so the children planted grass seed
with parent volunteers. I planted grass seed to grow at school as well.

We connected these lessons to math (positional words and spatial sense;
counting; comparing more/less; shapes), language arts (descriptive
language; compare/contrast; sequencing), and Social Studies (careers).

This inquiry became part of the "Plants and Animals" theme for the
month. We really built on the living/non-living introduction to explore
those concepts fully. We also used activities from the SFO Living and
Non-living Inquiry to support this learning. These two inquiry mesh
nicely together to explore this idea.

I have heard comments from the children as they work on other activities
that reflect the language and processes they learned and practiced as part
of this inquiry. For example, the other day a boy said "I made different
textures on the playdough - just like the tree trunk."

Karen Pawlak
Mason Early Childhood Center
211 North East Street
Mason, OH 45040