One of the ongoing experiments in my language arts classes has been guiding students through non-fiction text using scientific inquiry. Step One - I read the first one or two paragraphs of a non-fiction piece to my students. Step Two - With the limited information they now have, I ask them to create a hypothesis as to what the story is going to be about or what information they are going to learn as they read. Step Three - Students read the rest of the piece independently, actively gathering facts that either support or disprove his or her hypothesis. Step Four - Students are then directed to write a conclusion that, in detail, proves or disproves the original hypothesis. Step Five - A mini seminar is then conducted, so students can share ideas and reveal the observations they made of the text and their thinking process as they analyze the material.
Note - It is very important to discuss the value of keeping an open mind in proving one's self wrong. This, of course, is how we grow has human beings and thinkers. It is also how the human race has progressed over the centuries.
Note - It is very important to discuss the value of keeping an open mind in proving one's self wrong. This, of course, is how we grow has human beings and thinkers. It is also how the human race has progressed over the centuries.