Structured Inquiry Lesson Reflection

“Science inquiry is a process of trying to explain observations made of the natural world around us” (Buxton & Provenzo, 2007, p. 16). This week in my seventh grade Earth and Space Science classroom, I designed an inquiry lesson that allowed my students to investigate what causes certain areas of Earth to experience seasonal changes. In this inquiry lesson, students made a hypothesis about what they thought caused seasons and then carried out an investigation to gather information about how the Earth moves around the Sun. Students also investigated how this movement around the sun could cause seasonal changes on some areas of Earth. During this investigation, students were making measurements, creating models and drawing conclusions to help them explain a natural phenomenon. This lesson allowed my students to understand the science behind the cause of seasons. It strengthened their knowledge from memorization of facts to understanding of scientific principles.

I began my lesson by having students explain (through drawing a picture or writing an explanation) what causes the seasonal changes on Earth. This assessment allowed me to see that many students understood that Earth had a tilted axis and that was a contributing factor to the change in seasons. This assessment also showed me that some students thought we get closer to the sun during summer and farther from the sun during the winter. None of the drawings of the cause of seasons showed Earth revolving around the Sun.

After this assessment I had students complete an on-line investigation called “A Year of the Sun” (McDougal & Littell, 2010). In this investigation students observed and measured the diameter of pictures of the Sun taken one month apart for a year. Then students used this measurement to figure the Earth’s distance from the Sun each month. Finally students plotted these points around the Sun and saw the shape of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. They were able to draw conclusions about when the Earth is closest to and furthest from the Sun. In my opinion, this part of the lesson provided the most enduring lesson for students. They were able to see Earth’s elliptical orbit because they had plotted actual distances throughout the year. Students were also given proof that the Sun is most distant in the Northern Hemisphere’s Summer and closest in the Northern Hemisphere’s Winter. This fact was mind blowing for some of my students. It left them puzzled and allowed enough confusion that they wanted to find out how it was possible for our warmest time of the year to be the same time of the year we are farthest from the Sun. “There are certain rules involved in this [inquiry] process, including the generation of theory, the collection of data through observation, and/or measurement and the analysis and interpretation of those data in an attempt to answer the initial question” (Buxton & Provenzo, 2007, p. 16).

The next day I put the information collected from the previous day’s exploration and told students that according to each groups measurements Earth is farthest from the Sun during our Summer and closest to the Sun during the Winter. I gave students 2 minutes to discuss this conclusion with their groups. Then, I told students that I would give them tools to model Earth’s revolution around the Sun. They would make observations and draw conclusions about what accounts for the seasonal differences we experience during the year. Students were given a lab investigation sheet and began the experiment.

As students investigated how Earth moved around the Sun, they were asked to draw the pattern of light and shadow on the ball at 4 different points in the orbit. As I went around to each group they were making connections between the amount of light and seasons. Students were able to deduct that the hemisphere with the most light and least shadow would have the longest days. They also saw that the hemisphere that had the most light was getting direct sunlight making it warmer. They were able to see that there were two positions where both hemispheres received equal light meaning it must be spring and autumn.
Figure 1: Stephanie’s responses and drawing for questions #10-12:

Why do seasons change during the year?
Student response: Because of its tilt and movement around the sun.
Can you explain why not every area on the surface has seasons?
Student response: Yes, because the tropical zones get direct sunlight all year and the poles get indirect sunlight all year. So, some places get direct sunlight while others do not get any direct sunlight all year.

Figure 2: Mckenzie’s Response and Drawing for question #9.

As I observed the conversations going on at one group, I could tell they were really making connections to why areas experience different seasons. I was disappointed though to see their sketches of the globes. My students had trouble transferring what they were seeing onto the paper. The same students that were giving me beautiful oral explanations of where the globe was illuminated were not able to draw that on their own sketch.


Figure 3: Tyler’s responses and drawing to questions #10-12:
Why do seasons change during the year?
Student response: Because of Earth’s orbit around the sun and its tilted axis, areas get different amounts of sunlight throughout the year.

Can you explain why not every area on the surface has seasons?
Student response: Because of Earth’s axis, some parts on Earth receive less sunlight so they only have winter or when they receive more sunlight they only have summer.

The most disappointing part of this explanation came during the explanation phase. Students were able to express their thinking verbally but had trouble answering the questions I had prepared for them. Making the model seemed to be the most challenging part for my students. To improve this lesson, I should “design a set of thought-provoking questions that allow students to explain what they did and reflect on what they learned” (Hammerman, 2006). I think that the drawing was a great way to have them transfer their learning, but I should have reinforced that a scientific drawing should include everything they see. (the axis, equator, pattern of light, etc.) Students must understand that they should draw exactly what they see if they want their drawing to be evidence for their investigation. Unfortunately many of my students were drawing what they thought the Earth should look like in each position instead of exactly what they observed.
Figure 3: Faulty drawings

Student response: The seasons change during the year because of Earth’s tilted axis and revolution around the sun.
Student response: Not every area on the surface of Earth has seasons because there on the equator and they get direct sunlight all year.



As a result of teaching this inquiry science lesson, I learned that students gain a deeper understanding of scientific principles when they investigate and discover those principles on their own. In the past, I have told my students about Earth’s elliptical orbit and that we are closer to the sun in our hemisphere’s winter and only about half of the students really seem to get it. But having the students use real pictures of the sun and take their own measurements to model the Earth’s orbit and position at each month of the year really made the lesson meaningful to students. Students also gained a deeper understanding of the reason some areas on Earth’s surface experience changing seasons.