Method and RIP® Storyboard

Chapter 8: Magnifying Student Wonder Through Scientific Inquiry

by Joyce Luka 

A student shouted out “I can see better with my own eyes!” leading to an investigation through which the nature of magnification became the content focus for this class of academically “hard-to-reach” students. The use of the “storyboard proposal” is a primary means for both planning and assessment in the RIP® model of scientific inquiry. Teacher Joyce Luca discusses in detail how she developed her implementation plan and describes how she used it as a tool for guiding her students. As the inquiry unfolds, she leads us through the evolution of her students from passive uninspired to active excited motivated learners. Connecting science to other school subjects, such as mathematics and social studies [and language arts] was one of the multitude of More Emphasis conditions addressed in this scientific inquiry. “Our study on microscopes, while meeting a lot of science standards, also addressed math and language art skills through my teaching of data analysis, my ongoing written assignments for students, and oral discussions I had with the class. The RIP was brought in as a school-wide model that applies scientific inquiry as a tool for teaching and learning across content areas.”