Project Butterfly WINGS
Scientific Inquiry: What is inquiry-based learning?
The National Science Education Standards explain the importance of inquiry-based learning:
Students at all grade levels and in every domain of science should have the
opportunity to use scientific inquiry and develop the ability to think and act in
ways associated with inquiry, including asking questions, planning and conducting
investigations, using appropriate tools and techniques to gather data, thinking
critically and logically about relationships between evidence and explanations,
constructing and analyzing alternative explanations, and communicating scientific
arguments. (National Research Council, 1996, p.105)
What does it mean to do an inquiry-based project?
Inquiry is the heart of the learning process promoted in WINGS. In traditional teaching models, the
teacher dispenses knowledge and the student passively absorbs it. With inquiry, youth actively reason
and engage in investigations they design. Inquiry learning empowers youth to discover what interests
them and encourages them to use their skills to further their knowledge. In general, inquiry includes three
steps: question, investigate and communicate results. Types of Inquiry
There are three types of inquiry. The descriptions will help you
understand ways you can implement inquiry-based learning throughout
the WINGS project. You can engage youth through any type of inquiry,
but certainly guided and open are more empowering. Which ones you
use may depend on the level and interests of the youth. Be flexible in
your approach.
Structured
Leaders give youth a question to answer, a way to answer the question
and the necessary materials, but not the expected outcomes. Example:
“Let’s investigate how many days it takes a Black Swallowtail to emerge
as a butterfly from its pupa.We can raise the larvae we found in the
garden to find the answer.”
Guided
Youth must figure out a way to answer a question given by the leader. Example: “I notice we see the
same kind of butterflies around the garden. How do you think we can increase the variety of butterflies
in our garden?”
Open
Youth formulate the question they will investigate and determine ways to
answer it. Example: Youth ask “How do the butterflies in my garden at
home compare to the butterflies I see at this park?”
Project Butterfly WINGS
Sample investigation questions
Which butterflies are found in this area?
Observe the same site over time to develop a species list or checklist.
What new butterflies would these host plants attract to my site?
Monitor a site for a given period of time, then add various host plants and monitor the change in
species and numbers.
How do changes in weather affect the presence of butterflies?
Make observations during different weather conditions to determine the effect of weather on butterfly
activity.
When are butterflies most active?
Monitor a site hourly on the same day and under the same weather conditions to see when butterflies
are most active and if different butterflies are active at different times of the day.
Which habitat has more butterflies?
Monitor species at different sites with similar weather conditions to compare habitats.
Who eats butterflies?
Observe and note butterfly predators.
Does my favorite butterfly have a favorite nectar plant? Is there a link between the
size of the butterfly and the size of the flowers it nectars on?
Observe and note butterfly nectaring behavior. Project Butterfly WINGS
Question quest:
Scientific Inquiry
Activity
Plan and conduct an investigation to explore your
questions about butterflies.
Science Connection
Plan and conduct an investigation­— Scientists study
the natural world, using evidence to develop explanations.
Stewardship Quest
Scientists know there is much left
to learn about our world. What
are you curious about? Will your
discoveries have a positive impact
on the world? Go for it!
“The wise man doesn’t give the right answers,
he poses the right questions.” Claude Levi-Strauss
Scientists ask questions they are curious about and design
investigations to find answers. The exciting thing about being
a scientist is the questions you choose lead to a fascinating
adventure.
Asking questions is one of the first steps in a scientific
investigation. But often, scientists come up with additional
questions throughout their investigation. You may find this
happens when you investigate. You may repeat some steps or
complete them in a different order as you collect data to develop
an explanation from your evidence.
Explore questions you have about butterflies by designing
your own investigation. Use scientific inquiry to guide your
study. Scientific Inquiry
1. Notice things about the world.
2. Ask questions about things you observe that can be
answered through scientific investigations.
3. Design your investigation.
4. Gather and analyze your data.
5. Interpret your evidence to develop an explanation.
6. Share what you find.
s
kill ing
S
e
Lif l think ion
at
i ca
Crit munic
Com
Project Butterfly WINGS
Let’s Go!
The quest begins
Step 1: Notice things about the world
Now that you have started butterfly date lists, you are ready to begin your question quest!
Think about the many observations you made.
Step 2: Ask questions about things you observe
Think about your experiences in WINGS. What are you still curious about?
Look through your journal entries to remind you.
Ask questions that lead to gathering and using data to develop explanations. Begin your questions
with “how,” “which” or “what.” Many “why” questions cannot be addressed by science. Questions
about beliefs or issues like good and evil cannot be studied in a scientific way.
.
Write yo ur qu es tio ns he re
Narrow it down
Look over your list. For each question you wrote, ask “Can I answer this question with an
investigation?” “Will I be able to collect enough data to develop an explanation?”
Project Butterfly WINGS
Question quest ideas:
Date list
You can use what you have learned with your date list to design a question about butterflies. For
example, you could compare the presence or abundance of butterfly species at different places,
or at the same place during different times of day, weather conditions and seasons.
Favorite food
Compare which food sources get the most visitors: A butterfly feeder, various nectar plants and
rotten fruits. Experiment by adding and removing the food sources to see if the most popular
ones change.
Select a questi on for your quest and write it here.
Step 3: Design your investigation
As much as possible, scientists control the variables or conditions of their investigations to decrease the
number things that may affect their evidence. Ideally, they vary one condition at a time. But often this is
not possible, so it is critical to identify all the variables which could affect the investigation.
Look around where you are doing your investigation. Are there things that might affect your results? Try
to eliminate as many of these variables as you can. For example, if your study involves three plants and
one is always in the shade, pick a location where all three plants get the same amount of sunlight.
set up
De sc rib e how yo u w ill
Lis t m ater ia ls fo r yo ur
yo ur inves tig at io n.
inves tig at io n.
u w ill us e. Inc
ho ds an d any to ol s yo
et
m
e
th
ing
lud
inc
,
ta
ga th er da
ns .
De sc rib e how yo u w ill
re co rd yo ur ob se rvat io
ill
w
u
yo
n
te
of
w
ho
d
yo u w ill ob se rve an
lud e w ha t
Project Butterfly WINGS
Prepare and label a data table so your data is well organized. If you want to investigate how active
butterflies are during different times of day, your table might look like this. Why is it important to collect
data over several days?
Numbers of Butterflies in My Garden at Different Times of Day
Time
of day
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
9 a.m.
10 a.m.
11 a.m.
Noon
1 p.m. 2 p.m.
3 p.m.
4 p.m.
Step 4: Gather and analyze
your data
Gather data
Record your observations on the journal pages. Include the date, time and any other notes
about your observations. Photographs provide documentation.
Analyze data
Compile your data. What are your results?
Project Butterfly WINGS
Step 5: Interpret your evidence to develop an explanation
What did you learn during your investigation?
Were you able to get a clear answer to your question? If not, why?
Do you need to repeat the investigation?
Are there other explanations? How much data do you need for an
explanation?
Did you discover something else? If so, what?
What new questions do you have?
Step 6: Share what you find
Tell the story of your quest. Scientists share the results of their investigations. One
scientist’s discovery leads to questions by other scientists. Science knowledge
changes as scientists explore new questions. How can you take what you did in your
question quest and tell the story in a way
that is easy for others to understand?
Here are some ways to tell your story:
1. Draw or take pictures. Show the steps
from beginning to end. Label the pictures
with short descriptions.
2. Use graphs. There are many types of
graphs and creative ways to show what
you found. Look at the data you collected
during the quest and organize it into graphs.
Project Butterfly WINGS
ES
M
I
T
Y
L
F
R
E
T
BUT
e rs it y
iv
d
io
B
d
n
a
a
r
L e p id o p te
r
o
f
r
e
t
n
e
, F lo r id a
C
le
e
il
ir
v
s
u
e
G
c
in
a
M
G
e
h
in
T
io n q u e s t
t
s
e
u
q
le
p
m
a
u r d a ta
d a n a ly z e yo
conducts s
n
a
r
e
th
a
G
:
p4
ct ua l
ue st a fte r th is a
q
n
io
st
ue
q
ur
yo
Yo u ca n m o d el
ur ow n!
d es ig n o ne of yo
r
o
n
inve st ig a tio
wo rl d
g s a b o u t th e
in
th
b ers of
ce
ti
o
N
1:
S te p
lay eg g s o n m em
ils
ta
w
llo
a
Sw
ni se
fe nn el .
T he Bl a ck a nd A
p a rs ley, d ill a nd
g
in
ud
cl
in
,
ily
m
th e ca rrot fa
S te
na l. Ta ke
G a th er d a ta
rva tio ns in a jo ur
se
b
o
nd
a
es
tim
Re co rd d a te s,
nt s.
a ng es in th e p la
p ic tu re s of th e ch
g s la id o n
A na ly ze d a ta
e nu m b ers of eg
th
d
d
A
s.
g
in
d
first o b se rved
C a lc ul a te th e fin
a t th e d a te s yo u
k
o
Lo
.
s on
nt
la
p
st
ea ch ho
llow ta il la id eg g
a
Sw
ck
a
Bl
e
th
su lts :
up . Bl a ck
th e eg g s. T he re
la nters were set
p
e
th
r
fte
a
ks
st
th e d ill si x wee
g s o n a ll th re e ho
eg
y
la
to
d
ue
in
nt
Swa llow ta ils co
xt two m o nt hs .
ne
e
th
r
p la nt s fo
e lo p a n
id e n ce to d ev
v
e
r
u
o
y
t
re
S te p 5 : In te rp
st , b ut th is d o es
ex p la n a ti o n
id eg g s o n d ill fir
la
il
ta
w
llo
a
Sw
tio n of th e
T he Bl a ck
ho st p la nt . Lo ca
e
rit
vo
fa
e
th
is
w hi ch
not m ea n d ill
ul d have a ffe cted
co
s
le
b
ria
va
r
o ul d
he
inve st ig a tio n sh
p la nters a nd ot
rve
he
T
se
.
b
st
o
fir
u
w
o
y
sa
s
ly
g
ut te rf
u t th in
lt ch a ng es .
ho st p la nt th e b
u e st io n s a b o
refe r to lay
to se e if th e re su
p
il
es
ta
tim
w
l
llo
S te p 2 : A sk q
ra
a
ve
Sw
se
b e re p ea te d
d o es th e Bl a ck
W hi ch ho st p la nt
?
el
nn
fe
r
o
y
ve st ig a tio n
, p a rs le
m e o ut of th e in
ca
t
he r eg g s o n: d ill
a
th
ns
io
st
N ew q ue
a ffe ct
a ti o n
p la nt ? D o es th is
ig
ch
st
ea
e
n
v
o
in
id
r
u
la
o
ny
s a re
a llow ta il ho st
S te p 3 : D e si g
1. H ow m a ny eg g
of th re e Bl a ck Sw
ne
s
o
ze
ith
si
w
rva e?
e
la
th
er
e
nt
s a nd
Fi ll ea ch p la
su rv iva l of th
ha tc h?
ke ep th e p la nter
s,
le
b
ria
es
p
va
ta ke th e eg g s to
l
ty
it
ro
es
nd
nt
o
a
d
co
s
ze
To
ng
si
lo
s.
e
nt
m
sa m e p la nt ?
p la
2. H ow
a g es live o n th e
sa m e. U se th e sa
t
e
of
en
th
ts
er
s
iff
nt
un
d
o
la
p
m
of
a
st
e
e
a
ho
of th e
3. D o la rv
a nd th e sa m
la nt s?
in ea ch p la nter,
d a ta .
e
th
ct
ffe
la rva e ki ll th e p
a
o
d
of ne cta r p la nt s
D
ul
4.
o m e p up a e?
co
t
a
th
ns
o
su rv ived to b ec
e
ll co nd iti
a
a
rv
re
la
a
ny
se
a
he
m
T
il.
a e ea t?
so
5. H ow
la nt s d o th e la rv
p
e
th
of
s
rt
a
p
6. W hi ch
p la nt s?
ct s ea t th e sa m e
se
in
r
te ? If so ,
he
ot
o
M a te ria ls
D
7.
)
fe nn el
st p la nt to p up a
ho
nd
a
e
y
th
le
m
rs
o
a
fr
p
,
el
ill
H o st p la nt s (d
8. D o la rva e trav
s
nt
la
p
r
N ec ta
how fa r?
il
Pott in g so
w h a t yo u fi n d
G a rd en in g to o ls
ra p hs th a t
S te p 6 : S h a re
a ta ta b le s a nd g
se
d
ho
ith
r
o
w
n
ng
ca
lo
g
a
rin
s,
o
o n a p o ster.
Wa te
Ph ot
ca n b e in cl ud ed
,
lts
su
re
s
e
er
th
nt
e
la
p
Pots o r
su m m a riz
s
er
w
ns
a
d
fin
ta to
u w ill g a th er d a
k to
D es cr ib e how yo
re e tim es a wee
th
st
a
le
t
a
s
nt
la
p
st . st
Exa m in e th e ho
il lays eg g s o n fir
ta
w
llo
a
Sw
ck
a
th e Bl
se e w hi ch p la nt
te th e p la nt s
of eg g s a nd no
er
b
m
nu
e
th
rd
Re co
th ey a re o n.