To create a minimum of disorder, materials are strategically set around the room, and the children use them based upon their investigation plans. The lessons are structured so that a variety of materials are available, and Wendy guides the children's access to them. During the second inquiry investigation in the year, the emphasis shifts towards the larger scientific concepts, as well as testing the notion of variables. Wendy's process is a good example of how one teacher has adapted inquiry teaching in a simple and effective way, even with young students. When the children leave Wendy's class at the end of the year, not only have they learned information about science, but they've also been introduced to skills that will help them become active, independent learners for the rest of their lives.
Many teachers use instructional materials that come prepackaged in the form of activity kits.
Most kits provide students with valuable materials and a carefully chosen sequence of related activities that support the learning of science concepts and certain process skills. Kits can provide excellent starting points for teachers interested in moving toward more student-driven investigations. But kits don't often give students the opportunity to propose, plan, and carry out their own investigations. If a kit is taught as written, the questions and procedures are often predefined. The strategies here are just a few examples of ways in which teachers can extend kits to provide more opportunities for their students to do inquiry investigations.