Students often go back and change their explanations after having many experiences messing about or collecting evidence. They begin to see that a question is a bridge between what they know and what they don't know, or want to know. Because it's a seasonal body of water, it offers a lot of dramatic changes for students to observe. It's also a great place to write poetry and to draw. At first I model what needs to be done, then they record the weather, the colors they see, air temperature in the sun and shade, and the pH of the water.
Students also draw at least two of the plants and animals they notice.
This information, along with weather conditions, Polaroid camera shots, information about the pH of the water, and any other data collected, is entered on a computer and becomes part of our Web site and each student's individual creek journal. With each visit, the students become more proficient and capable. More questions are written down, and more tests and responsibilities are added to carry out. Students carry their own test supplies and have small white dry-erase boards to record their results. They share the data they collect, putting all the information on their observation forms, even if they did not conduct a particular test themselves, so each has an overall picture of the creek.