When I first brought the mini-unit assignment up with my master teacher, we discussed the different topics that might work in this class. After some discussion, we settled on the idea of a series of scientific inquiry lessons as opposed to a more narrow topic field. This was for two reasons. First, the State content lessons were scheduled to be taught through the Foss kits in other times of the year, leaving November void of science. Rather than just using the Foss kits, I created a set of lessons geared towards this class’ fascination with how thing work. Our hope was to help develop their overall ability to use scientific language to discuss observations, and then make conclusions from group discoveries. So, this is what was created.
 In the very beginning of my time in this fifth-grade classroom, I gave a lesson involving mystery boxes. This lesson was designed to engage the class in thinking creatively about science. Since that lesson, guessing the contents of the mystery box has become a weekly or even biweekly event. Students ask daily if today is the day to “do the mystery box.” The winner of each round takes the box home, fills it with a new mystery item, returns it to class, and the class guesses what it might be. They come up with fantastic clues, as well as equally interesting and elaborate predictions.
 Next came a lesson involving fingerprinting. This lesson was designed to engage students in self-investigation into science, to see themselves as part of something scientific. They were welcomed to ask questions, predict, investigate, collaborate, write about, organize data, and anything else they found interesting in the topic. Students shared real-life stories and made wonderful connections toward connection to the lesson.
 In the next session, we investigated paper chromatography. This lesson focused on discovering how mixtures separate. The students connected to this concept through their recent unit on land forms, in which a mixture of sand and silt was seen to separate by size in repeated experiments. The lesson sparked many more questions as to how this science works, and what ways it could be used in the “real world.” 
 Last was a lesson in which the class mystery box was “borrowed” by a teacher at the school. To catch the culprit, the students must infer suspects based on clues left behind, namely, a note which gave written and inked clues, and a fingerprint. The students jumped at the chance to use their “science eyes and ears” to find out who was to blame for taking their beloved box. After predicting who the culprit was, a small group was sent to search for the box. While reclaiming it, the culprit gives a clue as to what is in the box. The class ten uses the clue to guess at the latest contents of the box.
 All in all, the class learned to grasp the concept that science is about inquiry, about questions, and about investigations. They learned multiple ways to find information, record it, talk and write about it, as well as create it. 

ACTIVITY #1:
THE MYSTERY BOX

Sources: 
Ideas modified from class demonstration, Ron Koop, Sept. 2000
Martin, David Jerner, Elementary Science Methods: A Constructivist Approach. Wadsworth:United States, 2000.

Materials:
8 prepared mystery boxes
1 re-closable mystery box for class use
I item to place in the class mystery box for first inquiry
samples of items that could possibly be in the boxes

Bridge:
Discussion about what makes Christmas and birthday presents special: the element of surprise and guessing. This discussion helped the kids to take a real-world concept (presents) and take it to a new, scientific level.

MYSTERY BOX LESSON PLAN

I. Anticipatory set
A. State Objectives
1. Standard 1 -  to engage all students in oral questioning
2. Standard 2 - establishing an means for responsibility to group
B. Science Standards A and G
C. Rationale
To engage students in the process of questioning and explaining theories scientifically with class community.

II. Review - none needed

III. Instruction/Guided Practice
1. Questions 
 •What is the most exciting thing about Christmas or your birthday?   [presents]
 •What do you usually do before you open them?
  [shake & guess at contents]
 •Did you know that you are engaging in science by doing this?
2. Bring out one of the prepared boxes. Demonstrate shaking.
3. Explain that each group will have one box, and will be responsible for picking a spokesperson and coming up with a guess of what is in the box in the form of a complete sentence.
4. Pass out boxes. Give time for group work.
5. Listen to group responses.
(6. Show some of example pieces - Could this be in the box? Why or why not?)

IV. Closure
A. Summarize - who was right?

V. Independent Practice
A. Bring out class box.
B. Explain that everyone gets 15 seconds to explore the box.
C. Then everyone gets one sentence to explain what is in the box.
D. The closest guess wins the box for the next week’s activity.
E. Follow the rules on the box. (no food, no living things, don’t tell, etc.) 
F. Repeat weekly or biweekly.

ACTIVITY #2:
FINGERPRINTS: ORIGIN AND PATTERNS

Sources: 
Ideas modified from class demonstration, Ron Koop, Sept. 2000
Martin, David Jerner, Elementary Science Methods: A Constructivist Approach. Wadsworth:United States, 2000.
Ahouse, Jeremy John, and Jaqueline Barber, Fingerprinting. LHS GEMS:Berkeley, 1987.
 

Materials:
#2 pencils
wide scotch tape
handouts
markers
butcher paper
 

Bridge:
With the mystery box experiment, we focused on guessing an unknown. This experiment moves from an unknown to a concrete identification of things. Students will explore this concept in similar ways as the boxes were explored: scientifically.

FINGERPRINTING LESSON PLAN

I. Anticipatory Set:
Goal: To engage students in science processes including: observation, classification, recording data, and comparison.

Science content standards met: Standard A: Science as inquiry
     Standard C: Diversity of organisms

Materials: pencils
  wide scotch tape
  handouts
  markers
  butcher paper (for KWL chart and histogram)

II. Review:
 1. Create a KWL chart on an overhead.
  K-What do you know about fingerprints? (diversity, uses, etc.)
  W-What do you want to know?
 2. Use overhead to draw the basic patterns of fingerprints
  -loop, arch, and whorl
 3. What do you predict to be the most common kind of fingerprint in our    class?
  -Take a vote by hands, record on KWL chart.

III. Instruction
 1.  Model entire process of one finger print:
  -outline one hand on your record sheet
  -rub pencil on paper
  -rub finger on pencil smudge
  -place tape over finger
  -carefully pull the tape off and place on that finger on the record     sheet.
 2. Any questions?

IV. Guided Practice
 1. Go to work. Check students for understanding as they work. 
 2. When you have finished, decide which pattern you have in each     fingerprint.
 3. Record the name of the pattern next to each fingerprint on the     worksheet.

 4. Bring your completed sheet to the front.
 5. I will check over your work, then you will stamp a thumb print on the    corresponding spot on the class histogram. (While checking, record    data for class graph.)
 6. Turn to graph page.
 7. Record each section by tally on overhead or board.
 8. Graph results on your own paper.

V. Closure
 1. Return to KWL chart.
 2. What did we discover? Were we right in our prediction? Did you learn any    new uses of fingerprints?
 3. Record this under the “learned” part of the chart.

ACTIVITY #3:
PAPER CHROMATOGRAPHY:
WHO STOLE MY PEN?

Sources: 
Martin, David Jerner, Elementary Science Methods: A Constructivist Approach. Wadsworth:United States, 2000.
Beals, Kevin, and Carolyn Willard, Mystery Festival. LHS GEMS: Berkeley, 1994.
 

Materials:
paper towel or coffee filter strips
three kinds of pens, enough for each group
prepared “mystery ink” strips made with one type of pen
water containers
cups or trays for water
pencils or dowels to hang strips
tape
construction paper for group displays
handouts

Bridge:
Inks are much like fingerprints in their individual identities. Each kind of ink will separate to make a kind of “fingerprint” that is their special mark.

CHROMATOGRAPHY LESSON PLAN
Materials:
paper towel or coffee filter strips
three kinds of pens, enough for each group
prepared “mystery ink” strips made with one type of pen
water containers
cups or trays for water
pencils or dowels to hang strips
tape
construction paper for group displays
handouts

I. Anticipatory Set:

Goal: To engage students in science processes including: observation, classification, recording data, and comparison.

Science content standards met: Standard A: Science as inquiry
     Standard F: Understandings about science and         technology

II. Review:
 1. Introduction
 •Have you ever heard the word “chromatography” before?
 •What do you think it might mean?
 •Chromatography is one way to separate a mixture in order to identify it.
 •Compare to the land form models. When you poured the water onto the land, a mixture was made.
 •What parts of that mixture traveled easily with the water? (small sand or silt)
 •What parts stayed where they started?
 2. Connection
 • The ink in pens is really similar to this. It is made of different sizes of pigment (color), and some of those pigments travel more easily in water than others. 
 •Each kind of pen has a different mix of pigments that can be separated, like the sizes of sand from the land forms.
 •Today we are going to learn how to do this.

III. Instruction
 1. You will be working in groups of (  ).
 2. Each group will have a set of pens to test, as well as a prepared mystery sample.
 3. You will mark the chromatography strips with the pen half an inch from the end of the strip. This mark should be all the way across the strip. Label the strip with the number the pen is marked with.
 4. Tape the strips to a pencil so that the strip is in the water without the ink line being in the water.
 5. Observe what happens in your worksheet.
 6. After the colors stop separating, place the strips on a paper towel to dry.
 7. Create a display sheet for your results. What important information should you include?

IV. Guided practice.
 1. Does anyone have questions?
 2. Do you know who you are working with?
 3. Do you know where to record your information?
 4. Do it!

V. Closure
 1. What did you see?
 2. What colors travel fast? Which ones travel more slowly?
 3. Which pen was the mystery strip drawn with?
 4. How did you know?
 5. Did anyone run into problems?
 6. What kinds of things could this be used for?

Each child turns in one work packet; each group turns in one sheet of results.
 

ACTIVITY #4:
WHO BORROWED THE MYSTERY BOX?

Sources: 
Ahouse, Jeremy John, and Jaqueline Barber, Fingerprinting. LHS GEMS:Berkeley, 1987.
Beals, Kevin, and Carolyn Willard, Mystery Festival. LHS GEMS: Berkeley, 1994.
Ideas modified from class demonstration, Ron Koop, Sept. 2000
Martin, David Jerner, Elementary Science Methods: A Constructivist Approach. Wadsworth:United States, 2000.

Materials:
suspect samples (inks and fingerprints)
chromatography supplies
handouts
 
 

Bridge:
This lesson incorporates the skills taught in the three previous lessons in order to discover who has the beloved class mystery box.

WHO BORROWED THE MYSTERY BOX? LESSON PLAN

I. Anticipatory Set:
Goal: To engage students in science processes including: observation, classification, recording data, and comparison.
Science content standards met: Standard A: Science as inquiry
     Standard F: Understandings about science and         technology
II. Review:
 1. Introduction
 •It seems that someone has borrowed the mystery box!
 •They left behind clues that use knowledge you have learned in science this month. Find out who the culprit is and save the mystery box!
 2. Connection
 •They left behind clues that use knowledge you have learned in science this month. Find out who the culprit is and save the mystery box!

III. Instruction
 1. You will be working in groups of (  ).
 2. Each group will have a set of clues to work with.
 3. Work in your group to solve the answer. Remember, neatness counts in science!

IV. Guided practice.
 1. Does anyone have questions?
 2. Do you know who you are working with?
 3. Do you know where to record your information?
 4. Do it!

V. Closure
 1. What did you discover?
 2. Who had the box?
 3. What was in the box when it was returned?
 4. How did you know?
 5. Did anyone run into problems?
 

INTERNET RESOURCES
 

http://www.fiu.edu/~almirall/Chromatography%20Lesson%20Activity.htm
 This website includes a detailed lesson plan, with a with note and scenario included for running a paper chromatography experiment and investigation with your class.

http://askeric.org/Virtual/Lessons/Interdisciplinary/INT0021.html
 This website offers a version of a fingerprint lab, as well as a suggestion of a crime story and mystery to solve.

http://resa.net/smart/dsc/lesson6.htm
 This site focuses on the cultural background of fingerprints and other identifying marks. It would be great to use for additional information in older classrooms.

http://scorescience.humboldt.k12.ca.us/fast/teachers/Matter/matter.htm
 This site features experiments and investigations of the Gray Matter Agency-a set of detective cases and projects which require the use of the old gray matter. It could be used in classroom internet computer stations.