Goals | Timeline | Sample Activities | Resources | Questions | Checklist

Goals [top]

During the immersion period, ScienceQuest teams have three goals:

1. To get to know each other and the interests of the group
2. To inspire, excite, and generate questions about a variety of topics
3. To discover a passionate research question based on the team's immersion activities

Timeline [top]

ScienceQuest teams usually participate in three to five immersion activities over two to three meeting sessions. Some teams have longer or shorter immersion periods, depending on how quickly teams find their passionate research questions.

Sample Activities [top]

Immersion activities inspire excitement among team members by engaging all five senses.

Possible activities can include:

• Brainstorming areas of interest within the team.
• Looking at interactive Web sites and CD-ROMs.
• Performing a tabletop experiment from the "Science Is" book or ScienceQuest Online Resource Center (Online Resources).
• Participating in a field trip to the local bakery or animal shelter.
• Walking around the block and drawing pictures of interesting birds, rocks, plants, and animal life.
• Recording questions from all team members at the end of sessions.

Resources for Phase 1 [top]

• Read about a sample day in Phase 1: Immerse in Science.
• Stories from experienced ScienceQuest coaches
• Q&A on common challenges
• The ScienceQuest Online Resource Center (Online Resources) is a searchable database of activities, experiments, and links to helpful Web sites that your team can explore during immersion.
• Download the guide to developing passionate research questions (PDF).
• Online resources for science research
• Science and health resources from the New York Times (includes lesson plans, reports, and links)
• Experiments and activities from the "Science Is" book that you may have received at a ScienceQuest training.

Tips on working with youth

• Giving directions
• Keeping kids focused
• Asking good questions
• Using journals
• Techniques for sharing ideas
• Techniques for group sharing

Questions to Ask Team Members [top]

• What did we do?
• What did we learn?
• What happened?
• What would happen if. . . ?
• What do we want to learn more about this?
• How can we record our experiences?

Checklist for Phase 1: Immerse in Science Activities

Your team is ready to move to the next phase when it has done the following:

Ventured out of the lab for at least one formal or informal field trip
Participated in at least two hands-on activities
Documented activities by recording notes, observations, questions
Identified a passionate research question for further investigation

 

Download Acrobat Reader for free.

Goals | Timeline | Sample Activities | Resources | Questions | Checklist