The researcher's goal is to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world by encouraging students to think critically and gather information from numerous sources. By introducing field experiences and primary sources into the curriculum, student engagement increased. Students were able to make a personal connection with their studies and…

We report on the development of a middle school life sciences inquiry module, Sensing the Environment. This "data-enriched" inquiry module includes a series of activities exploring the nature of science, photosynthesis, transpiration, and natural selection, which culminates in students' querying authentic environmental data to support a scientific…