What's In The Box?!?

You're given a film container with something in it. You can't see inside the container and you can't open it. What is in the container?

The possibilities are endless as to what is inside. Start asking yourself what could it be. Could it be just one object? Is there two things in there? What does it sound like? Just keep asking yourself questions about what is inside. Eventually you'll guess it, right?

Ok, here is Clue #1: Here are some possible objectss that could be inside the film container. Do you think you know what it is now? Question some more.
Clue #2: You probably what another empty container to compare the two. Now do you have an idea? Do any of the objects sound the same?
Clue#3: What if I told you you could weight the containers?
Based on the three clues, you should have a pretty good idea what is inside the first container. Were you right??

I really like this activity because it really gets me thinking. Most times, I am given information but I really don't' think about it. It was honestly difficult to come up with as many questions about what I thought was inside the container. This is also a good way to  help students understand the inquiry wheel and how the scientific method is only used for writing. In science, you must ask lots of questions and check up on those questions. It is ok if your answer is wrong because you can always ask more questions and within time, you will get your answer. As Dr. Lowe puts it, "Science is messy!"

Here is an example of the Inquiry Wheel: