Research Quest Blog

Voices From the Classroom: Heather Sikes

Embracing Innovative Learning: Heather Sikes' Journey with Research Quests During COVID-19

My name is Heather Sikes, I am a sixth-grade teacher at Wright STEM Elementary School. I began using Research Quest with my students during the COVID-19 quarantine period. My district's elementary science specialist had made the recommendation, and it was a perfect tool to cover our 6.4 Strand: Stability and Change in Ecosystems (NGSS MS-LS2). The Natural History Museum of Utah had assembled all of the resources I needed…all I had to do was assign the investigations to my class, lead class discussions, and monitor their progress.

Aligning with Learning Standards: Enhancing Science Education through Research Quest

Since that time, I have been using the Change in the Uinta Mountains Research Quest to bolster my instruction every year. I provide a Research Assistant Notebook for each of my students, and we work through a section of each investigation every day. The Gather/Analyze/Interpret/Communicate format is logical, and well laid out, and my students quickly grasp what is expected of them. The Research Quests were obviously created using Utah's SEEd& NGSS's MS-LS2 standards as a framework and the resources for educators are excellent. Because the investigations are based locally, I believe they are more meaningful to my students.

Engaging Students Through Cross-Curricular Connections in Investigations

Throughout the investigations, my students are fully engaged as they are asked to gather and interpret data, sharing their predictions and thinking with peers. At no point are answers just fed to kids, students are required to really think about the phenomena they are studying. It is at the end of each investigation, the "Communicate" portion, when I see the most engagement and growth in my students' understanding. This part of the investigation usually includes a cross-curricular tie, for example, students are asked to write a one-act play or draw a comic strip that demonstrates their thinking. My kids get to be creative and share what they have learned with the rest of the class; this is usually their favorite part of the investigation and where I get to see their progress.