The purpose of this short Open Inquiry CELL is to have students solve a problem that incorporates scientific processes and cognitive skills that have been introduced during previous CELLs. The Scientific Method is explicitly addressed and is the core focus of this Open Inquire experience.

This Open Inquiry experience gives students the opportunity to independently use the cognitive skills that have been introduced to and used throughout previous CELLs. These skills will be used to perform an investigation that is based on the scientific concepts and skills of previous CELL Investigations.

Students will be encouraged to use the appropriate cognitive skills in the correct context of designing, conducting, and interpreting a real experiment. Necessary cognitive skills will be used by students as they approach the design of their experiments, including creating their own data tables, varying the parameters (variables) they are testing, and including a number of repetitions (trials), etc.

Once students have designed their experiments, they will utilize those cognitive skills necessary to solve experimental problems involving accurate measurements (times, angles, lengths), as well as identifying and eliminating experimental artifacts.

Finally, once students have completed their Open Inquiry, they will utilize the cognitive skills necessary to reflect on their experiments and determine if they have, in fact, properly tested their original hypothesis.

In this Open Inquiry, students will use those procedural skills and science concepts that have been introduced and utilized in the Investigations from previous CELLs. Examples of these are described below:

• The Open Inquiry necessitates the identification of both dependent and independent variables.
• The Open Inquiry requires students to devise experimental methods that lead to accurate, reproducible data.
• The Open Inquiry requires students to investigate the relationship between the independent and dependent variables and conclude how they are related.
• The Open Inquiry requires students to use timers, meter sticks, protractors, and any other previously used equipment and supplies that they are familiar with.
• The Open Inquiry gives the students the opportunity to follow all of the steps included in the Scientific Method.