Strategy Reflection #8 Generating & Testing Hypotheses

What?

Marzano explains generating and testing hypothesis as involving the application of knowledge. Most of the time when you generate and test hypotheses, you use two types of thinking, deductive and inductive. By using a variety of structured tasks to help guide students to generate and test their hypotheses, students can reach a higher level of thinking. The one that I used in my history class is the historical investigation.

So What?

My students had been learning about the early European settlers who came to the New World in the 1500s. Upon learning about the early settlers, we also discussed the Lost Colony of Roanoke in North Carolina. As many of you may well know the Lost Colony was settled in 1587 and started out with 115 men, women, and children. However when their leader left for England and returned three years later, he came back to discover that everyone on the colony had disappeared. Naturally my students' enthusiasm on the subject amplified. They began asking me questions about what happened to the colonists. I saw this as an opportunity to incorporate the historical investigation. I created a worksheet and required my students to respond to four instructions. I asked them to clearly describe the historical event being examined, identify what is known about that time period, offer a hypothetical scenario about what they believed happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke, and finally research evidence to determine if the hypothetical scenario they came up with was plausible. My students were split into groups where they worked together to complete the worksheets. I was amazed at how well my students had understood the assignment. They were able to describe the possible diseases that were around during this time period that might have possibly led to the disappearance of the colonists. By the end of the assignment my students came up with scenarios that the people just moved to another location and didn't leave a note behind, they were killed by either Indians or the Spaniards, they all contracted the diseases and died from not being treated or they starved to death. Then once we discussed their scenarios I showed them the research that suggests that most of the things they said were the same explanations historians had come up with already.

Now What?

My students were so excited about trying to figure out what happened with the Lost Colony that they enjoyed the lesson. They were engaged in the group work and coming up with solutions to the disappearance. I found it impressive that my students were able to generate and test their hypotheses. I decided that I will use this lesson for as long as I teach US History so my other students can discover the same enthusiasm. I will also use it in my other history classes.