Engaging in Guided Inquiry

The question that I chose to explore was: Which pendulum will come to rest more quickly—a lighter pendulum or heavier pendulum? In order to set up this experiment I had to access my background knowledge of pendulums; for instance, what is a pendulum? I had to decide how I was going to create my pendulum using the materials that were provided to me in my science kit. I chose to use the small, lighter washer and the large, heavier washer, along with the black string. I knew that I needed to keep the length of the pendulum and the height that I pulled the pendulum constant so that any differences I observed in swing time could solely be attributed to the weight of the pendulum. From prior experience with pendulums, I also knew that I would want an area that the pendulum could freely swing without bumping into other objects because this would change the period of the pendulum and skew my data.
I hypothesized that the lighter pendulum would come to rest more quickly because it has less mass and therefore less momentum and less potential energy. Because this pendulum has less potential energy, it also then has less energy to convert to kinetic energy which would maintain its motion. What I observed through this experiment was that the heavier pendulum swung for an average time of 3.32 minutes whereas the lighter pendulum swung for an average time of 1.33 minutes. To get these averages I conducted three trials of each weight pendulum and then averaged the time results.
I did not experience any challenges in this activity but there were a few things that I incorporated into the lab that were not provided for me. I needed to secure the pendulum to my counter top so I introduced tape into the lab. Also, I wanted an easy way to take the washers on and off of the pendulum so I introduced a paperclip to the end of the pendulum so that washers would easily be taken on and off without having to untie and retie anything. This did not affect the outcome of the investigation because the same paperclip was used with both washers, therefore, not altering the overall net difference in weight between the washers.
To get a different result with my students or to use this same experiment in different ways, I might simply ask students "What affects the period (or swing) of a pendulum?" Students would get to change different aspects of the pendulum including the weight the length, and the height that they pull it back.
To make this activity more engaging I might bring up the amusement ride with the giant ship. I could challenge the students to engineer the ride so that the ride lasts longer or rocks back and forth the fastest. They would have to experiment with the different variables to identify what would make the ride longer or slower or faster.
What I would like to students to take away from an activity such as this is I would want them to be able to plan and set up an experiment to test their hypothesis, carefully write a procedure, make observations both qualitatively and quantitatively, and draw conclusions from their data and observations. I would additionally like students to be able to apply their new knowledge in a real-world setting. I believe that if I have been practicing inquiry with my students on a regular basis then they will be ready for a guided inquiry activity such as this and will, thus, walk away with the knowledge and skills that I have sought for them.