Turns out that idea was a success. The next week, Meredith
responded:

It was the BEST discussion on perspective and 5 senses,
bringing it back to taste! Now, we research.

This was music to my ears because I have no doubt those
curious kids were truly motivated to explore and discover.

That made me wonder . . . what would they learn about how frogs
experience the world? And how would they share their new-found knowledge?

These questions bring to mind a study I once heard Bill
Badders, Past President of the National Science Teaching Association, cite:

“Scientists spend 60-70 percent of their time reading, writing, and communicating.
Literacy is an authentic part of science.”

Amen
to that.

There’s
no doubt in my mind that these third graders are scientists—people who ask questions and then seek out the answers. A scientist’s quest can take many
forms, from conducting experiments to re-examining long-forgotten museum
specimens to reading books and articles written at the third-grade level.

Look out
world . . . there’s no stopping these students!