A Q.U.E.S.T. for Earthworms

To view the photo-rich magazine version, click here.

Originally appears in the Fall 2019 issue.

By Suzanna Joor

“Are you KIDDING ME?!? We get to touch real earthworms?! I thought we would read about them, not touch them!” A first-grader reacts to the first earthworm observation day in class after learning a few earthworm facts. Hands-on interactions with organisms such as earthworms never fail to create high levels of student excitement, engagement, learning, observations, and inquiries. 

“I wonder why this earthworm is going crazy and that one looks lazy.” 

“Look… I can see the dirt this one ate!” “Why is this one more see-through than that one?”

As children look closely at natural organisms, it doesn’t take long to witness a flurry of diverse observations and questions. Promoting student inquiries and exploring a range of questions are core components of student-driven science explorations. In my practice as an elementary school teacher, one challenge I face is identifying how to organize new outdoor science investigations. Thankfully, there is a powerful framework to promote student-led inquiries that was created by scientists and educators at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA. This teaching tool is aptly titled Q.U.E.S.T.¹