Participants will KNOW  Inquiry-based learning

Participants will UNDERSTAND  Inquiry-based instruction teaches children to use their own minds and think.

Participants will BE ABLE TO  Develop a list of curriculum topics for which authentic questions could be encouraged.

“This book is about empowering students to find out.” –Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels

 Framing the school study around questions developed by kids as much as possible  Handing the brainwork of learning back to the kids  Focus on the development of kids’ thinking, first, foremost, and always.

1. Mini-Inquiries 2. Curricular Inquiries 3. Literature Circle Inquires 4. Open Inquiries

 Short term, small group research  Lets students search for and find information relatively quickly  Teachers model their own curiosity  Teachers demonstrate their own inquiry process  Kids ask questions, search for answers, and share their new learning

 Can be simply going online to answer a quick question  May mean spending several hours over the course of a week to investigate a concept  Kids often get more interested in a topic as they research it

 Slow down, go deeper, and let kids think like a “disciplinarian.”  Determine which topics within the curriculum are interesting to kids and begin with those  Choose topics that are rich and complex  Thoughtful learners can disagree and debate  See more criteria for content selection on page 167

 Beyond the traditional literature circles  Focus more on inquiry circles; less on role sheets or book projects  Instead ask: ◦ “Has this book changed you in some way?” ◦ “What do you want to find out as a result of reading this book?” ◦ “Do you have any lingering questions?”

Much like other inquiries, but the topics come, not from the curriculum unit or literature circle book, but from the curiosity, wonderings and concerns of the kids.

 Any inquiry includes basic skills: ◦ Reading variety of nonfiction text ◦ Identifying main idea and significant details ◦ Gathering and weighing information ◦ Building understanding ◦ Providing explanations or interpretations ◦ Summarizing or synthesizing information ◦ Sharing or performing newfound knowledge Pg 228

Please read: Ch. 13 Management Q & A- pgs Ch. 12 Assessment and Evaluation- pgs Consider:  Which of the types of inquiry might you try with your class?  What curriculum area might be the best place to start?