1. PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
inquiry in witt’s room

2. Yes there have been many kinds of Inquiry pieces in my room….
Good Pieces
“We can do that again”
Ugly Pieces
“What was I thinking….
This period will do book work the rest of the year”
OK Pieces
“When is the bell going to ring”

3. When I started teaching 5 years ago my room was going to be a reflection of my memories of school.
Boy
was I wrong!

4. I found out kids learn in different ways..
and I was required to make sure everyone in my room learned.

5. I needed a new tool.

6. Inquiry was that tool.

7. Some Pieces in my room have been ugly…
The tsunami that struck Thailand on December 26, 2004 was the topic of my first big inquiry lesson. The topic caught everyone’s interest after I introduced it to them. But I did not structure the lesson well. The students were asked to research a topic of their choice in reference to the tsunami and do a presentation. Many kids became lost. I gave them too many choices and not enough guidance for them to be successful.

8. Some Pieces have been OK
My classes have also used the CBR and motion detectors for an inquiry lesson. The kids wanted to do the lesson because of the technology. The inquiry piece of the lesson was there and they learned something. Now I need to work on the lesson and make it more challenging, expanding on the inquiry aspect of the lesson.

9. Developing inquiry-based lessons can be difficult.
Some subjects are easier to work with than others.
Remember there is help here for you.

10. Some of the Pieces were Good..
Mrs. Smith’s class wanted to know
“Why is it so Hot Here Where We Live?”
Exploration 1 “World Temperatures”:
Exploration 2 “Light Angle vs. Heat”:
Exploration 3 “Tilt of the Earth”:
Exploration 4 “Why is it hot where we live?”:
Assessment: Poster explaining what causes the seasons.

11. Let Students’ Tell You What They Need.
Element, Molecule, Compound Sort and Inquiry
Start where you think the skill should begin.
Observe student behavior. If they aren’t up to the level you projected, get as basic as needed.
Observe student behavior in one setting to prepare for another.

12. When you’re facing hungry sharks and you’re the shark bait!
Relevance
Student presentations
Student creativity
Students doing the work

13. Defend and Justify
After a test has been taken, give students the opportunity to go back over their exams in small groups and see if their answers are all in agreement. If not, have them defend and justify their answers to each other.
Have students post their answer choices on the board and look for outliers.
Spend the bulk of your time addressing misconceptions identified.

14. Labs and Classroom Order
Keep safety first
Watch their behavior in other lessons so that you know how to prepare them for your labs
Strategies don’t have to be that elaborate for them to be successful. They can wear badges for their roles and responsibilities or not.
Be organized and have everything ready in advance
Model expectations for lab conservations.
Talking chips or sticks
Train them in the strategy you want before the lab