1. The Shared Inquiry Method adapted from the Great Books Foundation

2. What is Shared Inquiry?
Shared inquiry is a process for gaining deeper meaning from Reading.
It is an active process through which readers create questions to achieve deeper understanding of the text.
Participants in shared inquiry are expected to not only question the text, but question group members’ ideas as well.
Shared inquiry involves TWO readings of a text.

3. The Leader’s Role
At the start of the process, your teachers will be the leaders.
As we progress through the year, students may take over the leader role.
Leaders do not provide their own insights. They lead the group members in discussions. The leaders also read through the questions made by the group members, and choose a few to guide the discussion.
Leaders should pick thought-provoking questions from those submitted and by being an active listener. If folks submit poor questions we are in trouble.

4. Shared Inquiry Questions
Factual questions - have only one correct
answer.
Interpretive questions - have more than one
correct answer that can be supported with
evidence from the text.
Evaluative questions - ask us to decide whether
we agree with the author’s point of view. The
answer to an evaluative question depends on
our knowledge, experience, and values, as well
as our own interpretation of the work.

5. Shared Inquiry What makes a good interpretive question?
You should have genuine doubt about the answer(s) to
the question.
You should care about the question.
Your question should be discussible.
Your question should be clear.
Your question should be specific to the selection.

6. Follow-up Questions Examples include:
NOTE: Follow-up questions are not planned ahead, but are asked
of individual speakers to probe and clarify.
Examples include:
“Are you saying that...”
“Where in the text did you find support for that?”
“What do you mean by...”
“Tell us more about...”

7. Rules for Inquiry Discussions
Come prepared
Participate in the discussion
Listen to each other’s point of view
Give others a chance to participate
Avoid put downs

8. Rules for Inquiry Discussions
Remember we disagree with the ideas, not the person; differences of opinion are essential and conflict of ideas unavoidable if we have good inquiry
Take turns speaking
Stay focused on the question
THINK before you speak