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    TOOLKIT

    Support Rigor through Student Inquiry

    A young student holds a pencil and smiles down at the desk.

    Spark Curiosity 

    Ignite student interest through a creative, attention-grabbing moment.

    Learn more about your students by asking them questions about what interests them. 

    Look for lesson hooks that will inspire students to ask questions.

    Invite families into the process by encouraging at-home discovery projects that are fun, safe, and accessible.

    Ask and Refine Questions 

    Have students share what they know about this topic and generate as many questions as they can! Next, students evaluate those questions to select a focus question for inquiry that they are excited to find out, is answerable, not just by a simple fact, and is aligned with their learning goals.  

    The Question Formulation Technique is a great strategy for teaching students to generate and improve questions.  

    A KWL chart is a simple way to support students in generating questions and recording what they've learned after initial investigation.

    Investigate

    Students can investigate the answers to their questions through research, observation, engaging with experts, and hands-on exploration.   

    Consider some of the strategies below for curating digital and local resources for student investigation.

    Have students document their learning and thinking during the inquiry phase with inquiry journals and mind maps.

    Present Your Findings

    Students can be at any stage of the inquiry process to present their findings – they don’t have to have a “finished” product! 

    Host an event that includes families and community members. 

    You can also present student work digitally using Google Sites.  

    Lesson Planning

    Here are some resources to help you in planning inquiry-based lessons.