All around education; the buzz word ‘inquiry’ pops up. Inquiry based learning, Inquiry questions, Inquiry projects – but it is hard to know where to start, what it means and how to assess these projects. This book has been so, so helpful.
“Inquiry-based learning is a process used to solve problems, create new knowledge, resolve doubts, and find the truths” (IQ, pg. 3).
This resource is a clear guide to inquiry – what it is, how to start it, how to evaluate it, what it looks like in different grades – and it even comes with reproducibles!
My favourite part was Chapter 7, and this is actually where I started with this book. It is Ten Key Points (IQ, pg. 124): the very first point is “Decide on the type of Inquiry that will work best for you”. I loved that I still had control over the learning, as I was a little hesitant to hand the reigns completely over to my Grade 1s (my first inquiry experience). It helped me figure out how best to facilitate and lead the learning, while giving my students some agency and control as well.
Now, with my grade 6s – I have given almost all of the control to them, and it is pretty exciting! I still frequently return to this book for tips, lesson ideas and the rubrics, exit tickets and graphic organizers in the reproducibles section.
I highly recommend this resource!