Meet the 2026 Inquiry Work Contest winners
Teachers across the country shared inquiry work from their classrooms this fall, from anchor charts and student work to classroom video. Thank you to every teacher who entered. These are the classrooms that stood out.
Students doing the thinking
Entries were scored on how clearly the work shows students investigating a question, building evidence and sharing their own thinking.
Telling the story of 6th grade through cave art
The Human Story
After studying early humans and the stories artifacts can tell, 6th graders created their own Paleolithic cave art. Using four symbols and no words, each student answered the question "What story would you tell?" Then they switched roles, analyzed the art as archaeologists and wrote museum placards to explain it. The finished pieces came together on a simulated cave wall that tells the story of 6th grade.
Sorting artifacts to uncover their stories
Native America
5th graders spent this inquiry investigating what artifacts can tell us and who they belong to. In the video, students work together to sort artifacts from Native American cultures into categories they came up with on their own, including materials, how items were used, time frame, tribe and how items were made. They then took a position on whether artifacts should be kept in museums or returned to their cultures of origin and wrote out their claims and reasoning, shown in the photo.
Interviewing the grown-ups who help our school
Navigating School
Kindergartners brainstormed the grown-ups who help at school and voted to interview their custodian. With teacher support, they wrote questions to learn about his role and his life outside of work, then illustrated and labeled what they learned.
A layer cake for a healthy democracy
Rights and Responsibilities
3rd graders designed a layer cake to show their audience how people can take part in a democracy. They decided which layer should support the ones above it, from knowing how government works and using your rights to staying informed, volunteering and voting.
Comic strips on the Agricultural Revolution
The Human Story
6th graders created two-part comic strips about the Agricultural Revolution. First, they illustrated the changes it brought, like farming in place of hunting and gathering and people taking on different jobs. Then they showed the impact on daily life and weighed the tradeoffs, such as a steadier food supply against crop failures and disease from domesticated animals.
More standout classrooms
These classrooms will also be featured in this year's showcase.
Star student bookmarks
My Team and Self
Students designed bookmarks about being a star student, and the winning designs are printed in color and handed out with library books.
A colonial regions quilt
The Colonial Era
Students researched how culture, geography and economics shaped each colonial region, then designed quilt blocks based on historical regional patterns that came together as a bulletin-board-sized quilt.
Native America inquiry wall
Native America
Students turned their research into large posters connected to each region on a hallway map that families explored during conferences.
Mapping a community's needs and wants
Meeting Needs and Wants
Students built a class community called Sunset California and created a word splash connecting their vocabulary, with many placing scarcity at the center.
Vocabulary anchor chart challenge
Natural Resources of the U.S.
Students reviewed unit vocabulary by racing to place each term on the correct anchor chart.
Student Works
Explore examples from the Inquiry Work Gallery.
Click on a thumbnail below to expand and view more images.
Meeting Needs and Wants
2nd Grade
Wall Display
Additional Info
Meri Caldwell from Little Rock School District: AR, 2nd Grade
This slideshow contains the links to the websites built by four 5th grade classes to address the inquiry challenge statement: We will design a website in order to inspire our school community to celebrate Indigenous American culture of the past and present. All students at Carbondale Middle School 5th -8th grade viewed the websites and gave feedback about what they learned or what inspired them.
Native America
5th Grade
Final Product
This slideshow contains the links to the websites built by four 5th grade classes to address the inquiry challenge statement: We will design a website in order to inspire our school community to celebrate Indigenous American culture of the past and present. All students at Carbondale Middle School 5th -8th grade viewed the websites and gave feedback about what they learned or what inspired them.
Additional Info
Betsy McMichael from Roaring Fork School District: CO, 5th Grade
We worked together as a class to fill out this anchor chart using the article. Students discussed as a group and volunteered answers to populate the boxes.
The Colonial Era
5th Grade
Anchor Chart
We worked together as a class to fill out this anchor chart using the article. Students discussed as a group and volunteered answers to populate the boxes.
Additional Info
Elizabeth Nielsen from Skokie District 68: IL, 5th Grade
We wrote this rap using the criteria for behavior at school. We performed it at our school assembly and then asked the audience questions about what to do in certian situations. The answer was always ask.
Navigating School
Kindergarten
Final Product
We wrote this rap using the criteria for behavior at school. We performed it at our school assembly and then asked the audience questions about what to do in certian situations. The answer was always ask.
Additional Info
Paula Walker from Quality Schools International: IT, Kindergarten
My students stood in front of a green screen to record a video about why others may wish to visit their assigned National Park. Our library media teacher then loaded the videos into a program where we put a photo of the National Park behind each student. We also used the images of the students in front of their National Parks for the picture on the front of their National Park brochures. Lastly, the students worked with our technology coach to create 3D printed USA key chains with their names on the front. Here is the final bulletin board display of their National Park brochures.
Natural Resources of the U.S.
4th Grade
Final Product
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My students stood in front of a green screen to record a video about why others may wish to visit their assigned National Park. Our library media teacher then loaded the videos into a program where we put a photo of the National Park behind each student. We also used the images of the students in front of their National Parks for the picture on the front of their National Park brochures. Lastly, the students worked with our technology coach to create 3D printed USA key chains with their names on the front. Here is the final bulletin board display of their National Park brochures.
Additional Info
Kaija Johnson from Appleton Area School District: WI, 4th Grade
These are connections students made between the events that tell the history of Illinois.
Our State and Region
4th Grade
Wall Display
These are connections students made between the events that tell the history of Illinois.
Additional Info
Jennie Greene from Skokie District 68: IL, 4th Grade
While researching Natural Resources (Module 3), students discovered Earth Hour took place on March 25. As a response, this poster was created then copies were posted throughout the school to make other students aware of the event. A short presentation was given at the beginning of a lunch break asking students to participate in Earth Hour and the poster was published to parents.
Natural Resources of the U.S.
3rd Grade
Other
While researching Natural Resources (Module 3), students discovered Earth Hour took place on March 25. As a response, this poster was created then copies were posted throughout the school to make other students aware of the event. A short presentation was given at the beginning of a lunch break asking students to participate in Earth Hour and the poster was published to parents.
Additional Info
Craig Johnston from Quality Schools International: IT, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade
You can see all the nations we have represented in our class and each child has written “Hi. I’m ______. Let’s work together to make our school great!” in their home languages. We hope this mural makes our school community feel proud of their differences and helps them to understand that it is our diversity that makes this school such a strong community.
Families Near and Far
1st Grade
Final Product
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You can see all the nations we have represented in our class and each child has written “Hi. I’m ______. Let’s work together to make our school great!” in their home languages. We hope this mural makes our school community feel proud of their differences and helps them to understand that it is our diversity that makes this school such a strong community.
Additional Info
Ali Golfetto from Quality Schools International: IT, 1st Grade
Students first created different places in our community, then after we learned about how people use their time, talent, and treasure, students added different community helpers to the board.
Meeting Needs and Wants
2nd Grade
Wall Display
Students first created different places in our community, then after we learned about how people use their time, talent, and treasure, students added different community helpers to the board.
Additional Info
Alexandria Robles from John Thomas Dye School: CA, 2nd Grade
These are the final mini posters students created in Module 3 after drafting and going through the warm/cool/suggestions feedback cycle.
Natural Resources of the U.S.
4th Grade
Wall Display
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These are the final mini posters students created in Module 3 after drafting and going through the warm/cool/suggestions feedback cycle.
Additional Info
Valeria Laitinen from Quality Schools International: IT, 4th Grade
My students interviewed a family member and created the map on SeeSaw. Many students also recorded the interview.
Global Connections
3rd Grade
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My students interviewed a family member and created the map on SeeSaw. Many students also recorded the interview.
Additional Info
ANGELA Collins from dpsk12.net: CO, 3rd Grade
The students had to pick one way they can help their community. They filled out each area in their flip book and then drew a picture of their project and water colored it.
Meeting Needs and Wants
2nd Grade
Final Product
The students had to pick one way they can help their community. They filled out each area in their flip book and then drew a picture of their project and water colored it.
Additional Info
Alexandria Robles from John Thomas Dye School: CA, 2nd Grade
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