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.

Entries were scored on how clearly the work shows students investigating a question, building evidence and sharing their own thinking.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
These classrooms will also be featured in this year's showcase.

Students designed bookmarks about being a star student, and the winning designs are printed in color and handed out with library books.
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.
Students turned their research into large posters connected to each region on a hallway map that families explored during conferences.
Students built a class community called Sunset California and created a word splash connecting their vocabulary, with many placing scarcity at the center.
Students reviewed unit vocabulary by racing to place each term on the correct anchor chart.
Click on a thumbnail below to expand and view more images.

The students focused on an important tradition within their family and culture to create a picture book/ebook. They enjoyed the creative process and took great pride in planning and sharing.
Families Near and Far
1st Grade
Final Product

Our final product was a giant school map put on display to help others navigate our school. We included important areas, people, rules / expectations, and things you might find there. Also included on display is a transcript/photo of our interview with a school helper, plans from our initial mapping of the school, photos of our 3D classrooms, and lots of student writing.
Navigating School
Kindergarten
Final Product
Our final product was a giant school map put on display to help others navigate our school. We included important areas, people, rules / expectations, and things you might find there. Also included on display is a transcript/photo of our interview with a school helper, plans from our initial mapping of the school, photos of our 3D classrooms, and lots of student writing.
Additional Info
SABINA ROCKE from Alameda Unified School District: CA, Kindergarten

We will create an ABC Book on Sustainability to inspire our community to use natural resources responsibly.
Natural Resources of the U.S.
4th Grade
Final Product

For our final social studies project, students decided that they wanted to, "create a quilt in order to share with our community and our families about holiday traditions." Here is our final project! (We got the idea from studying other final projects in the Inquiry Work Gallery!)
Families Near and Far
1st Grade
Final Product
For our final social studies project, students decided that they wanted to, "create a quilt in order to share with our community and our families about holiday traditions." Here is our final project! (We got the idea from studying other final projects in the Inquiry Work Gallery!)
Additional Info
Sarah Maxwell from Public Schools of Brookline: MA, 1st Grade

This is an introduction activity for module 1 in which students place the dynasties studied in chronological order. Each group records three interesting facts or point of information on each dynasty card. After sharing their information with other groups they post this information on the yellow paper for the entire class to see. This stays posted in the classroom until the end of the unit for a reference tool. The gold yellow color represents is symbolic of Ancient Chinese rulers.
Ancient China
6th Grade
Anchor Chart
This is an introduction activity for module 1 in which students place the dynasties studied in chronological order. Each group records three interesting facts or point of information on each dynasty card. After sharing their information with other groups they post this information on the yellow paper for the entire class to see. This stays posted in the classroom until the end of the unit for a reference tool. The gold yellow color represents is symbolic of Ancient Chinese rulers.
Additional Info
Allan Cupicciotti from Chicago Public Schools - Galileo Scholastic Academy Of Math And Science: IL, 6th Grade

Students at a DLI school were able to bridge their knowledge from English to Spanish through this Inquiry Product.
Natural Resources of the U.S.
4th Grade
Final Product

Students learned all about Carol Stream and learned all about the amazing places you can visit.
Our Special Location
1st Grade
Inquiry-Long Display

Half of our class chose to innovate in our cafeteria. A student in our class brought this problem to our attention: There are not signs in the two different lunch lines in the cafeteria that tells students what items are available on each line. This group created picture signs, since our building starts with kindergarten, so students know which line to join when buying lunch. We shared our innovation with our building by making a green screen video and being on our school announcements. Students changed the signs each day for the rest of the school year and then gifted the signs to the cafeteria staff since our building ends at second grade.
Past, Present, and Future
2nd Grade
Other
Half of our class chose to innovate in our cafeteria. A student in our class brought this problem to our attention: There are not signs in the two different lunch lines in the cafeteria that tells students what items are available on each line. This group created picture signs, since our building starts with kindergarten, so students know which line to join when buying lunch. We shared our innovation with our building by making a green screen video and being on our school announcements. Students changed the signs each day for the rest of the school year and then gifted the signs to the cafeteria staff since our building ends at second grade.
Additional Info
Melissa Riehle from Lakota Local School District: OH, 2nd Grade

Students chose a final product of either a picture book, a play, or a puppet show. They had the BEST time showing their learning.
My Team and Self
Kindergarten
Final Product

While completing the Navigating School Unit, we used shape blocks to create a map of our school. After creating this hands-on visual, we created picture versions with a few more details than the blocks allowed. Each group of students was in charge of creating a map of each of the main rooms of the school we use (classroom, office, lunchroom, library, gym, music, playground), then we all drew ourselves on one piece of paper labeled "US". We posted these up connecting each picture as well as to a (real) picture of our school building. The students enjoyed creating both versions of our school map and took great pride in having the web on display all unit.
Navigating School
Kindergarten
Inquiry-Long Display
While completing the Navigating School Unit, we used shape blocks to create a map of our school. After creating this hands-on visual, we created picture versions with a few more details than the blocks allowed. Each group of students was in charge of creating a map of each of the main rooms of the school we use (classroom, office, lunchroom, library, gym, music, playground), then we all drew ourselves on one piece of paper labeled "US". We posted these up connecting each picture as well as to a (real) picture of our school building. The students enjoyed creating both versions of our school map and took great pride in having the web on display all unit.
Additional Info
Allison Slater from Iowa City Community School District: IA, Kindergarten

Fourth graders created a snack business based on what they learned about economic choices. Students managed the business and donated profits to the St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center. The brochures they independently created were distributed across the school to promote the business.
Economic Choices
4th Grade
Handout
Fourth graders created a snack business based on what they learned about economic choices. Students managed the business and donated profits to the St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center. The brochures they independently created were distributed across the school to promote the business.
Additional Info
Hanan Attiyah from Flemington-Raritan School District: NJ, 4th Grade

Students created a quilt from family papers and a cookbook to show family foods.
Families Near and Far
1st Grade
Final Product
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