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.
Students summarized and illustrated historical events then identified connections between events. Timeline was used as interactive learning board.
Our State and Region
4th Grade
Wall Display
Students summarized and illustrated historical events then identified connections between events. Timeline was used as interactive learning board.
Additional Info
Jennie Greene from Skokie District 68: IL, 4th Grade
The hexagon mapping was from the Colonial America unit, but still is relevant so it has stayed on the wall. Nothing beautiful or cohesive, but we really do use what is on the wall as a resource. The TIP chart for vocabulary has cards so that we can take them down and interact with them, the timeline has grown as the unit progressed and the inquiry questions from the launch are visible and referenced periodically.
The American Revolution
5th Grade
Other
The hexagon mapping was from the Colonial America unit, but still is relevant so it has stayed on the wall. Nothing beautiful or cohesive, but we really do use what is on the wall as a resource. The TIP chart for vocabulary has cards so that we can take them down and interact with them, the timeline has grown as the unit progressed and the inquiry questions from the launch are visible and referenced periodically.
Additional Info
Betsy McMichael from Roaring Fork School District: CO, 5th Grade
After studying the resources available in our town, the students planned then created a town they would need to live in.
Meeting Needs and Wants
2nd Grade
Final Product
After studying the resources available in our town, the students planned then created a town they would need to live in.
Additional Info
jeanie FORBES from Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union: VT, 2nd Grade
The students work hard throughout the unit to understand the different social roles, how they have changed or remained the same by creating mini word posters. All students have copies of the anchor charts in their historian folders so that the material is at their finger tips when we get into our deep discussions. Student help create the 13 colonies map and the triangular trade map. Students created posers for the different colonial regions using computers or their own two hands!
The Colonial Era
5th Grade
Inquiry-Long Display
The students work hard throughout the unit to understand the different social roles, how they have changed or remained the same by creating mini word posters. All students have copies of the anchor charts in their historian folders so that the material is at their finger tips when we get into our deep discussions. Student help create the 13 colonies map and the triangular trade map. Students created posers for the different colonial regions using computers or their own two hands!
Additional Info
Hannah Azofeifa-Urena from Flemington-Raritan School District: NJ, 5th Grade
Our Inquiry Question was: How can we unite to build a powerful class community? The students worked together to create an ABC book outlining core components of a strong community. Each student made a page of the book and received a copy to keep and share with their families.
My Team and Self
Kindergarten
Final Product
Our Inquiry Question was: How can we unite to build a powerful class community? The students worked together to create an ABC book outlining core components of a strong community. Each student made a page of the book and received a copy to keep and share with their families.
Additional Info
Kristina Heckinger from Elmhurst District 205 Public Schools: IL, Kindergarten
Students created replicas of different Native American tribal lands and homes based off of the different regions in North America.
Native America
5th Grade
Final Product
Students created replicas of different Native American tribal lands and homes based off of the different regions in North America.
Additional Info
Amanda Stewart from Pilgrim School: CA, 5th Grade
The students decided to create a mini museum to honor Native American groups that lived in the United States of America. They invited other students from different grades and presented a model and fact sheet. The goal was to show the diversity in the way that Native Americans lived.
Native America
5th Grade
Final Product
The students decided to create a mini museum to honor Native American groups that lived in the United States of America. They invited other students from different grades and presented a model and fact sheet. The goal was to show the diversity in the way that Native Americans lived.
Additional Info
Audrey Hamdan from Chicago Public Schools - JAMES MONROE ELEMENTARY: IL, 5th Grade
Students created treasure maps for other students to follow. After hiding the item to be found, students switched classrooms for the actual Treasure Hunt.
Our Special Location
1st Grade
Other
Students created treasure maps for other students to follow. After hiding the item to be found, students switched classrooms for the actual Treasure Hunt.
Additional Info
Barbara Mastin from Deerfield Public Schools District 109: IL, 1st Grade
This unit was completed right before winter break, and many of our students are fortunate in that they get to travel to locations with unique landforms. Students were asked to find a landform and take a picture of it. There are landforms in our area, so students who did not travel had interesting pictures to take too! They completed a short response that asked about the climate and what they wore in that location too. The assignment tied together the physical features and climate lessons in Module 3.
Our Special Location
1st Grade
Other
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This unit was completed right before winter break, and many of our students are fortunate in that they get to travel to locations with unique landforms. Students were asked to find a landform and take a picture of it. There are landforms in our area, so students who did not travel had interesting pictures to take too! They completed a short response that asked about the climate and what they wore in that location too. The assignment tied together the physical features and climate lessons in Module 3.
Additional Info
Barbara Mastin from Deerfield Public Schools District 109: IL, 1st Grade
In a group, students created maps with a key and legend. Some groups tried to represent their hometown; others created a fictional village. Some teachers had students create a map as a cumulative project and included landforms as a feature within the map.
Our Special Location
1st Grade
Final Product
In a group, students created maps with a key and legend. Some groups tried to represent their hometown; others created a fictional village. Some teachers had students create a map as a cumulative project and included landforms as a feature within the map.
Additional Info
Barbara Mastin from Deerfield Public Schools District 109: IL, 1st Grade
As an Inquiry Project, students created graphic novels focusing on sustainability. South Park School, Deerfield School District 109
Natural Resources of the U.S.
4th Grade
Final Product
As an Inquiry Project, students created graphic novels focusing on sustainability. South Park School, Deerfield School District 109
Additional Info
Barbara Mastin from Deerfield Public Schools District 109: IL, 4th Grade
Students created comic strips that encourages our community to go and pick up litter and also to reuse thing so that less litter happens.
Natural Resources of the U.S.
4th Grade
Final Product
Students created comic strips that encourages our community to go and pick up litter and also to reuse thing so that less litter happens.
Additional Info
Chelsea Dallman from Iowa City Community School District: IA, 4th Grade
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