“The People Doing the Talking Are Doing the Thinking”: Inquiry in Eastern Carver County Schools
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“The People Doing the Talking Are Doing the Thinking”: Inquiry in Eastern Carver County Schools
In Eastern Carver County Schools, inquiry is visible in what students say, question, and explain during lessons. In their first year, the district is seeing stronger student thinking take shape alongside growing teacher confidence.
Key Takeaways
- Use a teacher-led selection process to ensure alignment to real classroom practice.
- Prioritize curriculum that supports teachers during instruction, not just in planning.
- Roll out a new curriculum in phases so teachers can build confidence over time.
When inquiry becomes the norm in classrooms
When Minnesota released new social studies standards, the shift was clear on paper. Inquiry-based social studies was no longer one isolated standard. It was woven throughout every discipline, shaping how students engage with content, ask questions, and build understanding across every grade level.
As instructional coach Kathy Olson explained, “The kids are the ones that need to carry that cognitive load … it’s them, the students, that need to be doing the thinking, and the teacher is there as a guide.”
Clarity at the standards level did not immediately translate into clarity in the classroom. Moving toward inquiry-based teaching asks something different of teachers: facilitating discussion, responding to student thinking in real time, and staying comfortable when a lesson goes in an unexpected direction. The district needed high-quality instructional materials that could meet teachers where they were and move them forward without asking them to do everything at once.
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How teachers drove the curriculum selection process
Eastern Carver County Schools leaders started the curriculum review process a full year before adoption, bringing together teachers from every building in the district. The committee worked through a structured evaluation, meeting often, gathering input, and narrowing the field over time. Three options made the final round: create their own curriculum, choose Inquiry Journeys, or select a different curriculum.
Creating their own was not off the table, but the committee recognized what building a full inquiry-based curriculum from scratch would actually require.
Building confidence in inquiry, lesson by lesson
“[Students] are way more capable than we think they are. And I love that your curriculum does that,”
Eastern Carver County Schools’ first year was a deliberate soft launch. Kathy and Ann introduced the curriculum with a clear message: Start where you are. Teachers were encouraged to use what felt manageable, without pressure to implement every lesson as written. Teachers who had been part of the selection committee were among the first to dive in. Others were still building comfort, especially when it came to what inquiry-based teaching looks like in early elementary classrooms.
Some questioned whether 1st-graders could engage with complex questions and primary sources. The shift began inside the lesson itself. As Kathy described it, “These little bubbles that were included in the manual that said, ‘Oh, here's what is really important for kids to know that takeaway.”
Those embedded Teaching Notes gave teachers clarity in the moment, helping them focus on what mattered most as lessons unfolded. With that support in place, teachers had a steady anchor, even when instruction took an unexpected turn.
Over time, that confidence made it possible for inquiry to take hold. Teachers could guide discussions, and students began doing more of the talking and thinking. “[Students] are way more capable than we think they are. And I love that your curriculum does that,” Ann shared.
What changed when students did the thinking
The shift became visible in how students engaged with content. Classrooms sounded different. Students were doing more of the talking, and that talk was doing the work of learning. “I’m seeing more students doing the talking, too. It’s kind of a shift in the amount of teacher talk time versus student talk time. I know for some teachers, they’re like, wow, they do a lot of turn-and-talks in here. It’s like, yeah, the people that are doing the talking are doing the thinking. That’s been a big shift I’ve seen, is more students having conversations and interacting with the material,” Kathy observed.
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That shift showed up across grade levels. In 1st grade, students read two texts about playground accessibility, discussed their ideas, and then took action. They wrote a petition, collected their classmates’ signatures, and presented it to another 1st-grade class. By the end, petitions were posted throughout the building.
In another classroom, the learning carried home. Kathy’s daughter, a 1st-grader in a different school, could explain what a petition was, where the idea came from, and give examples. “She knew what it meant to do, and where it was coming from, and was able to give examples,” Kathy said.
In 3rd grade, a global unit that started slowly built momentum as students were assigned countries to research and began working through mystery questions. What started as hesitation shifted once students had real questions to pursue.
From early momentum to what comes next
Across classrooms where teachers had found their footing, the shift was consistent: Students were talking more, and that talk was doing real work. Students were using discussion to make sense of complex ideas, explain their thinking, and learn from one another.
As Eastern Carver closes out its first year, the question is no longer whether inquiry works. Teachers are asking to see it in action. They want to understand what students can do and how to bring that level of thinking into their own classrooms. That momentum is carrying into year two.
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Inquiry Journeys, inquirED's K-5 social studies curriculum, engages students in inquiry-based learning, strengthens literacy skills, and supports teachers every step of the way.
I'm seeing more students doing the talking, too. It's kind of a shift in the amount of teacher talk time versus student talk time. I know for some teachers, they're like, wow, they do a lot of turn-in talks in here. It's like, yeah, the people that are doing the talking are doing the thinking. That's been a big shift I've seen, is more students having conversations and interacting with the material,
Kathy Olsen & Ann Smith
Instructional Coaches, Eastern Carver County Schools
I'm seeing more students doing the talking, too. It's kind of a shift in the amount of teacher talk time versus student talk time. I know for some teachers, they're like, wow, they do a lot of turn-in talks in here. It's like, yeah, the people that are doing the talking are doing the thinking. That's been a big shift I've seen, is more students having conversations and interacting with the material,
Kathy Olsen & Ann Smith
Instructional Coaches, Eastern Carver County Schools
inquirED supports teachers with high-quality instructional materials that make joyful, rigorous, and transferable learning possible for every student. Inkwell, our integrated core ELA and social studies elementary curriculum, brings ELA and social studies together into one coherent instructional block that builds deeper knowledge, comprehension, and literacy skills. Inquiry Journeys, our K–5 social studies curriculum, is used across the country to help students develop the deep content knowledge and inquiry skills essential for a thriving democracy,
