Celebrating inquiry in every classroom
Teachers across the country shared photos of students in the thick of inquiry — asking questions, testing ideas, and discovering something new. Here are the classrooms that stood out.
Outstanding inquiry across every grade
These classrooms were picked for their creativity, depth of questioning, and student engagement.
The Colonial Era
This end of unit project for the Colonial America unit asks students to explore an important event or aspect of colonial life. Students chose a topic and created an illustration in the medium of their choice. They also wrote a caption that explains the event from the perspectives of the different groups they studied, helping them consider how people experienced the same moment in different ways.
Migration & Movement
After reading about different waves of immigration, third grade students created posters about a specific immigrant group and presented what they learned to the class. The activity sparked discussion about push and pull factors and helped students understand the challenges immigrants faced before and after arriving in the United States.
My Team & Self
In the My Team and Self inquiry unit, students reflected on their own strengths and then identified the strengths of their classmates. They shared and celebrated these qualities as a class while learning how each person contributes to a team. The experience helped students understand the importance of teamwork and appreciating one another.
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Explore examples from the Inquiry Work Gallery.
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Students work in small groups to learn more about their state's history.
Our State and Region
4th Grade
Handout
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Students work in small groups to learn more about their state's history.
Additional Info
Sarah Arndt from Kipp Texas, Inc.: TX, 4th Grade
Art images are for making connections with our world through art. The illustrated poetry has to do with global warming and how we must pay attention to help solve the problem. Thereby, we are better global citizens.
Global Connections
3rd Grade
Final Product
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Art images are for making connections with our world through art. The illustrated poetry has to do with global warming and how we must pay attention to help solve the problem. Thereby, we are better global citizens.
Additional Info
Alisa Stubbs from Quality Schools International: IT, 3rd Grade
After viewing a variety of homes the second graders each chose a "building" with the idea that they would assemble a facade of that home. First they drew up plans in pencil and listed the materials they would need. They created backgrounds for their houses and sketched out their buildings. Then each student created the 2-D home facade from available resources on posterboard, and wrote a paragraph detailing the natural resources a builder would actually use in the construction of the home s/he created.
Our Changing Landscape
2nd Grade
Final Product
After viewing a variety of homes the second graders each chose a "building" with the idea that they would assemble a facade of that home. First they drew up plans in pencil and listed the materials they would need. They created backgrounds for their houses and sketched out their buildings. Then each student created the 2-D home facade from available resources on posterboard, and wrote a paragraph detailing the natural resources a builder would actually use in the construction of the home s/he created.
Additional Info
Paul Seaton from Agnes Irwin School: PA, 2nd Grade
Students created a graphic novel to educate their reading buddy class to use natural resources in a sustainable way.
Natural Resources of the U.S.
4th Grade
Final Product
Students created a graphic novel to educate their reading buddy class to use natural resources in a sustainable way.
Additional Info
Robbie Pauly from Mason City Community School District: IA, 4th Grade
We will encourage society to be more humane, ethical, and reasonable by spreading awareness of endangered species.
Ancient Mesopotamia
5th Grade
Final Product
We will encourage society to be more humane, ethical, and reasonable by spreading awareness of endangered species.
Additional Info
SANDRA PORTILLO from Quality Schools International: IT, 5th Grade
Students created an infographic to defend their position about the colony's story being one of conflict, cooperation, or both. Some students stretched themselves by taking their paper draft to an online flyer using canva.
The Colonial Era
5th Grade
Other
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Students created an infographic to defend their position about the colony's story being one of conflict, cooperation, or both. Some students stretched themselves by taking their paper draft to an online flyer using canva.
Additional Info
Laura Brown from Lakota Local School District: OH, 5th Grade
Students made posters to encourage people to conserve resources in English and Spanish.
Natural Resources of the U.S.
4th Grade
Wall Display
Students made posters to encourage people to conserve resources in English and Spanish.
Additional Info
Kelly Ashline from Community Consolidated School District 93: IL, 4th Grade
Students worked collaboratively to design and paint a door mural that reflected symbols, people and places that were important to them in both our school and local community. This was a student driven-project, and students maintained creative control throughout the process.
Our Special Location
1st Grade
Final Product
Students worked collaboratively to design and paint a door mural that reflected symbols, people and places that were important to them in both our school and local community. This was a student driven-project, and students maintained creative control throughout the process.
Additional Info
Tamara Quandt from Canby School District: OR, 1st Grade
We explored different images of urban, suburban and rural communities. Students made our classroom seal. Students answered one of their inquiry questions.
Our Special Location
1st Grade
Handout
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We explored different images of urban, suburban and rural communities. Students made our classroom seal. Students answered one of their inquiry questions.
Additional Info
Brandi Barnett from Skokie District 68: IL, 1st Grade
Students viewed image clusters and engaged in a "predict-observe-conclude" protocol.
The American Revolution
5th Grade
Handout
Students viewed image clusters and engaged in a "predict-observe-conclude" protocol.
Additional Info
Rosa Cappetta from Community Consolidated School District 59: IL, 5th Grade
Starting at the top and going clockwise, this is a circular map of our journey through the Our Special Location unit.
Our Special Location
1st Grade
Inquiry-Long Display
Starting at the top and going clockwise, this is a circular map of our journey through the Our Special Location unit.
Additional Info
Brandi Barnett from Skokie District 68: IL, 1st Grade
Students kicked off the unit on the American Revolution by doing a gallery walk in groups of 3. They were highly engaged and loved the activity. By the end, students were able to draw conclusions about what it means to be a revolutionary and what the word revolution means.
The American Revolution
5th Grade
Handout
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Students kicked off the unit on the American Revolution by doing a gallery walk in groups of 3. They were highly engaged and loved the activity. By the end, students were able to draw conclusions about what it means to be a revolutionary and what the word revolution means.
Additional Info
Kelly Ashline from Community Consolidated School District 93: IL, 5th Grade
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