Inquiry Week 2026

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.

1st place Inquiry Week Winner
1st place Inquiry Week Winner
1st place Inquiry Week Winner
This Year’s Winners

Outstanding inquiry across every grade

These classrooms were picked for their creativity, depth of questioning, and student engagement.

1st place Inquiry Week Winner
🥇 First Place

The Colonial Era

Jefferson County Public Schools, KY · Grade 5

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.

2nd place Inquiry Week Winner
🥈 Second Place

Migration & Movement

Maywood School District 89, IL · Grade 3

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.

3rd place Inquiry Week Winner
🥉 Third Place

My Team & Self

Alta Vista School, CA · Kindergarten

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.

For Participants

Download your certificate

Every student who participated in Inquiry Week 2026 deserves recognition. Download the official participation certificate to celebrate their curiosity and hard work.

Download certificate (PDF)

Student Works

Explore examples from the Inquiry Work Gallery.

Click on a thumbnail below to expand and view more images.

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Check out our Inquiry Work display and the student work that was added to it.

Unit

Our State and Region

Grade

4th Grade

Example Type

Inquiry-Long Display

Check out our Inquiry Work display and the student work that was added to it.

Additional Info

Alasia Badalamenti from South Brunswick School District: NJ, 4th Grade

Unit

Our State and Region

Grade

4th Grade

Example Type

Inquiry-Long Display

Swansea Elementary third graders appreciated this project because it allowed them to recognize and write down their rights and obligations both at home and at school.

Unit

Rights and Responsibilities

Grade

3rd Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

Swansea Elementary third graders appreciated this project because it allowed them to recognize and write down their rights and obligations both at home and at school.

Additional Info

Gloria Navarrete Rodriguez from dpsk12.net: CO, 3rd Grade

Unit

Rights and Responsibilities

Grade

3rd Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

We are currently working on travel plans and can’t wait to add those to the colored papers above the inquiry wall!

Unit

Global Connections

Grade

3rd Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

We are currently working on travel plans and can’t wait to add those to the colored papers above the inquiry wall!

Additional Info

Nicole Guptil from Lake Washington School District: WA, 3rd Grade

Unit

Global Connections

Grade

3rd Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

Unit

Our State and Region

Grade

4th Grade

Example Type

Final Product

Additional Info

Molly Mancinelli from Lake Washington School District: WA, 4th Grade

Unit

Our State and Region

Grade

4th Grade

Example Type

Final Product

Students explored Washington State's history, and as they've uncovered many fascinating stories, there might have been some important aspects that were not included in the modules based on the Reflection Cards they completed at the end of each module. This project invited them to research and present one of these overlooked topics, helping to complete the story of our state. Students created a tri-fold display that highlighted a significant yet often overlooked aspect of Washington State's history, culture, or geography.

Unit

Our State and Region

Grade

5th Grade

Example Type

Final Product

Students explored Washington State's history, and as they've uncovered many fascinating stories, there might have been some important aspects that were not included in the modules based on the Reflection Cards they completed at the end of each module. This project invited them to research and present one of these overlooked topics, helping to complete the story of our state. Students created a tri-fold display that highlighted a significant yet often overlooked aspect of Washington State's history, culture, or geography.

Additional Info

Saimoon Banerjee from Lake Washington School District: WA, 5th Grade, 4th Grade

Unit

Our State and Region

Grade

5th Grade

Example Type

Final Product

Students built a model of a "healthy democracy" in the woods off the playground where they created a Constitution inspired by the U.S. Constitution and have an ongoing working government that includes three branches of government, holds elections, writes bills and makes laws that have penalties. They run the government by holding weekly town meetings.

Unit

Rights and Responsibilities

Grade

2nd Grade

Example Type

Final Product

Students built a model of a "healthy democracy" in the woods off the playground where they created a Constitution inspired by the U.S. Constitution and have an ongoing working government that includes three branches of government, holds elections, writes bills and makes laws that have penalties. They run the government by holding weekly town meetings.

Additional Info

Mary Train from Chebeague School: ME, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade

Unit

Rights and Responsibilities

Grade

2nd Grade

Example Type

Final Product

For this wall display, the students connected the different ways they could learn from others around the world and show how we are all connected through our global citizenship. Students researched different countries and learned about how goods and raw materials can originate from all over the world before they reach the stores we buy them from.

Unit

Global Connections

Grade

3rd Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

For this wall display, the students connected the different ways they could learn from others around the world and show how we are all connected through our global citizenship. Students researched different countries and learned about how goods and raw materials can originate from all over the world before they reach the stores we buy them from.

Additional Info

Joanna Hecker from Lake Washington School District: WA, 3rd Grade

Unit

Global Connections

Grade

3rd Grade

Example Type

Wall 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!

Unit

The Colonial Era

Grade

5th Grade

Example Type

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

Unit

The Colonial Era

Grade

5th Grade

Example Type

Inquiry-Long Display

My students love adding drawings to the region they are investigating! Celebrating Native America culture has been a blast for these 5th graders!

Unit

Native America

Grade

5th Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

My students love adding drawings to the region they are investigating! Celebrating Native America culture has been a blast for these 5th graders!

Additional Info

Brielle Morgan from South Brunswick School District: NJ, 5th Grade

Unit

Native America

Grade

5th Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

Students worked in partnerships to research and investigate different regions of the U.S. by reading the region articles from InquirEd and reported out on their findings. They enjoyed learning about the National Parks of the U.S. in an extension lesson and created brochures about a self-selected National Park from the Inquiry Unit.

Unit

Natural Resources of the U.S.

Grade

4th Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

Students worked in partnerships to research and investigate different regions of the U.S. by reading the region articles from InquirEd and reported out on their findings. They enjoyed learning about the National Parks of the U.S. in an extension lesson and created brochures about a self-selected National Park from the Inquiry Unit.

Additional Info

Mary Train from Chebeague School: ME, 4th Grade, 3rd Grade, 5th Grade

Unit

Natural Resources of the U.S.

Grade

4th Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

My students explore the ways they are connected to distant places through the movement of people, goods, and ideas.

Unit

Global Connections

Grade

3rd Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

My students explore the ways they are connected to distant places through the movement of people, goods, and ideas.

Additional Info

Gloria Navarrete Rodriguez from dpsk12.net: CO, 3rd Grade

Unit

Global Connections

Grade

3rd Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

This is my first year teaching with InquirED and I am enjoying the lessons! My class likes and looks forward to Social Sciences time and is using the vocabulary throughout the day. This picture is our wall from the beginning of the year with some of the read-aloud books posted, maps with post-its to show where some of our students' families come from, and vocabulary for reference. The wall has grown since then with new vocab and new work posted, but the general feeling is the same. I'm looking forward to new units of study!

Unit

Families Near and Far

Grade

1st Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

This is my first year teaching with InquirED and I am enjoying the lessons! My class likes and looks forward to Social Sciences time and is using the vocabulary throughout the day. This picture is our wall from the beginning of the year with some of the read-aloud books posted, maps with post-its to show where some of our students' families come from, and vocabulary for reference. The wall has grown since then with new vocab and new work posted, but the general feeling is the same. I'm looking forward to new units of study!

Additional Info

from , 1st Grade

Unit

Families Near and Far

Grade

1st Grade

Example Type

Wall Display

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