Why should teachers use an inquiry approach to student learning?

1. Why should teachers use an inquiry approach to student learning?

2. Inquiry Process

3. You are probably familiar with the 5Wswho, what, when, where, and whyHere are 8 new ones

4. Children don’t just “do” information, technology, and Internet. A inquiry or project based learning environment involves This will allow students to learn and express themselves in a unique way

5. The 8Ws: Information Literacy: is an inquiry model of information literacy that features a variety of scaffolds to support inquiry learning (Annette Lamb).

6. Steps Learners Engaged In

7. As first grade teachers you can collaborate with your teacher librarian and together work to edit the model to fit student’s individual needs

8. Our focus is first grade students. How can we use the 8W’s to teach first graders to research a topic while still keeping their attention? Watching is exploring. Introduce the topic to the class. Have the students make 5 columns in their journal of the five senses. Then have the students fill out the columns about their topic. Discuss with the children about what their answers are and what they are thinking. Watching is becoming aware of everything around them.Example: If the topic is a reindeer, how would the reindeer sound, smell, taste, touch, and look like? Wondering is questioning. Just like a science experiment, questioning is laying the foundation for their topic. In this step they brainstorm and talk and share with others. Have students write down five questions or so about what they want to know about their topic. With first graders, first starting the questions as a whole group, then moving into individual gives them time to brainstorm the topic and also allows them to have an example to use.Example: Do reindeers lose their antlers? Where do reindeer live? Webbing is searching. Students use their questions to guide them through the webbing process. They are using their step to find the information they need to go come up with the solution to their questions. There are many websites that are student friendly. Google is not a friendly resource for seven year olds. Example: Nettrecker is a good resource to start with. This website allows teachers to click in the reading level. If a student cannot read, the information provided is easy enough for a student to comprehend if read too. Another great source is National Geographic for Kids. Wiggling is evaluating. As a whole group, discuss what information students found. Use one students’ finding to model a researcher chooses what information they want to keep. Use the class questions as a guide. Example: One way to check for understanding is to ask a couple of students to explain how they are going to chose what information they are going to keep and get rid of.

9. Weaving is synthesizing. This step is to organize their information and make plans for their finished product. Student should look at the questions they wrote and write down the facts they found that answered the questions. To make this simpler, first graders could write one question on an index card then write the answer under the question. This is not too over whelming for the student and they are able to read their findings. Wrapping is creating. Creating their project to reflect their answer is what is required for this step. The product may be redesigned many times to reflect what they are trying to prove. After the students have decided what they want and know the questions they are going to answer, they need to write down what type of product they plan on making. For the lower level student or students that have a hard time making a choice, telling them what their project is seems to help.Example: The end product for the reindeer is to make a reindeer out of construction paper. Students will then write five fact that they learned and glue next to their picture. Waving is communicating. Communicating is a good way to revise and edit their product. This steps allows them get the feedback they need from their peers or teachers. Now the students can present to their peers. Having students ask the presenter about their project allows students to take pride in knowing and understanding a topic. This way they take ownership to their research. Wishing is assessing. Now is the time to sit back and evaluate what went right and wrong through the project process. This step allows the student to decide what they would do the same or change for their next assignment. A good way to do this, is to ask students what they thought was easy about the project and what they thought was hard about the project. Record their answers on chart paper so they can read their own responses in order to introduce the next research project.

10. The 8Ws Inquiry Process Model Do you want your students engaged in inquiry and more motivated to pursue learning on their own. With the 8Ws inquiry model students CAN accomplish this. Students will be provided with the tools to plan and conduct MEANINGFUL RESEARCH!!

11. Works Cited Carnesi, Sabrina, and Karen DiGiorgio. "Teaching the Inquiry Process to 21st Century Learners." Library Media Connection 27.5 (2009): 32-36. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 15 Feb. 2010. Information Age Inquiry. Tue. 09 March 2010. http://virtualinquiry.com/inquiry/ws.htm Lamb, Annette. Information Inquiry for Teachers. Ws of Information Inquiry. Mon. 08 March 2010 http://eduscapes.com/infooriginal/topic71.htm Microsoft Office Power Point Stripling, Barbara. "Inquiry: Inquiring Minds Want to Know." School Library Media Activities Monthly 25.1 (2008): 50-52. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. Yodi. Audio for fun, fame and fortune. http://www.yodio.com