Elementary School

During a unit on the American Revolution, a fifth grade instructional team determined they wanted learners to focus on the concept of unity and how groups on both sides came together to create a shared vision and mission during this time in history.

Middle School

Activism was the concept for an eighth grade Language Arts and Social Studies cross-curricular unit. Students learned about the American Civil War through the lens of Civil War activist literature, meeting standards for both courses.

High School

A high school World History instructional team chose the concept of Cultural Revolutions to cover the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution/Enlightenment, and Reformation/Counter Reformation. Learners explored the concept through art, literature, and studying the changes in institutional beliefs.

A unit may not cover all standards related to a curricular topic. Conversely, some standards do not necessitate the time commitment for an inquiry + Making unit. Teams must determine which standards are worth extended time.

Questions to Ask

• Will these standards give students opportunities to explore beyond the standard?
  
  
• Are there opportunities for students to connect their own interests to the standard?
  
  
• Are these standards worth a deep dive?

Concept formulation takes time, consideration and feedback. It is best created by the learning team as it guides all further tasks within the unit. All of the unit work should point back to the concept. It is what unifies diverse student work.

Tasks

• Brainstorm
  
  
• Generate key terms
  
  
• Agree and commit to concept
  
  
• Design the unit with the concept in mind

After determining the standards to address, consider why these standards are important to learners. This why will become the concept.

Questions to Ask

• What makes these standards worthwhile for lifelong learning?
  
  
• What purpose does the standard serve for meaningful learning (why does the standard exist)?
  
  
• What idea do we want learners to come away with?

Elementary

Dominique’s first grade class comes to the library to play a game to learn about different types of questions. His classroom teacher keeps a running record while the librarian leads a game in which the students ask yes/no, list answer, and complex questions in order to assess student abilities. Back in class, Dominique explores resources at center time and records questions he has on sticky notes. He posts his questions for the class to later discuss and sort together by type as he works to determine his inquiry question.

Middle School

When Adam walks into the library, where his science class is meeting today, he sees a bellwork assignment on the board: “Think back to the resources you looked at over the last few days. What do you wonder about what you read? Write as many questions as you can.” Adam opens his inquiry journal and looks back over his notes, brainstorming 10 questions sparked by the reading and writing them in his journal. Then, the school librarian and Adam’s science teacher co-teach a review of what a good inquiry question looks like. Adam narrows down his list of questions to one question he is most interested in. When his science teacher calls him over for a conference, Adam presents his inquiry question. His teacher asks probing questions that inspire Adam to rework his question to make it deeper and more specific. Finally both Adam and his teacher are satisfied with the final inquiry question, and Adam goes back to his table, excited to research the answer to his inquiry question.

High School

Joel’s class is meeting in one of the library classrooms today. The class has been building background knowledge and exploring resources over a concept for an Guided Inquiry + Making Unit. On the TV/projector, Joel can see that the goal for today is to practice asking questions and leave with an idea for his inquiry question. The school librarian leads a lesson over asking questions that gives Joel a chance to ask a number of questions on a non-related subject. They also discuss the different levels of questions and what makes a good inquiry question. Joel then looks back over his inquiry journal and brainstorms some questions over the concept. He turns in an exit ticket with the question he thinks he wants to research to his classroom teacher. Joel knows that the next day he will be expected to conference with his peers, librarian, and classroom teacher. His librarian will ensure that the question is a researchable inquiry question and the classroom teacher will ensure that the question relates to the concept.

Use a framework to structure student questioning.

• Deep versus shallow questions
  
  
• Thick versus thin questions
  
  
• Level 1, 2, and 3 questions
  
  
• Question Level House
  
  
• Question builder
  
  
• Question starters
  
  

Create a culture of inquiry where students are constantly encouraged to ask questions, seek answers, and revise their thinking. Do this by. . .

• Encouraging questioning every day, including outside of the inquiry process
  
  
• Creating a place for students to log their questions
  
  
• Modeling good questioning techniques

Organize learners into inquiry circles by interest or need. Learners can review each others’ questions and provide feedback. Students can. . . 

• Discuss content areas of interest to spark questions
  
  
• Help each other improve inquiry questions
  
  
• Give feedback

Conference with learners to provide individual support that guides learners to positive outcomes.

Questions to Ask

• Is your question open-ended?
  
  
• Is it researchable?
  
  
• What do you think the answer to your question looks like?
  
  
• How will you begin researching your question?

Elementary: Finding the best search keywords

Gideon’s inquiry question is “How did the colonists’ and British fighting styles affect the result of the Revolutionary War?” He has been searching “fighting styles” for each group, but has been unsuccessful in finding sources for his research. Gideon is struggling and ready to give up on his question and come up with a new one. He conferences with the librarian who helps him to brainstorm alternate search terms and shows him how to use country codes to access British sources. By trying terms like “battle strategies” or “combat styles” he now retrieves relevant sources that can help him in answering his question. Gideon eagerly begins reading and taking notes on his new-found information.

Middle School: Evaluating and sharing sources

Ciara is working with three classmates in an inquiry circle to answer their inquiry questions. Even though each group member has a different question, all the questions are around the same topic. Ciara shares a website she found that was especially helpful, and her group members add the citation to their journals to look at for their own research. Ciara tells her group that she evaluated this website according to the resource evaluation criteria their librarian taught them earlier that week, and she judged it to be credible.

High School: Mini lessons on academic databases and resource evaluation

Ashley’s physical science class is ready to begin researching the answers to their inquiry questions. Before they begin, the classroom educator and school librarian collaborate to co-teach mini-lessons over research skills. The class meets in the library with their computers and inquiry journals. The librarian teaches mini-lessons over search terms, how to utilize the library databases, and how to evaluate sources. Ashley practices each of these skills as they move through the lessons. Once the lessons are complete students are given time to start researching their own questions. The librarian and classroom teacher are both available throughout the research time to assist students when needed.

The School Librarian plans together with the classroom educator to teach information literacy skills needed in the research process:

• Search terms
  
  
• Database skills
  
  
• Citations
  
  
• Paraphrasing
  
  
• Skimming
  
  
• Evaluating sources
  
  
• Bias and confirmation bias

Learners can use research logs to organize information, track sources, and reflect on the usefulness and quality of sources. These logs may include:

• Citation
  
  
• Website URL
  
  
• Notes
  
  
• Reflection on sources
  
  
• Source evaluation

Members of the learning team conference with learners to provide individual support that guides learners to positive outcomes. Questions to ask during the research phase include:

• What is your inquiry question?
  
  
• What resources have you found?
  
  
• Where do you need help?
  
  
• What search terms have you used?
  
  
• Do you know the answer to your inquiry question or do you need to keep looking?

Organize learners into inquiry circles by common research interest. Learners can share resources and support one another through the process. These groups can be:

• Learner or educator-led
  
  
• Informal or more structured
  
  
• Made up of students who may be assigned roles
  
  
• Fluid and flexible -- students may be regrouped through the process.

Elementary

Addy is coming into the library with her first grade class to explore working with clay. She and her friends are familiar with Play-doh, but this is their first time working with clay. The classroom teacher and librarian first pass out Play-doh and the class makes a list of properties and what they notice using their senses like they have been practicing in class. They clean up the Play-doh and then are given clay. The class makes a new list and compares the two. Addy and her friends get to talk in their group about what sort of things they could make with the clay. When it comes time to share their learning later in the process, they will be prepared to make an educated choice about which materials to use to show their learning.

Middle School

Neiko looks back at the Maker plan he created before he started Making. His final product looks almost nothing like what he imagined because his idea evolved as he spent more and more time on his project. Even the materials he used changed from what he originally planned as he learned how to use different tools and techniques in the Makerspace. Neiko is almost ready to share his Maker project with his teachers and peers, but he can still see ways to make it better. He knows that creating a prototype is a part of the Making process, and he explains to his teacher all of his ideas for improving his design. When Neiko’s teacher is assessing his project, she is impressed with Neiko’s Maker mindset and drive to continue to improve his project, and gives him high marks for showing his process and thinking.

High School

Lillean’s Algebra II class is doing a Inquiry + Making unit centered around the concept of social justice statistics. Lillean’s interest in the legal system and capital punishment led her to ask “What is the number of deaths by capital punishment per year in the US, and how has the death penalty changed in the US over time?” After completing the research to answer her question, she submitted her maker proposal stating her intention to build a model of an electric chair. Lillean had no prior experience with woodworking, but a friend in her class did, so they worked together to begin building the model. Over the course of a week, she made steady progress in class. At one point she realized she would need a little more time and decided to take her project home to work on it with the help of her uncle. After completing the model, she realized that since the chair was an abstract representation of her learning, she also needed to create something that more explicitly explains her inquiry question. She explored a few different options and decided to create a slideshow that could describe her research and show the statistics she found.

Give learners the opportunity to play, explore, and tinker with maker tools prior to Making.

• Schedule time for introduction to maker tools.
  
  
• Schedule time for free exploration.
  
  
• Set expectations for acceptable use.
  
  
• Reflect with learners on opportunities for applying maker tools to learning.

Learners should develop a complete answer to their inquiry question prior to Making. This strategy helps students connect their research to their Maker product. This answer to their inquiry question can be:

• In various formats (hand-written, typed doc/form, verbal/recorded, etc
  
  
• Various writing styles (paragraph, essay, blurb, bullet points, etc.)
  
  
• Various lengths and complexities

Prior to Making learners develop a plan or proposal to think through their design. This plan may include:

• Materials needed
  
  
• Additional knowledge and skills needed
  
  
• Timeline
  
  
• Design diagram or picture

Conference with learners to provide individual support that guides learners to positive outcomes.

• How will what you make teach people about what you learned?
  
  
• How will you use what you are making to teach others?
  
  
• How is your project going?
  
  
• Is there anything specific you are worried about?
  
  
• Do you think it will be completed in time?
  
  
• Do you need any additional tools/materials?

Give learners the opportunity to take risks and make mistakes in a safe environment. Maker products may be imperfect or incomplete. Allow students to turn in a prototype, or “first draft” of a Making project.

• Document: First Draft/Prototype Reflection
• Google Form: Prototype Check-in
  • Attach a link to project or images of the product in its current state
• How does the project connect to your research question?
• What have been your challenges so far?
• What do you need to accomplish in the next week?

Elementary

Landon’s class finished sharing their inquiry questions and learning earlier in the week. His second grade teacher gathers them into their morning meeting circle and lets them know that this morning they are going to be thinking about how their research went. They pass the “talking frog” and each student gets a chance to share if they think they were able to answer their questions, what they thought went well, what they would have liked to have made better, and what questions they still have. Their teacher points out that with inquiry, often our learning inspires us to ask even more questions, and we can always keep learning.

Middle School

Kate’s class is working on the final stage of their GID + Making project; they are evaluating their own learning through the process. She looks at the questions in her journal, and considers how she feels about her Maker project. Kate writes that she is proud of her project - she learned new Maker skills, stretched her imagination, and spent time working to improve her project. She carefully followed the rubric her teacher provided to make sure her project had all the required elements, and she knows she has a deep understanding of the answer to her inquiry question. When Kate and her classmates shared their projects, she received a lot of positive feedback and good questions from her peers.

High School

Eddie has finished his GID + Making project and presented it to his peers. His classroom teacher gives the class instructions on how to evaluate their projects, presentations, process, and learning. These instructions are also posted on the TV/projectors so that students can refer back to them as they work independently. First, Eddie opens his inquiry journal and answers the reflection questions. These questions encourage Eddie to think about what he has learned about the concept, research, and making. When he finishes this, he fills out a self-evaluation form that asks him to consider the process of completing this project. This allows him to consider how well he completed different aspects of the project, used technology, and managed his time. The classroom teacher then leads a discussion over what the students did well and what could be improved for the next unit.

Learners can use a variety of tools to learn from one another and provide feedback to their peers. Ideas for feedback:

• Warm and Cool Feedback
  
  
• 2 stars and a wish
  
  
• Padlet and FlipGrid
  
  
• Educator created feedback Google Form

At the conclusion of an inquiry + Making unit, learners should evaluate their understanding of both process and product.

• Secondary Self Evaluation Rubric
  
  
• Primary Self Evaluation Rubric

Assess student learning throughout the process, not just at the end. Provide students with a maker project rubric to establish expectations and streamline the evaluation. Create rubrics that evaluate the design and Making progress, rather than just the product.

Grades can be taken using:

• Pre and post content tests
  
  
• Concept mapping
  
  
• Exit tickets
  
  
• Inquiry journals and logs
  
  
• Maker project plans and proposals
  
  
• Maker project rubrics
  
  
• Peer evaluation and feedback
  
  
• Self-evaluation

After every GID + Making unit, the learning team should reflect on the entire unit and make changes for the future.

• What worked well?
  
  
• What did not work well?
  
  
• Did learners achieve the standards?
  
  
• Where did students struggle the most?
  
  
• Where were students most successful?
  
  
• How could the unit be improved in the future?