Inquiry is understanding a place as it is and was; design is envisioning and making change for the future of a place. Inquiry-based instruction allows students to drive the curriculum and their learning as they investigate questions that interest them. The approach supports students to develop ‘habits of mind’ to become lifelong learners by practicing a routine of making observations, asking questions, collecting data, and analyzing what they find to better understand the world around them. Inquiry-based teaching guides students to “draw connections between academic content, their own lives,” and the world. Connecting academic learning to their own lives and to the world around them can be “particularly important for culturally and linguistically diverse learners.”
Key Topics
- Use data to inform the design of your own Community Impact Project
- Develop a news-reading habit to stay informed
- Practice writing like a journalist using the Inverted Pyramid format
- Learn how to become media savvy and how to identify a credible source
- Practice strategies for realistic sketching using basic shapes
- Choose an ecology, culture, or economy-focused study, using the data as a foundation for a larger inquiry project
- Collect qualitative data by conducting interviews of community members
- Contribute data to citizen and community science projects
- Learn how to read art by understanding its basic elements
Interested in learning more about these model lessons or accessing in-depth teacher guides for key topics?
