Writing an

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Writing an Inquiry Unit
Biomes
Civil War
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Inquiry by Design authored byDr. Emily C. Alford

• Major writers and developers
• Lori Hinton
• Phyllis Hostmeyer

• Major contributors
• Katie Marsh
• Gloria Oggero
• Renee Brown

Project Director and Manager Vicki DeWitt
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• The workshop trainers will
• Model the methods
• Provide opportunities for guided practice
• Support independent practice
• Support activities which lead to the use of these
  strategies in the classroom.

Or your money back .
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To beginselect a topic that reflects a Science
or Social Studies unit that you must address in
your district.
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• Math Language Arts Skills
• will be taught or used throughout the unit when
  appropriate
• these content areas help students analyze,
  organize or manipulate data and other information
  
• help students develop a product during the unit

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Webbing
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Know and apply concepts that explain how living
things function, adapt and change.
Any Animal
Any Living Thing
State Goal 12, Standard A
Know and apply concepts that describe how living
things interact with their environment
Read The Log Hotel By Anne Schreiber
State Goal 12, Standard B
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Interactions between people and environment leads
to development of culture. State Goal 17, A.C.
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Any conflict
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• Guided Practice
• Your task is to select your topic and web the
  important concepts you expect students to learn.
• place the unit topic in the middle circle
• think about the larger concepts for
• your unit
• there will be 3-5 first level concepts around
  the main topic

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THE HOOK
Creating Interest
Making Connections
Activating Prior Knowledge
Take a guess
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Immigration
The teacher assigns students to small groups and
instructs them to pack up a few of their
belongings. The groups then disperse to
different classrooms throughout the school. After
visiting those classrooms for a while, the groups
return to their own classroom. They discuss what
it was like to be in a strange room. The
students then participate in a matching game. In
teams, students move from table to table and look
at pictures and objects from areas in their town.
Some of these pictures have been taken from
unusual angles so they might not be familiar.
They try to match those pictures and objects to
names of places in town.
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Play a variety of music rock and roll, pop,
jazz, rap, Blues, Motown. Students will draw
pictures to show how the music makes them feel.
Black History
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The teacher begins the unit by placing a
background on the board for a mural. Students
create plant and animal pictures that they
imagine to be found in a rainforest. These are
placed on the mural using poster putty. The
teacher reads, The Great Kapock Tree and
removes objects from the mural as she reads page
after page in the book.
Biomes
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Give each student a predetermined dollar amount
with the promise of a reward that can be
purchased at the end of the day. Throughout the
day, impose arbitrary taxes on the students. One
amount for a drink of water another amount to go
to the restroom another amount to use the pencil
sharpener. Disgruntled students are invited to
move to another classroom.
American Revolution
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Civil War
Students will be divided into two groups.
Popcorn is scattered on the floor. One group is
given a vacuum, brooms, and a dustpan. The other
group must pick up the popcorn by hand. Students
will be paid for the amount of popcorn that they
pick up. Repeat the activity with fewer workers
on the side working without tools.
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Structure and Function of Cells

• The teacher plays a tape of frog songs and asks
  students to guess the sounds they are hearing.
  Pictures of frogs are distributed and teams
  compare colors, shapes and sizes of the animals.
  They discuss reasons for the diversity. Then
  they are shown pictures of frogs that are
  grotesque. Fifth graders want to know why the
  cells of these animals didnt divide properly.

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• Students are asked to plan a party while the
  teacher tends to a computer problem. They are
  given no guidelines for planning or decision
  making. After 15 minutes the teacher requests
  the party plan. Students process the obstacles
  to successful planning.

United States Constitution
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Ideas for Hooks Brainstorming Riddles Scavenger
Hunt Games Simulations Pictures Treasure Hunt
Video Challenges Music
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Guided Practice Your task - part 2a determine
the Hook for your unit.
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CONTEXT
CONTENT
Engaging the Learner
Teaching and Learning Events
Goals/Standards (S)
2a. Enter a short description of the hook in
this box of the graphic organizer.

Final Team Performance
Individual Student Assessments
??? outcome is assessed (Number refers to
assessment)
Numbers after Teaching and Learning Events refer
to assessments
?Emily Alford, 1998
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Authentic Connection
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Authentic Connection Families from all over the
world are moving into our communities.. Our
nation is know as the Melting Pot where people
of different cultures have settled over the
centuries. The principal asks students to
interview families that have roots in other
countries and create a photo journal explaining
the rich history of immigration in America. This
needs to be completed in time for the Cultural
Fair.
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Authentic Connection The elementary school
principal has asked the fourth graders to
research Black History and put together a school
wide assembly. She also wants every grade to do
a presentation at the assembly. The fourth
graders will need to research important eras,
events, and people. They must also study the
contributions of these people and the impact that
events have made on history. As the students
conduct their research, they will need to locate
poems, songs, and skits that various grades could
perform. They will need to provide these
materials to classes prior to the assembly in
order to allow each class to practice.
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Authentic Connection
All over the world people are working together to
save special places where plants and animals live
and share the same environment. Pandas cant
live without bamboo plants koalas need
eucalyptus Monarch butterflies need milkweed
plants. Unless people protect these biomes we
will lose plants and animals that cannot live
anywhere else because they are adapted to special
climates. The World Wildlife Federation is
seeking classrooms to develop infomercials to
educate local communities about these issues.
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Authentic Connection

• A fifth grade teacher asks for help in explaining
  frog malformations that have shown up the in
  classes vivarium. Despite good care the fifth
  graders are dismayed because their tadpoles have
  not lost their tails or grown into the adult
  stage.

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Authentic Connection

• The local Representative to the Illinois House
  asks students to provide basic information to
  their local community about the United State
  Constitution by creating a website. He worries
  that because voter turnout is low his community
  has forgotten the rights and responsibilities of
  citizenship.

United States Constitution
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• AUTHENTIC CONNECTION Levels of
• Authenticity
• Someone from within the classroom
• Someone from within the school
• Someone from the local community or from outside
  the community
• Student-generated connections

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• Guided Practice
• Your task part 2b
• Brainstorm someone who could provide the
  authentic connection for your unit. Do not write
  the letter yet. Simply determine who it is that
  will provide the connection.
• Write a brief description of the scenario using
  the design template.

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CONTEXT
CONTENT
Engaging the Learner
Teaching and Learning Events
Goals/Standards (S)
2a. HOOK 2b. Enter the source of your
authentic connection in this box.

Final Team Performance
Individual Student Assessments
??? outcome is assessed (Number refers to
assessment)
Numbers after Teaching and Learning Events refer
to assessments
?Emily Alford, 1998
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Guided Practice Your task part 2c

• decide the final product that
• students are asked to create
• for the authentic connection.

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The Final Team Performance Teacher Perspective
Targets the local benchmarks and standards
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The Final Team Performance Student Perspective
Look how much we know about !
Gives us bragging rights!
Allows us to apply our knowledge at higher levels!
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CONTEXT
CONTENT
Engaging the Learner
Teaching and Learning Events
Goals/Standards (S)

Individual Student Assessments
Final Team Performance
2c.Enter FTP in this box.
??? outcome is assessed (Number refers to
assessment)
?Emily Alford, 1998
Numbers after Teaching and Learning Events refer
to assessments
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• BENCHMARK
• Concepts that students need to know for the rest
  of their lives.
• Concepts that students use to build an
  understanding of the world.
• Concepts that allow students to scaffold to new
  understanding and add to their schema.

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TEACHING LEARNING EVENTS Activities in which
students will participate to help them reach the
benchmark and develop the product.
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BENCHMARK OR TEACHING AND LEARNING EVENT?
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• Use GIS technologies to create a map of our town
• Use a map to navigate and determine location
• Map olympics - race to locate points

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• Create a chart showing energy sources and
  availability.
• Organize and display data using pictures, charts,
  and graphs.

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• Do a virtual scavenger hunt to capture pictures
  of volcanoes and The Ring of Fire. Those pictures
  will become a part of a interactive map to be
  included in a website.
• Model types and calculate rate of erosion using a
  stream table.
• Identify and describe ways in which the earths
  geophysical features have changed over time.

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• Prior to watching a video of insects in their
  environment, ask students to notice how the
  insects are able to protect themselves. After
  the video work in teams, to list the means of
  protection.
• Analyze defense mechanisms and determine how
  living things protect themselves in their
  environment.
• Take a neighborhood walk and notice how animals
  protect themselves in the environment. Write an
  expository essay on this topic.

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• Guided Practice
• Your Task Part 1
• Return to your web.
• Determine which concept should be taught first.
• Number the remaining concepts in the order they
  will be taught.

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3
2
4
1
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Guided Practice YOUR TASK Part 2 Use the Power
Verbs to turn your concepts into
benchmarks. After you have written your
benchmarks align them to the Illinois Goals and
Learning Standards.
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Goals/Standards (S)
CONTEXT
CONTENT
Teaching and Learning Events
Engaging the Learner

• State Goal 12 understand the fundamental
  concepts, principles and interconnections of the
  life, physical and earth/space sciences.
• Standard C Know and apply concepts that describe
  properties of matter and energy and the
  interactions between them.
• identify and categorize uses of
• energy and determine amount
• and cost of energy used
• determine how natural
• resources are transformed into
• useable power
• evaluate energy sources most
• appropriate for reducing
• environmental impact and
• preserving future supply

Final Team Performance
Individual Student Assessments
??? outcome is assessed (Number refers to
assessment)
Numbers after Teaching and Learning Events refer
to assessments
?Emily Alford, 1998
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End of Day One
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Day Two

• Investigating Information
• Answering some questions
• Asking more...

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Semantic Features Chart
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Teaching Learning Events Begin to design
classroom activities that will help your students
reach the benchmarks.
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CONTEXT
CONTENT
Engaging the Learner
Teaching and Learning Events
Goals/Standards (S)

• students read letter and complete task analysis
  ask questions based on opening activities and
  letter

In modeling the opening we

• brainstormed appliances

• calculated costs

• inquiry begins with students seeking information
  from
• a variety of sources

• received the letter

• jigsaw information in teams, organize and share
  with
• class

• determined coal usage

• mini lessons begin

Benchmark

• activity
• activity
• activity
• activity

Benchmark

• activity
• activity
• activity

Final Team Performance
Individual Student Assessments
??? outcome is assessed (Number refers to
assessment)
Numbers after Teaching and Learning Events refer
to assessments
?Emily Alford, 1998
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• Important Points About T/L Events
• At this point your T/L events are just a sentence
  or two. Complete lesson plans can be written
  later.
• Every T/L Event should tie directly to one of
  your benchmarks.
• T/L Events can be science experiments,
  interviews, field trips, demonstrations,
  simulations, text book work, video, Webquests,
  software.
• Some of your T/L Events will be used as
  individual assessments.
• Remember to incorporate technology into your
  teaching and learning events.

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Guided Practice Your task is to design the
teaching and learning events that will lead your
students toward mastery of each benchmark.
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CONTEXT
CONTENT
Engaging the Learner
Teaching and Learning Events
Goals/Standards (S)

As you design T/L Events enter them into this
box. Just a sentence or two to describe the
event.
Final Team Performance
Individual Student Assessments
??? outcome is assessed (Number refers to
assessment)
Numbers after Teaching and Learning Events refer
to assessments
?Emily Alford, 1998
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Assessment
Individual Accountability And Team Responsibility
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Holding Individuals Accountable
Information
Product Final Team Performance
First individual assessment
Teams work on product
Second individual assessment
Teams work on product
Third individual assessment
Teams work on product
Unit Ends
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CONTEXT
CONTENT
Engaging the Learner
Teaching and Learning Events
Goals/Standards (S)

• students read letter and complete task analysis
  ask questions based on opening activities and
  letter

In modeling the opening we

• brainstormed appliances

• calculated costs

• inquiry begins with students seeking information
  from
• a variety of sources

• received the letter

• jigsaw information in teams, organize and share
  with
• class

• determined coal usage

• mini lessons begin

Benchmark

• activity
• activity
• activity
• activity

• teams create slides, pictures, textfor FTP

Benchmark

• activity
• activity
• activity

Final Team Performance
Individual Student Assessments
??? outcome is assessed (Number refers to
assessment)
Numbers after Teaching and Learning Events refer
to assessments
?Emily Alford, 1998
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Holding Individuals Accountable inRevolutionary
War Unit
Information
Product Final Team Performance
First individual assessment
Identify and describe the major causes of
conflict which led to the Revolutionary War and
compare to present world conditions.
Team receives information from all
assessments
Second individual assessment
Team receives information from all
assessments
Third individual assessment
Modification suggested by Christie Samojedny
All teams work on product
Unit Ends
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Integrated Curriculum and Instruction Design
Inquiry-Based Learning Author Emily C.
Alford Grades K - 12
Professional Teaching Standards

CONTEXT
CONTENT

• Content Knowledge
• 1 The teacher understands the central concepts,
  methods of inquiry, and structures of the
  discipline(s) and creates learning experiences
  that make the content meaningful to all students.
• Instructional Delivery
• 6 The teacher understands and uses a variety of
  instructional strategies to encourage students
  development of critical thinking, problem
  solving, and performance skills.
• identify elements of Integrated
• Curriculum and Instruction Design
• and inquiry for structuring teaching
• and planning units of instruction
• identify content outcomes
• for selected unit topic
• determine strategies for engaging the
• learner and plan ways in which
• students will demonstrate content
• mastery
• analyze links between content,
• benchmarks and standards and plan
• teaching and learning events
• select format for assessing individual
• readiness for completing team product

• Teaching and Learning Events
• ICID training begins following modeling
  PowerPoint is
• used to guide work
• select unit topics, map concepts
• teams view examples of other teaching units with
• interesting preparatory sets (hooks) and
  authentic
• connections
• plan unit opening and complete the first part of
  the unit
• organizer
• select format teams will use for the final
  performance and
• write description which include concepts from
  map
• inquiry (internet search) to identify resources
  to
• supplement textbook materials (activities, hot
  lists, web
• quests, lesson plans, reading materials for
  students, etc.)
• mini lesson writing local benchmarks teams use
  concept
• maps and power verbs to write outcomes align
  to Illinois
• Learning Goals and Standards
• continue inquiry into Energy read short
  articles overnight
• teams jigsaw information, organize and share
  with class

Engaging the Learner Participants are
introduced to the goals for the workshop and
shares the unit organizer. Stages of inquiry are
introduced by asking participants to share steps
in resolving everyday activities in which
information is needed in order to make a
decision. The instructor models a unit opening
using information on energy costs and coal usage.
A letter of request from a town leader to share
information about the topic is used to focus the
task.

• Individual Student Assessments
• Each section of unit is reviewed by instructor.
• map and local benchmarks show higher level
  performances
• for students
• the context for learning provides student the
  big picture for
• the unit and focused direction with the
  authentic connection
• benchmarks are differentiated teaching and
  learning events
• are aligned to benchmarks

Final Team Performance Teachers create units
using the ICID template including targeted
Illinois Goals/Standards, strategies for engaging
students in real-world contexts, teaching and
learning events and assessments.
??? outcome is assessed (Number refers to
assessment)
Numbers after Teaching and Learning Events refer
to assessments
?Emily Alford, 1998
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CONTEXT
CONTENT
Engaging the Learner
Goals/Standards (S)
Teaching and Learning Events

• use ration and proportion and draw to scale

Final Team Performance
Individual Student Assessments
Return to your local benchmarks and standards.
Ask yourself How will I know if each student
has the knowledge and reasoning to communicate an
understanding of the concept(s)? Select a
format for checking student knowledge.

• create a garden design using measurements given
  for area at a scale of 51 graph location of
  plants in courtyard using given coordinates

??? outcome is assessed (Number refers to
assessment)
?Emily Alford, 1998
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Assessment

• During this training we have focused on the
  development of a strong science or social studies
  unit that uses Inquiry Based Learning. It is
  important that you assess individual students to
  determine if they have reached the benchmarks.
  How can you do that? Students can complete or
  produce some of the following
• teacher-made tests chapter tests models
• essays graphic organizers demonstrations
• diagrams speeches charts
• graphs open ended problems collection of
  measurements
• In the second training, we will focus on
  assessment to help you reach the following goals
• involving students in designing and using
  assessments
• creating assessments that are seamless and
  on-going
• using a variety of assessment methods
• matching assessment methods to targets
• communicating student achievement

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Guided Practice

• Determine how you will know if students have hit
  the targeted benchmarks and standard
• Select the assessment tools you will use to
  measure student progress

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Congratulations!