Your research question should begin with “How” or “Why”. I explained how to set up their notebook and we watched the first video, How to Develop an Inquiry Question, uploaded to Youtube by Kansas State Libraries. inquiry questions and/or big ideas and concepts that can be adapted into powerful inquiry questions. It is natural learning. Sources for Inspiration. The next module is Module 2 – What is Plagiarism and How to Do Citations – a one day module, hopefully. Argument, in the sense of the UNIV 200 inquiry project, is not choosing between right or wrong, but rather exploring a new understanding and conception of something, presenting a way of seeing. Disciplinary Lenses for Inquiry Questions. Compare the general topic “Chesapeake Bay” with the question “What is the result of watershed restoration on the Chesapeake Bay?” Although there may be differences of opinion, the question has answers that most people would accept. Truly, the student can’t really articulate what he or she is to do. By writing an inquiry letter or email, you can ask the company to provide you a catalog or brochure with more details of their product. We wrote down large questions we had about society as it tied in with the story we were listening to and moved away from predictions. After my first ELA block, I tweaked the student slides to make them easier for them to use and took out some unnecessary steps. So, you can be sure about a certain thing before buying the product. (Examine Beliefs, Values, Perceptions) A research question is different from a research topic: a research topic is only a general subject area, while a research question is the specific issue about which you intend to learn more and develop a reasonable, defensible argument (answer). The student module 1 allowed them to watch another video that discussed the levels of inquiry questions, look at examples of inquiry questions, and then write different levels of inquiry questions. In answering the question, the researcher can begin to describe and analyze the relevant differences of opinion, which may lead to a more fruitful and interesting question. Rather than have students do a full inquiry project into a topic tied in with The Bridge Home, our read aloud, we wanted to create an inquiry project into the art of research itself, not worrying about a final product but instead walk students through specific research skills in separate modules. Then it was time to launch our very first unit and what better way than to use a picture book? We knew we wanted choice throughout and also for students to feel supported and not feel ashamed if they wanted to work in a small group with the teacher and instead embrace the knowledge that they knew what they needed at that time to be successful. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Why Use a Question Rather Than a Topic? That’s binary thinking. Pernille Ripp posted: ” Last year, after we finished our first read aloud, we released our kids into their first inquiry project. The work will be more meaningful. As students shared, I encouraged others to write down the questions they also had as potential inquiry questions. A question calls for an answer. How is this skill you useful to you in school? Rather than do a stand alone lesson, my colleague, Chris, suggested having students take notes throughout as an integrated part of the units which is what we did. So off you go! This is a general education course that was taught as VCU’s first cMOOC. That somehow we were simply pushing kids through research and yet there were so many executive functioning skills and also simple research skills that we were assuming kids already had a handle of. How to write the major parts of the letter of inquiry. An open question calls for real research and thinking. Change ). Thank you so much for sharing your thinking. Subject: [New post] Stepping Into Inquiry – How to Write an Inquiry Question, Caution: This email originated from outside North Colonie CSD. After looking at all 9 standards for the year, we pulled the following standards out: Knowing this led us to creating 8 different modules for students to work on throughout the month of November. The desire to inquire into a subject, article, book, or web site can be defined as the inquiry essay. Therefore, our students have four questions to answer every time they finish a module. And then I held my breath, how would it go? We suggest working with colleagues to create overarching course inquiry questions that connect closely to core concepts. Sounds great, right? What we have below is a list of over 100 essential questions examples that we’ve created and collected over time. Starting tomorrow, I will be asking students to join me in the small group to do the slides together in order for them to stay on track and not fall further behind. What else would you like to know? 4) Why did it happen that way? “How” and “Why” questions are the best. What are the advantages of using research questions? Much of the above information is adapted from Patricia Strong’s “Why use a Question rather than a Topic?” Patricia Strong is the Director of Core Writing at VCU. I get asked these questions all the time, and I’ve written articles to answer all of them: What is inquiry-based learning? I came upon this site while doing basic topic research. When is a tomato not a tomato? We often use a business inquiry email to ask a company to give more details about their product or service. Or perhaps that it was too much. One of the things we discussed in our planning was that a major reason for this unit was for students to understand the transfer of these skills to other subject areas, and also to life outside of school. SignatureYours sincerely (remember use 'Yours faithfully' when you don't know the name of the person you are writing and 'Yours sincerely' when you do. Asking a real question–one for which the student does not have a ready answer–encourages the student to become intellectually engaged in his or her own learning. Developing Sub-Questions. Of course these opinions, musings, rants and reflections do not express the opinion of my employer. Business Inquiry Letter is written in a formal business letter format and should be straightforward, compact & precise. Required fields are marked *. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), I Wonder written by K.A. Latham Ridge Elementary School Questions for Practice. Your email address will not be published. The results were clear, we would love 7th graders to be able to have an initial understanding of: But that’s a lot so how do we do all that without losing kids in the process? Sample Inquiry Essay. If you have identified or been given a purpose for reading, use it to guide the questions that you might ask. Use this format to create your own Teaching as Inquiry question: If I use [insert relevant literacy tool/DIGITAL TOOL here] with [insert class level, subject, topic/focus here], to what extent does it help students learn?. Reply-To: Pernille Ripp – Pernille Ripp. Inquiry Essays. Seems awesome! Suppose you start with “What is the result of watershed restoration on the Chesapeake Bay?” You can then refine that question: “How does over-harvesting impact the progress on the restoration?” This happens naturally as you research the general topic and learn about relevant issues. Inquiry is based on questions, but not all questions are created equally. ( Log Out /  So the final modules with their standards assessed became: We launched the inquiry unit while still immersed in our read aloud, The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman. Use the recommended three-page limit to clearly describe your project, including your philanthropic focus. We also stressed the importance of this being of interest to them, and while we had potential inquiry questions ready for those who refused or found it hard, we have found we haven’t needed them. Third,even a search on a narrowed topic can result in a small number of unrelated books and articles–leading to an unfocused research project. I’m sure this will really help. Planning. Twenty Questions for Developing your Topic. Which types of diseases affects children living on the streets of India? It is very interesting and informative as it offers different approaches than those used in my PhD program. This also afforded me an opportunity to reiterate that their inquiry question should somehow be connected to the read aloud but should not be answered by the book, but that they instead needed to do research in order to come up with their own answer. If you like what you read here, consider reading my latest book, Passionate Readers – The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child. The subject is one of the first 2 parts that directly show up to the recipient’s sight. Research questions help writers focus their research by providing a path through the research and writing process. While we had scaffolds in place, there was plenty of choice, and also specific lessons targeting research skills, my special ed teacher, Kelly, and”. The student module 1 allowed them to watch another video that discussed the levels of inquiry questions, look at examples of inquiry questions, and then write different levels of inquiry questions. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. o This might make it easier to write a quick paper but really violates the spirit of genuine inquiry. Issue versus Primary Source:  Many young writers begin pondering possible research topics by thinking about issues:  gun control, the death penalty, prayer in schools, the legalization of marijuana. If you are looking for solutions and ideas for how to re-engage all of your students consider reading my very first book  Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students. Let’s imagine that you are intrigued by the controversy over gay marriage. Statement of Inquiry Once you’ve picked your Key Concept, Related Concepts, and decided on the Global Context, you can write a statement of inquiry that gets at the heart of all three aspects.This is different than the old unit planners, because it can’t be a question. Yes/No answer. ) purpose for reading, use it to guide questions! For an entire district means for collecting student feedback VCU ’ s first cMOOC writers avoid “. Do this with my 3rd graders and their informational writing unit will need to know something! We ’ ve created and collected over time that how to write an inquiry question new about them the budget information as a attachment. 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