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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Inquiry and research: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes.

Have students work in pairs to choose a topic from one of their other subject areas that they can research (e.g., the American Revolution, conservation, or the solar system). Students compose a list of questions they would like answered (e.g., the who, what, where, when, why, and how related to each topic). Then, students select one question and brainstorm focused questions to guide their own research, whether for formal purposes (e.g. a research paper that incorporates multiple sources into an academic essay on a topic) or informal purposes (e.g. students inquiring into a topic simply to have a better awareness of the topic). Evaluate student questions based on how well they narrow the topic, how answerable the questions are, and how well the questions suite the task.
 

Further Explanation

This assessment requires students to choose a topic of interest for research and make decisions about what questions they hope the research will answer.

Students should learn that informal and formal inquiries require different types of questions. Formal inquiries require an established process and typically include a specific goal, such as arriving at a new conclusion. For example, a formal inquiry into how students can manage homework in an effective way requires students to generate a question such as “What strategies and techniques can students use to effectively manage and complete homework?” An informal inquiry does not require the same complex process students perform when researching a formal topic. The goal of informal inquiry is often to gain context for something or begin exploring a new topic in a general way. For example, students investigating a simple topic such as favorite music among teens may generate questions such as “What is your favorite song?” or “If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a classroom, what would it be?”
Students should be able to formulate questions that will guide their research work. As the research process evolves, the original questions change due to new information, findings, or reflections on the topic being researched. When students modify, or clarify, their questions, they are refining their analysis of the topic. The clarification of questions is an ongoing process throughout the research process.

Research

1. Lewis, K. R., Simmons, S., & Maniotes, L. (2018). Building a culture for learner voice and choice through inquiry. Teacher Librarian, 45(4), 2427.

Summary: The guided inquiry design is presented as a strategy to improve the student writing process. The target of the strategy is to provide more opportunities for students to be engaged in and motivated by the writing process. The inquiry design focuses on student choice and student voice incubated in a culture in which students are encouraged to ask questions and classroom instruction is guided by participatory dialogue.

2. Maniotes, L. K. (2019). Getting to great questions for inquiry and research. Teacher Librarian, 46(3), 17–20. Retrieved from https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A580343616/GPS?u=tea&sid=GPS&xid=e726b5dc

Summary: This article provides an overview on how to use guided inquiry as a means to increase students' capacity to comprehend a text. However, Guided Inquiry Design is often used as an inquiry process for research and ways to gain a deeper understanding and gain information. The article includes embedded resources that provide additional support.