The inquiry process is alive in first grade!

We have started our Nonfiction Inquiry Unit and I am beside myself!  I love, love, LOVE the way the students get so pumped about reading and learning facts!!

To start out our reading unit, we used a modification of a Chart Chums chart to look into what it means to be an investigator.  We changed  Develop Theories into Research to help with our approach to inquiry.

 After picking research topics, we used our strategy of Questioning to help us guide our research.  As the class was grouped off into their own inquiries we also did a class inquiry into space to model thinking and expectations.

We then started to Determine Importance by asking, "What's important here?"  With the help of the class, we created a list of strategies that can help us find important information. Language stems have changed my students "talk" this year.  Supporting them while they are learning the language has been so important in the transfer process to when they finally own it.

Since we are researching multiple text to find out information on a topic, I knew we needed to start comparing and contrasting and doing the REALLY big work of Synthesizing.  This was our first venture....It continued today with more language stems and note taking on two text but in a more simplistic way.

To help us with Synthesizing my team created a half sheet giving the students the language stem and a rubric of their expectation.  I can't claim this idea but I sure do think it is brilliant.  My wonderful cowork RA thought and designed our very first.  It was a wonderful moment of genius for us all....give the kids their expectations in terms of what we want to see and their corresponding score...OH MY!

Here it is for you:  Synthesizing in Nonfiction

Also check out my fellow coworker's post on Synthesizing:  Ms. McTeacher: Synthesis and a *freebie*

In writing, we also started our unit with this inquiry based chart.  Our work from reading is carrying over to writing.  We are sharing our new learning from reading in an All About writing format.  

We all were in need of a refresher course on what nonfiction authors use in their own work. After searching our text we chose these examples.

It was time to make the big decision, "What in the world do you want to research?"  and the big teacher question, "Do we have enough resources on that topic?!"  My little chickies narrowed it down to 9 choices.  They fill out their top three and I quickly sorted them into 6 groups making sure that all types of learners were in each group.

In researching, I have found that kids just want to use their schema.  So we had to have a little lesson on finding information, note taking, and using all parts of a book to research.

My kids started with question and answer sheets, then used a detailed graphic organizer and finally have complied it all together into subtopics.

Tomorrow we will begin to work on which facts they want to include in their all about book, the vocabulary that is important to their topic, and which text features will support their work.

This is just little over a week into their work....so we have a bit to go!  Look back for more inquiry fun soon :)

Using Research to Write Fictional Stories

 

My reading coach handed this book off to me with the intent of encouraging our students to write their own books based off their inquiry circle research.  I read it to the kids and told them what the thought was.  They reacted by saying, "We can't do that.  How do we tell a story and use our research? It's too hard!"  I let them off the hook that day and said maybe we can think of another way to share what they've learned.  In reality I had a sneaky little plan to show them how to write a fictional book based off their research I just didn't tell them what I was up to!

While in our inquiry circles I have been researching octopuses to model my thinking and to work through the process with them.  We have been tracking our thinking all along.  Last week, I told them I wanted all our octopus tracks on one chart.  So we wrote fact after fact.  They were so proud of our research.  The next day we delved into write a story but I eased them in slowly by prompting them with questions.  It naturally flowed after that.  I was amazed by the research they included! Now they are doing their own within their inquiry circle...it's so exciting!!

Here is a document I made to help them along the way, Using Research to Write Fiction (Borders are by From the Pond; Fonts by Fonts for Peas).

The story, Octopus in Trouble, was the story that my class wrote...just genius!

New learning with 20 days left

I have been trying to tie in more reflection and questioning with our inquiry circles.  It's been fantastic.  Although I'm not as good as Sue Kempton with the questioning.....yet!  Here's what we have been working on:

In the first picture, we discovered that Belugas are carnivores because we saw their sharp teeth.  Then we went on to talk about omnivores and herbivores.  We also read and tracked our thinking in a section of the book Octopuses.  We also read about their bodies and created a labeled picture to explain our learning. 

Each student shared their learning about their sea life inquiry.  It was something that they felt their classmates would be eager to learn.  I also used this opportunity to practice my questioning.  My favorite part was when the students debated on whether they thought it was fair that some places use nets to keep sharks away but in the process some get killed. 

The other day I wrote this...
3. Right now I am in the process of reorganizing my mentor texts. I decided that there should be 7 bins, one for each of the comprehension strategies. I also decided that keeping them in a cabinet, using them and then putting them back wasn't fair to the kids. I want them to enjoy them whenever they please!! So I am going to make it accessible to them. A typed label will be on the outside of the book to tell which strategy (s) I use it for. (Look for pictures and labels to come!)

Now I'm in the process.  I have 7 bins and the books are sitting in them.  Now onto the labels...7 comp. strategy labels

Grab them for your own!  Pictures to come on the completed project.

 

Inquiry Circle visual representations

My students did such a great job with their inquiry circle visuals.  They picked a picture to base it off of and did their best to recreated it.  Here is the beginning stages of their murals:

And here are the finished products with facts from their research!

Yesterday we started our Sea Life inquiry circle.  The kids were beyond pumped!  Here is a Sea Life word wall for your little ones :) with important words to know while researching and room to add your own.  We used these words to help us with our questioning (since most words we were familiar with from the reptile IC). 

Sea Life Word Wall

I am doing an inquiry project right along with my students (for the major opportunity to model) on octopus.  Here are the questions they helped me develop using our word wall words.



And here are my lesson plans for the reptile inquiry circle.  You will noticed that I tried to hit important organizational lessons and some from our county roadmap.  **Note that we found that although we planned lessons most of the time our teaching came out of authenticity. The kids needed different material than we had anticipated.**

First Inquiry Circle Lesson Plans

Enjoy!

Jen

Super Sunday

My Sunday has been full of work!  My intern finished her last week of teaching...so I am back at lesson planning and creating to fulfill the lesson plans.  I'm also trying to get prepared for my week away.  I'm so excited to go to Denver for the Thinking Strategies Institute but not so pumped about the week of sub plans.

Tomorrow is our final day of our very first inquiry circle.  Three weeks of work gets accumulated into presentations.  The students have surprised me each day along this journey and I know they will do a great job tomorrow.  I have a rubric for you, which goes through each phase of  inquiry circles.

Inquiry Circle rubric

Our new writing unit, Extended Personal Narratives, begins in a week.  Here is a 10 page pack to get you started,

Super Person Narrative Writing pack

 Enjoy!