Opportunities for Inquiry Deep dive into inquiry for TL Trainers

Welcome and Hellos Status Updates News Housekeeping

Where are we now? Interview another person share your process and learning explore your needs for presenting use the note cards to communicate specific questions/concerns/ideas to Leslie or Mary Share out

Powerful Learning Personal Connection/Emotional connection Open mind to think differently/Engaged Uncomfortable/Out of comfort zone Application to real world/Life experiences Models/ “I can do this!” Change/Survival mode Discovery & Creativity

Sam Chaltain: Faces of Learning Challenging Engaging Supportive Relevant Experiential

NNPS 5 th Grade Geography

Assumptions These assignments are designed to: 1.Give students a background in US geography 2.Build self-directed learners 3.Engage students in critical thinking

Atlas

Opportunities for Inquiry 1.Scan the choice board and decide which ones have the potential for deeper inquiry and which ones are more simple fact finding. 2.Compare your notes with a partner. 3.Share out

Geography Portfolio Choice Board Pick from the following tasks. Each task has a star value next to it. The more difficult the task, the higher the star value. The Google Map Tour is a required task. You need to have 10 completed by the end of the unit. See your teacher once you have chosen your tasks for specific instructions. Physical Processes Use the provided resources to complete the task describing how the physical and environmental elements affect a region. 2 Slide Rocket Use the provided Slide Rocket presentation to answer the questions on that region. Then use that information to complete the attached task. 3 Weather Phenomenon Use the provided resources to describe what types of weather the region has and how it affects that region. 2 Climate Characteristics Use the provided resources to describe what type of climate the region has and how it affects that region. 2 Name That State Label the state and identify the capital and flower. 2 Bodies of Water Use the provided resources to describe the bodies of water in the region and what affect it has on that region. 2 Make That Money! Choose two states from the region. Create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the major sources of revenue for each state. 4 Scouting Report Identify the logo of 5 college or professional sports teams. Choose your favorite and create an advertisement to encourage an athlete to join the team. 4 Presentation Your travel agency has been selected to give a presentation about the region. Design a presentation that would encourage tourists to take a tour of this region. 4 Creative Writing Choose 2 of the provided writing prompts. You must answer each prompt with creative, appropriate and informed responses. Final drafts must be neat and professional. 4 Map Skills Use the varying resources to find the longitude and latitude of the different states and complete the extension activity provided. 3 Scavenger Hunt Match the correct state to the description provided each state can only be used once. If you need help use an atlas or use Color By State Identify which states are Republican, and which are Democrat. Complete the attached extension activity that asks you to write about a candidate, problem or idea. 3

Assumptions True or False? Kids can be expected to do the fact finding on their own. Kids would need more support and guidance with the deeper inquiry.

What does it take to do these tasks? Choose a partner and one of the Choice Board tasks. Take apart what we are asking students to do in the activities that are most opportunistic for a full inquiry process. Chart, diagram, or define what students have to do. – First, next, then Consider background knowledge, information literacy skills, reading/writing skills, critical thinking skills, social skills

How can we support students in a systematic way to become self directed in inquiry? 1.What do we want them to know about themselves as learners or about inquiry by the time they get to middle school? 2.Create a list together. 3.Five kinds of learning rubric

Five Kinds of Learning Rubric Inquiry Process: BasicApproachingProficient Advanced Learning How to Learn Shows minimal reflection on own thoughts, feelings, and actions in journal; does not display growth. Reflects in journals on thoughts, feelings, and actions through the process. Inconsistent use of introduced strategies. Needs support. Reflects in journal and shows improvement and understanding of own interaction across the process. Applies new strategies to work through process. Shows growth in understanding of self as learner. Applies strategies and independently chooses strategies to use within the process to learn through inquiry.

How are we supporting success? Now that you know what it takes for a student to accomplish the task at a high level, what supports can we offer them?

Where is the inquiry within the assignment? Map it onto the Guided Inquiry/NNPS Inquiry process.

Inquiry tools

What tools are there to help lead students to success and independence?

Strategies Useful tools for moving forward and getting deeper into the inquiry. Meta-cognitive awareness of strategies. Awareness of how I am learning & how I learn best. These strategies are also great for academic language acquisition and English learning. Integrates the literacies into inquiry.

We want our students to say things like “When I talked about my ideas it helped me to gain a clearer focus.” “Charting helps me to synthesize my ideas by seeing connections between things.” “Charting helped me to choose the right direction for my inquiry after I explored some ideas.” “When I journal throughout inquiry it helps me to think and gives me new ideas.”

What tools are there to help lead students to success and independence?

Systems Thinking Russ Ackoff – Systems Thinking – 12 minutes – Peter Senge- MIT professor – 5 minutes – 3:10 –

5 th Grade Geography Unit As a structure or system that paves the way for other things Where has it shown potential for you? Where’s the leverage in this work? Is there potential that hasn’t been tapped? Consider: – Relationships/ Collaborations/ Growing the knowledge of inquiry process in your school

Systems thinking What systems do you have or can you put into place so

Thank you!