How To Plan Inquiry Lessons Your Students Will Love

Do you struggle with teaching inquiry to your students? Are you unsure of how to get started? Do you want your Grade 1 to 3 students make eye-popping projects quickly and easily? Focus on these seven areas in your planning to create successful inquiry projects with your students.

What is Inquiry?

Inquiry is asking questions and finding answers.

Why Teach the Inquiry Process?

If kids can ask questions and know how to discover answers, they will be more successful in school.

And later in life.

Easily Plan Your Inquiry Lesson

Teaching inquiry can be EASY!

It’s all in how you plan!

You have three choices …

1. Spend HOURS on the internet as you scour for great ideas and strategies on how to teach it.
2. Use trial-and-error and teach MANY LESSONS to figure out how to use it with your students.
3. Save TIME as you plan your lessons by focusing on these seven areas.

Seven Areas Of Focus

Think about the following seven areas when planning your inquiry lessons so your students can be successful.

1. Determine Inquiry Questions
   • How will I get my students to generate their inquiry questions?
   • Will students keep an inquiry notebook of questions they would like to research?
2. Research Questions
   • Will students each research their own questions or work with a partner or in a small group?
   • If students work with a partner or small group, will they focus on the same questions or will each student research their own questions but support each other with the process?
3. Provide Sources of Information
   • What sources will the students use to find their information?
   • How many sources do I want students to use?
4. Gather Information
   • How will students record the information they find?
   • Do I want my students to use the writing process or just turn in their findings?
5. Share Learning 
   • How will my students share their findings?
   • What materials/templates/graphic organizers do I need?
6. Assess Learning
   • Will I assess this inquiry project?
   • Do I want students to do self and peer assessments?
7. Other Considerations 
   • What other things do I need to think or prepare before I begin using the inquiry process with my students?

Get your copy of the inquiry planning document located inside the Touch of Honey Freebie Library.

Want even more information about using inquiry in your classroom? Be sure to check out:

• How To Teach the Inquiry Method in Five Easy Steps
• How To Easily Differentiate the Inquiry Process For Your Students

DIY or Ready-Made Inquiry Projects?

You can easily begin teaching inquiry to your students today. Simply brainstorm a list of inquiry questions and have students start researching to find the answers. Use the 5 Step Inquiry Method with your students to make this process even easier. 

Want to save time?

Ready-to-use Inquiry projects are available on TeachersPayTeachers. Projects are available on animals, dinosaurs, farm animals, insects, magnets, weather, and MORE!

Each inquiry project includes:

• 9 Sample Inquiry Questions and Blank Templates
• Research Templates (with primary and regular lines)
• Class Book Templates (with primary and regular lines)
• Inquiry Is ... and I Wonder ... Posters
• Steps to Writing An Inquiry Posters
• Presentation Ideas Poster
• Self, Peer, and Teacher Assessments (with happy faces and 4 point scale)
• 2 Rubrics

Interested in a number of inquiry projects? All the above projects are a part of the Inquiry Based Learning Projects BUNDLE.

Happy writing!

Until next time,

P.S. Do you struggle teaching writing to your kids? Are you looking for writing tips, strategies and ideas?

• Check out ideas in  Teaching Writing 101 
• Find materials in the Writing Resource Club

Not sure if any of these are for you? Check out the Touch of Honey Freebie Library. Download a freebie and begin using in your classroom today.