First Grade - Inquiry

Overview

Students delight in questioning and discovery - building connections to prior learning and experiences while they develop as independent learners. Questions not only drive learning but also are outcomes of learning as well.

Create many rich and varied opportunities for students to make observations, ask questions, seek answers, and design solutions to personal, community, and global issues. Support students in making their thinking visible so they can build on their own learning and that of others in their community. The thinking and questioning of students are the focal points in an inquiry-driven classroom.

What Is Inquiry-Based Learning?

Insight on Inquiry

Kindergarten teacher Carol Stephenson brings us inside her classroom to share how she fosters inquiry-based learning at the very beginning of the school year. Carol teaches at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, the lab school at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (University of Toronto).

Supporting Inquiry

Use these practices, and practices like these, to support student thinking and academic ownership

See, Think, Wonder

This routine encourages students to make careful observations and thoughtful interpretations. It helps stimulate curiosity and sets the stage for inquiry.

Instructions

What Makes You Say That?

This routine helps students describe what they see or know and asks them to build explanations. It promotes evidential reasoning (evidence-based reasoning) and because it invites students to share their interpretations, it encourages students to understand alternatives and multiple perspectives.

Instructions

Think, Puzzle, Explore

This routine activates prior knowledge, generates ideas and curiosity, and prepares students for deeper inquiry. It works especially well when introducing a new topic, concept, or theme in the classroom.

Instructions

Reflection Questions

  1. How can inquiry develop academic ownership and honor students' experiences?
  2. What does inquiry currently look like in your practice? What is working well for students? How do you know? 
  3. What are the implications for your own practice? What will you do first?

Want More?

SFUSD Deeper Learning: Inquiry

This page was last updated on May 17, 2023