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I always start inquiry circle projects towards the end of a Unit. For example, when I am nearing the end of my Civil War Unit I often start asking my students to think of a question they still have in regards to anything we have discussed. This is usually where I teach a lesson on “Thick vs. Thin Questions”.  Students will come up with questions like, “What were some of the other major battles of the Civil War?”, “What was it like on the Underground Railroad?”, or “How did the North and South work together after the Civil War?” Sometimes students will need help tweaking their question, but overall they understand what types of questions are able to be researched.

Once my students decide on a topic/question, I ask them to write it on a piece of paper and turn it into me. I then go through all of their questions and group students based on what they wrote. While many of the questions are not the same, they are related. I usually look for 2-3 students with similar questions and put them in a group together.  This way of grouping students is fantastic! This pushes students to worry more about their own interest in a topic and less about what their friends are doing. This process also gives me (the teacher) control over who works together.

Once groups have been formed, I ask my students to develop a work plan for their research and presentation of the topic/question they have chosen. A work plan usually includes group member names, topic or question being researched, where information can be found on this topic, other related questions that will be researched, what each member is responsible for doing, a plan for presenting the information, what help (if any) they will need from me, and a signature from each group member.

I find that this work plan helps hold students accountable. By the time the work plan is complete, they understand exactly what they are supposed to do, and have a plan to make sure it gets done. At this point, my students begin the research process. With notebooks and pencils in hand, I take my class to the school library to check out relevant books, and to the computer lab to search the internet. All in all, I would say that I take about three to five days on the research part of this project.

Putting it All Together

If you would like to learn more about inquiry circles, check out the book Comprehension and Collaboration