The team saw how the students really tapped into Third Space in their wonderings about assumptions. They recognized that one way of responding wouldn’t give all students an opportunity to showcase the unique qualities of their research.
For the CREATE phase the team (Heather DeShazer) designed a detailed “choice board” for the students to choose their own method of sharing what they found. Their version was a Google Hyper doc leading to more information for the students about things they would need to know to successfully create a product like that. As you can see, in the image below, each option had a rubric and directions to help the eighth graders organize their information in order to create high quality products to share with their classmates.
To prepare to make that choice, first the team had students pair up and share their information with a peer to summarize what they learned from their research by looking at their notes, Inquiry Journals, and claims and evidence forms. Then, students were asked to write and turn in a written proposal for what they were choosing to create and why it was the best fit for their content as well as what they were hoping to present.
After the Create students Shared their creations with their classmates and the rest of the eighth grade in a QR code scavenger hunt across the school. To prepare the displays students had to include a written teaser or description of what their presentation was about and generate a QR code for their project. In a class session each class had the QR codes for their classmates and walked around the school to learn from each other. Included in their presentation was a paragraph explain why they chose the topic they did as well as details about what they learned about their topic. As the students walked the school and viewed the presentations of their classmates, they took notes in their Inquiry Journals about the new things they were learning about assumptions from their classmates.
All students returned to class and the teachers held a discussion bringing the unit to a close by talking about what they had learned about making assumptions, what assumptions meant to them now and what action they would take in the future now knowing what they know about assumptions and how damaging they can be.
In best practice of Guided Inquiry Design, the unit is woven together using the thread of the concept introduced at the beginning. The team concludes by circling back to the concept introduced in the beginning to help students bridge connections across the entire learning sequence, to bring the learning full circle, and as an assessment of what they learned. (This was introduced in a chapter of our High School book and is closely addressed in our GId Institute)
The unit doesn’t end there. In the final session the team asks the students to reflect on how they learned. Students are given a survey to help them process how they learned. This time to reflect on what went well, what was challenging and what we’d do differently next time brings awareness of how they learned to the forefront. When the unit is concluded with this kind of reflection the students are more likely to remember their challenges and learn from them. Without time to reflect on the learning, that aspect of the learning may be lost. The team used a form for reflection that included the questions from the book Guided Inquiry Design in the chapter on the Evaluation phase.
Next time, look for a post about how you can take this unit plan and adapt it for use with your students.
Before the month ends, I hope to bring a post to you with an update on how the team accomplished the unit during the chaotic and unpredictable times of Covid lockdown.
Stay well, friends,
Leslie Maniotes, PhD
Author Guided Inquiry Design
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