Literacy 4-6

Guided Inquiry

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Overview

In guided inquiry, teachers help students use their own language for constructing knowledge by active listening and questioning. Through dialogic reading and inquiry activities, students are able to explore their interests, deepen their understanding of texts, and process their own reasoning. For writing, students can engage in guided inquiry activities that ignite curiosity as a way to brainstorm and develop ideas.

Use It in the Classroom

Learn how this fifth grade teacher asks open-ended questions to prompt student thinking during a writing lesson. As she guides their reasoning and repeats the language they use, her students develop their abilities to analyze a peer's response to a reading.

  • The teacher plays a crucial role in guided inquiry by raising students' awareness of how to use language as a tool for reasoning. Teachers, and eventually students, can ask questions that provoke thinking and provide their own ideas for possible answers that stimulate further questions. Additionally, because asking questions elicits deeper thinking or challenges previous thinking, inquiry has the potential to foster growth mindsets.

    • Design It into Your Product

  • Products can embed questions that pop up while learners are exploring content to prompt deeper, reflective thinking at key points in a text. They can also let students ask their own questions, which can help develop their Metacognition.
    • View References

    Resources

    Below are additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.

    All About Inquiry-Based Learning

    Benefits and strategies for implementing inquiry-based learning

    Facilitating Inquiry-Based Learning

    A curated list of resources and downloads for inquiry-based learning

    Facilitating Text-based Discussions

    The importance of facilitating text-based discussions from Digital Promise's Ask a Researcher

    Giving Students the Opportunity to Drive Lessons

    Tips for encouraging student-driven inquiry

    Language, Space & Time

    Subtopic that explores how language can shape our perception and representation of abstract concepts on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Learning Communities

    Subtopic that includes research on communities of learners on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Teaching for Collaboration & Creativity

    Subtopic that includes research on instructional approaches to encourage collective problem-solving on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Factors Supported by this Strategy

    Literacy
    Background Knowledge
    Foundational Writing Skills
    Genre Knowledge
    Morphological Knowledge
    Orthographic Processing
    Syntax
    Verbal Reasoning
    Vocabulary
    Cognition
    Attention
    Auditory Processing
    Cognitive Flexibility
    Inhibition & Self-regulation
    Long-term Memory
    Metacognition
    Short-term Memory
    Speed of Processing
    Visual Processing
    Working Memory
    Social and Emotional Learning
    Emotion
    Student Background
    Adverse Experiences
    Literacy Environment
    Physical Well-being
    Primary Language
    Safety
    Sleep
    Social Supports
    Socioeconomic Status

    More Instructional Approaches Strategies

    Authentic Audiences & Purposes

    Writing can become personally meaningful when students have an actual audience and a real purpose for communicating with that audience.

    Direct Instruction: Comprehension Strategies

    When teachers provide explicit instruction in comprehension strategies and model when to use them, students learn how to flexibly apply them to make meaning of texts.

    Direct Instruction: Genre-specific Writing Strategies

    Explicitly teaching strategies for different genres, like narrative or persuasive writing, helps students write for different purposes and audiences.

    Direct Instruction: Keyword Search

    Teaching students how to create and use strong keywords for Internet searching is critical for helping them know how to find accurate, relevant information.

    Direct Instruction: Spelling

    Formal spelling instruction improves not only students' spelling skills but also their reading skills.

    Direct Instruction: Vocabulary

    Seeing and using new words repeatedly and in many contexts is critical for Vocabulary acquisition.

    Direct Instruction: Web-based Reading Strategies

    Research shows that, along with traditional [reading comprehension ][1][strategies][2], students use unique strategies to read the non-linear, hyperlinked structure of online texts.

    Direct Instruction: Writing Strategies

    Explicitly teaching strategies for planning, writing, and revising texts improves students' writing quality.

    Family Engagement

    Students are more likely to come to school when families feel like a valued part of the community.

    Independent Reading

    Independent reading promotes literacy by emphasizing student choice with teacher support in selecting books, as well as by making time for free reading.

    Mindfulness Activities

    Through short but regular mindfulness activities, students develop their awareness and ability to focus.

    Multimodal Instruction

    Instruction in multiple formats allows students to activate different cognitive skills to understand and remember the steps they are to take in their literacy work.

    Pre-reading Questioning

    Helping students think about what they know about the topic of upcoming work helps activate their Background Knowledge or reveals gaps.

    Provide Writing Models

    When students read models of the type of writing they are doing, they can identify effective elements to incorporate in their writing.

    Reading Conferences

    Through one-on-one conferences, teachers can provide individual support to each student to deepen comprehension and interest in reading.

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