It's All About Our Questions

Last week, we had many discussions about inquiry based learning. The children know that inquiry is when they investigate their own questions. It is based on their curiosity and desire to learn more. They also know that open-ended questions lead to more in depth inquiries.


We talked about the importance of asking questions, and that all questions are good questions (close-ended questions included). The children have a page in their portfolios that is dedicated to any questions they have – these questions do not need to relate to school, and they might not even be answerable.

As I read through the children’s questions, I was astounded by the breadth and depth of their wonderings. Some examples of the questions that were posed are:
• Do plants have brains?
• Will people ever land on the sun?
• Is anyone perfect?
• How long would it take for a snail to climb the empire state building?
• How many liters of water are in the Pacific Ocean?

We looked at our mind map and asked questions that pertain to our unit of inquiry. These are the questions that will drive our classroom inquiries. Examples of questions the children asked are:
• How do people who read Braille synthesize ideas?
• What happens in the brain when I synthesize information
• How many types of language are there?

We talked about ways the children have investigated their inquiries in the past. Their list included surveys, questionnaires, going to the library, discussing, interviewing, reading and experimenting.

I think it is safe to say that 4.3 is indeed a group of inquirers, and that our wonderings will lead us to many new discoveries this year.

Home/School Connection: You can support your child’s inquiry skills at home by encouraging questions, and helping him or her find answers.