Strategies to Use During an Integrated Inquiry

The strategies outlined below are used in purposeful ways as students work towards finding answers to their
questions and thinking more deeply about a topic. This table provides some examples only –there are many
more!

Stage of Inquiry and Key Sample Strategies Relevant to This Phase

Questions

Tuning in (to our thinking) • Concept mapping, flow charts, Y-charts and other visual
organizers
• What is this inquiry all
about? • True/False statements – sort into what you think NOW...
• Why is this worth • Structured brainstorms (e.g. 1-3-6; hot potato)
investigating? • Labelled diagrams/drawings, art works
• What might this inquiry be • Listing, bundling key questions – fat and skinny questions
working towards? Where are
we headed? • Structured discussions (e.g. using talk tokens; paired
interviews; Piggy-back brainstorming, round robin
• What experiences and brainstorm)
information to we bring to
this inquiry? • PMI’s using prior knowledge

• What do we already think, • Using visual texts – analysis/captions

feel and know about this? • Talk to the picture – what does the picture tell you?
• (may include ‘immersion’ or • Collaborative quiz
‘frontloading’ experience.)
• Writing/speaking from experience
• Interviewing each other (e.g. using donut strategy)
• Post box – collecting data about the class’s prior
knowledge
• Sharing objects, photos and other artefacts from home –
writing about those
• Posing problems or challenges associated with this topic –
how would we go about solving this now? (compare later)
• Initial definitions (e.g. using think, pair share)
• KWALAQ Charts
• Exploring related objects – what do we know about
these? How are they linked? (placemat to record thinking)
• Mind maps
• Word splash – defining and connecting key word
 • Open ended play-based learning centres – teacher
interaction and observation used to assess prior learning
and interests
• NSEW: Need to know, Suggestions for finding out, Excited
about, Worried about...

Finding out more .... • Excursions and incursions – and the organization and
recording associated with these.’
• How can we gather
information about this? • Working with/learning from real people in the community
with expertise in the field
• How will we organise to
gather information? • Observing and recording real events, behaviors (e.g.
school ground, community)
• How will we contact
people/places we need? • Conducting experiments (long and short term) to gather
data
• What do other people/texts
say about this? • Composing questions and defining terms
• What does this information • Listening to, reading and analysing song lyrics
make us wonder more • Using literature and picture story books to extend
about? experience of the concept
• How will we record what we • Viewing videos/film, photos, paintings and other visual
are finding out? texts as resources – recording information
• How does information about • Interviewing experts on the topic
this compare from one
source to another? • Interviewing a range of people to seek opinions or gather
data
• What views do the texts
represent? • Creating and conducting surveys

• How does this challenge or • Reading a range of print material (fiction and non-fiction
compare with the ideas we books, pamphlets, maps, charts, etc.) to gather
had earlier in the unit? information
• Critical use of the internet or CD rom – webquests, using
smartboard for interactive teaching
• Note taking and other record keeping to document
research
• Learning from each other – individual or small group
presentations on an aspect of the topic
• Letter writing
• Emails, Faxes, Phone calls
• Web searches, use of websites, wikis, clips, simulations
etc.
Sorting Out and making Connections • Artistic representations – (show what you have found
out) across all modes of visual arts
• What does all this mean?
• Musical composition – instrumental, vocal, using
• What themes or patterns are
existing pieces and making a sound scape) Raps,
emerging across the data?
chants, songs
• What are we learning?
• Movement and dance – mime, freeze frame, short
• How can we show what we skits
understand?
• Mathematical forms of visual representation,
• How can we express our mapping, graphing, Venn diagrams
thoughts and feelings about this?
• Writing across genres
• What are the best ways to show
• Visible Thinking Routines
what we know and understand?
• SOLO Taxonomy
• How does this help answer our
questions? • Reading ‘comprehension’ tasks: TS, TT, TW, talk to the
author
• What new questions arise?
• Data charts and other graphic organizers to help sort
• What texts can we create?
and represent thinking about the topic
• How have we come to learn this?
• Using photos for visual and written responses
• What has been useful
• Drama activities: role play, question in role,
information?
conscience game
• What do we still need to do/find
• Writing statements of generalisation
out?
• Consequence wheels
• DeBono’s Thinking Hats
• Revisiting early work (tuning in) – how has our
thinking changed?
• Using metaphor and analogy
• Diagrammatic representations of the concept
• Matching cause and effect
• Compare and contrast (with related concept)
• Creating digital texts –web pages, excel, PowerPoint,
etc.
• Mind maps and other visual organizers that
emphasise sorting and connections
• True/False statements
Going Further (independent inquiry) • Wonderwall. Wonder boxes: following up new
lines of inquiry. Creating small interest-based
• How can we take this further?
inquiry groups
• What questions do we have as
• Individual and/or small group contracts with a
individuals or small groups?
range of choices for students
• What are our special interests?
• Individualised mini inquiries
• What’s another way of finding out
• Visible Thinking Routines
about this?
• Alternative ‘finding out’ experiences – new texts,
• Now, what do we want and need to
contrasting experiences
know more about?
• Focussed research tasks around unanswered
• How can we find out about our
questions or interests
wonderings?
• Individual or small group work leading to
• Who and what can help us find out
culminating task
more?
• Learning centres/research centres
• How can we organise for our own
inquiry? • Jigsaw – expert groups
• What choices are available to us? • Working in real life problems/issues associated
with this topic

Reflecting and Taking Action (culminating • Exhibitions of learning to school and community.
tasks) What and how can we teach others?
• What will we do with this? • Performances, ‘showoffs’ to promote a cause or
celebrate learning
• How can we do something with what
we have learned? • Visible Thinking Routines
• How have others made a difference? • Social or environmental action projects –
What could we do? What should be working with local and global communities to
passed on? make a difference

• What do we still need to know? Do? • Creating pamphlets and other texts to promote,
persuade, encourage, inform
• Personal goal setting and action plans
• Publishing writing to celebrate the inquiry
throughout the unit
• Learning logs/research journals/thinking
books...various self and peer assessment tasks
• Reviewing and responding to questions asked
during the inquiry

Throughout an inquiry:
• Class inquiry journals/diaries to track the process and the content being developed
• Wonder Walls to which answers are gradually added
 • Individual diaries/logbooks to document the journey
• Class wall displays – added to as the unit unfolds
• Digital diaries of the process
• Video diaries of the process
• Large mind maps displayed and added to
• Chart ‘How is our thinking changing?
• Regular share time to stop and reflect: what are we learning? Are our questions
being answered? How are we learning? Now what?

© Kath Murdoch, 2008