MINI INQUIRY GUIDE: OUTER SPACE

Igniting students' natural curiosity is something we strive to achieve every day, week, month and throughout the school year with hopes that each student begins to see themselves as a lifelong learner inside and outside the walls of your classroom! Setting up the learning environment to support their wonders and guide their learning is a very exciting process since it can be one that leads in many different directions based on their interests, knowledge, strengths and needs! As an educator, I look to this process as one with endless possibilities and always enjoy planning purposeful provocations and setting up the environment as a third teacher for my students. 

Welcome to the  “Outer Space” Inquiry! 

• This is a collection of ideas on how to implement and guide you through the inquiry process while engaging your students in all kinds of fun learning! They will be learning about various topics like planets and moon phases, through books, videos, and other means of research. Remember, this is a guide of possible topics that may arise, follow the children’s interests as the inquiry unfolds!

During the proposed planning process, I try to tie in the curriculum expectations that best fit the students' theories and where the learning might go. Inquiry-based learning is wonderful for clustering expectations underneath an "umbrella" topic and I am always surprised by just how many expectations this one inquiry could cover. There are and continue to be many opportunities to extend students' learning into other content areas. By using the "Big Ideas" in the Full Day Kindergarten curriculum, you are able to select the best holistic expectations for the inquiry and help set the tone for the learning and your goals for what you want your students to walk away knowing and being able to do.  

What’s Included:

• Suggestions for Teaching Teams 
• Provocations & Question Prompts
• Investigations
• Read Alouds
• Informational Videos
• Tips on: Documentation & Assessment
• KCOL Comment Examples (3)

Please note, this is a collection of ideas on how to begin, implement, and guide you through the inquiry process while engaging your students in hands-on learning. The slides are meant for co-learners (children and educators) - text ideas for educators to invite and provoke children, books and videos for children to watch and listen to, as well as, book ideas for educators to bring into the classroom. Prompts and provocations are meant to inspire educators within the process of the inquiry. 

Thank you for downloading this Inquiry Guide, I would love to hear your review! Please send any concerns, questions, or feedback about this product to: keepingupwiththe.kindies1@gmail.com

“The role of the educator shifts from a communicator of knowledge to a listener, provocateur, documentor, and negotiator of meaning.” - Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw