Inquiry in action

Inquiry at
different scales.

Inquiry is both a long arc and a daily habit. Sometimes a question grows into a sustained exhibition; sometimes one carefully designed mystery transforms a single lesson.

01 / 02 · Long arc

Long-term project inquiry

Sustained investigations connect disciplines, grow through student decisions, and culminate in work for an authentic audience.

A student-designed food truck exhibition with visitors exploring the displays01Inclusive, transdisciplinary learning

Grade 5 · CT Douglas · 2018–19

What is the power of food?

Co-designed and co-taught with special educator Betsy Johnston, this inclusive inquiry connected culture, identity, economics, biology, and mathematics—culminating in a student-built food-truck exhibition.

Approaches to learning

ResearchThinkingSocial

Co-teaching · Authentic action
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Students adding watercolor illustrations to their hardcover poetry anthologies02Conceptual understanding & craft

Grade 4 · Bishop · 2025–26

Who are we as poets?

A prescribed writing unit became a sustained studio where students studied mentor texts, experimented with craft, revised deeply, and developed identities as poets.

Approaches to learning

ThinkingCommunicationSelf-management

24 of 25 families attended
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Students gathered around their Room 207 Times newspaper display03Agency, voice & community

Grade 4 · Bishop · 2025–26

How can our stories bring us closer together?

A six-month student-led newspaper transformed literacy into a real community practice as learners reported, edited, published, and wrote for an authentic audience.

Approaches to learning

CommunicationSocialSelf-management

Six months · Eleven issues
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02 / 02 · Daily practice

Daily & short-term inquiry

Inquiry does not require a six-week exhibition. A carefully chosen question can create curiosity, agency, and authentic argument within an ordinary lesson.

A classroom whiteboard showing student-generated factor reasoning and a written proof that 51 is composite
01Mathematical reasoning

Why is 51 my favorite number?

One incomplete prompt invited students to test conjectures, compare representations, and build a convincing argument that 51 is composite.

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A student-created Barton Family group chat showing Patriot and Loyalist reactions to Revolutionary events
02Historical perspective

What would the Barton family say?

Students brought 250-year-old history into modern discourse, using a family group chat to explore character development and the traits that shaped Patriot and Loyalist perspectives.

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Students observing Romeo, a classroom corn snake, with only their hands visible
03Scientific observation

What makes corn snakes so successful?

In a mini-lesson co-taught with our district science director, students observed Romeo, our classroom corn snake, and investigated the adaptations that make corn snakes such successful animals.

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A student performs at the microphone while classmates gather for a classroom comedy event
04Writing, SEL & public speaking

How can humor help us find our voice?

Students wrote and workshopped original jokes, rehearsed with peers and adults, and built the confidence to take a turn at the microphone for a real audience: their classmates.

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