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INQUIRING MINDS CHART AT P.S. 129M

At P.S. 129 (the John H. Finley Campus School) in District 85 in Manhattan, sixth grade students of teacher Ms. Juanita Small now proudly display their inquiry chart. The class developed the culminating chart at the end of a week-long class science activity. Ms. Small initi-ated the project because she was intrigued by its description in a discussion with Ms. Luzviminda Canlas-Tapia, Teacher Center staff member, and decided to work with her and students on it. Ms. Small says, “The entire experience was rewarding both for myself and the students.”

Ms. Canlas-Tapia reports, “We decided to use the strategy of creating an inquiry chart because it is especially valuable for two reasons. It fosters critical thinking skills and facilitates the organizing and the preparation necessary for a research report. We used the inquiry chart strategy in conjunction with student study about an endangered species (which is part of the sixth grade science curriculum). We selected wolves as our focus species and 5 resources about wolves. Then we created up to 5 questions about each resource. (See box on page 4). We noted that the formulation of questions was especially important because the answers would provide the framework to support the students’ report writing.

“We started work with students using an anticipation guide to stimulate their discussion, which was inspiring. The anticipation guide allowed students to integrate their prior knowledge and make connections to their own experiences. At the same time they were able to stick to the questions we had created. We then charted and tallied the results of the discussion. [For an explanation of how to create anticipation guides, see the Flipbook, ‘Connecting Readers to Text, K-8: Active Literacy Strategies,’ available at your Teacher Center].

“Children were now divided into collaborative teams, each group receiving a book. The teams used their readings from the books to add to their knowledge and answer the focus questions. Next came further investigation, research and fact-finding. The students’ enthusiasm about their work was contagious. They turned the task into an inter-group competition, deciding that the first team to finish its investigation was the best team.

“Each group wrote summaries of their findings and another discussion followed. The summaries were re-drafted and edited. A deepened interest in wolves developed throughout the class and students wanted to read other teams’ books. Student, Sayed Ahmed, said, ‘We learned a lot about wolves, such as their habitat, appearance and behavior. I’m glad to know that there are a lot of people who want to keep the wolves alive. I think that’s great.’ Some students, like Shakeem Marshall ‘want to learn more about wolves,’ and as he did, voiced an interest in sponsoring wolves. (See text box for information about Wolf Haven). The final inquiry chart was later presented at a District 5 work session for teachers.

” Ms. Canlas-Tapia and Ms. Small agree that the joy developed by the experience will last a long time. “We look forward to sharing with other teachers in our building so that they can also try developing a project using this tool with their students. It is an instructional approach that supports students in becoming more independent readers, researchers and investigators as well as better writers,” they say enthusiastically.




	INQUIRING MINDS CHART AT P.S. 129M At P.S. 129 (the John H. Finley Campus School) in District 85 in Manhattan, sixth grade students of teacher Ms. Juanita Small now proudly display their inquiry chart. The class developed the culminating chart at the end of a week-long class science activity. Ms. Small initi-ated the project because she was intrigued by its description in a discussion with Ms. Luzviminda Canlas-Tapia, Teacher Center staff member, and decided to work with her and students on it. Ms. Small says, “The entire experience was rewarding both for myself and the students.” Ms. Canlas-Tapia reports, “We decided to use the strategy of creating an inquiry chart because it is especially valuable for two reasons. It fosters critical thinking skills and facilitates the organizing and the preparation necessary for a research report. We used the inquiry chart strategy in conjunction with student study about an endangered species (which is part of the sixth grade science curriculum). We selected wolves as our focus species and 5 resources about wolves. Then we created up to 5 questions about each resource. (See box on page 4). We noted that the formulation of questions was especially important because the answers would provide the framework to support the students’ report writing. “We started work with students using an anticipation guide to stimulate their discussion, which was inspiring. The anticipation guide allowed students to integrate their prior knowledge and make connections to their own experiences. At the same time they were able to stick to the questions we had created. We then charted and tallied the results of the discussion. [For an explanation of how to create anticipation guides, see the Flipbook, ‘Connecting Readers to Text, K-8: Active Literacy Strategies,’ available at your Teacher Center]. “Children were now divided into collaborative teams, each group receiving a book. The teams used their readings from the books to add to their knowledge and answer the focus questions. Next came further investigation, research and fact-finding. The students’ enthusiasm about their work was contagious. They turned the task into an inter-group competition, deciding that the first team to finish its investigation was the best team. “Each group wrote summaries of their findings and another discussion followed. The summaries were re-drafted and edited. A deepened interest in wolves developed throughout the class and students wanted to read other teams’ books. Student, Sayed Ahmed, said, ‘We learned a lot about wolves, such as their habitat, appearance and behavior. I’m glad to know that there are a lot of people who want to keep the wolves alive. I think that’s great.’ Some students, like Shakeem Marshall ‘want to learn more about wolves,’ and as he did, voiced an interest in sponsoring wolves. (See text box for information about Wolf Haven). The final inquiry chart was later presented at a District 5 work session for teachers. ” Ms. Canlas-Tapia and Ms. Small agree that the joy developed by the experience will last a long time. “We look forward to sharing with other teachers in our building so that they can also try developing a project using this tool with their students. It is an instructional approach that supports students in becoming more independent readers, researchers and investigators as well as better writers,” they say enthusiastically.
	RESOURCES ABOUT WOLVES BOOKS ABOUT WOLVES Brandenburg, J. (1993). To The Top Of The World. NY: Walker and Company. Johnson, S.A. (1985). A Wolf Pack. NY: HarperCollins. Simon, S. (1993). Wolves. NY: HarperCollins. Wolpert, T. (1990). Wolves for Kids. Minnesota: Lerner Publishing Company. SAMPLER: QUESTIONS ABOUT WOLVES 1. What do wolves look like? (What are their colors? Sizes? Shapes?) 2. What do wolves eat? 3. What do wolves do? (How do they behave? Move? Act with each other?) 4. What are some other interesting facts you have learned about wolves? 5. What new questions do you now have about wolves? WOLF ADOPTION Wolf Haven Adoption Program – Wolf Haven International 3111 Offut Lake Road Tenine, Washington 98589 1-800-448-WOLF (448-9653) or http://www.wolfhaven.org This program includes in its mission: public education, and taking responsibility for wolf care and conservation in the wild. It has a wolf sanctuary where there are currently 29 wolves, (soon to be 31) in residence. Wolves who have been socialized to humans can never live independently in the wild. Wolf Haven can be contacted for information in such cases. Wolf Haven also plays a role in the Mexican Wolf Recovery program, a federal project.