Module2

Apply and share an inquiry model to an inquiry research project for targeted learners by creating a student guide for a specific classroom project. Create a resource for students that will scaffold them through the steps of the inquiry process. Select a particular grade, subject, project, and product. For the group of learners you selected, visually describe and represent the steps of the model in the context of the information problem. Use images that are free clip-art, public domain or copyright friendly. Create a Creative Commons License for your work. Somewhere in your visual guide, please note how the instruction you presented aligns with the Common Core State Standards.

Assignment 2_1: Visual Guide for an Inquiry Project

Copyright Friendly

Common Core State Standards

I-Search is a process that includes four general steps:
 * **Selecting a topic** - exploring interests, discussing ideas, browsing resources
 * **Finding information** - generating questions, exploring resources
 * **Using information** - taking notes, analyzing materials
 * **Developing a final product** - developing communications, sharing experiences

Web source

Promoting Student-Directed Inquiry with the I-Search Paper

Writing an I-search paper

I-Search Paper Format Guide

World Geography/Issues/Modern Problems Class. Grades 11-12. Inquiry: Answer a question about a particular country in the World. Record progress in a research journal daily - findings, surprises, struggles - reflect. (Date/Research Activity/Thoughts - make a chart)

Selecting a Topic: What countries intrigue you in today's world? (South Africa) What would you personally like to know about that country? Form a research question - (Is it safe to travel there?) What brought this on? (I always wanted to visit Africa. My uncle and aunt will be visiting there soon.) Is my topic interesting? Is it a question that I need to conduct research on to answer?

Finding Information: What makes a country safe? What do I already know? What type of information do I need to determine whether it is safe or not? Govt. statistics? Crime statistics? Travel journals? Blogs? Newspaper or magazine articles? What sources should I use? United Nations Website? First person testimony - can I find actual South Africans to ask on Facebook or Twitter? What will I find if I simply do a Web search on "Is South Africa safe?" Are there U.S. Govt. websites that tell me if a country is safe for Americans? Should I look at print sources?

Using Information: Visit all of my possible resources, evaluate for authenticity and take notes. What will I use to evaluate the validity of each source? I could ask my teacher or librarian for a form. What kind of note-taking style should I use? Should I write notes or use the computer? How should I organize my notes? After taking notes, which will I use in my final product? May want to rank usefulness of each. How will I keep track of citations?

Developing a Final Product: How would I like to share my findings? What kind of product will I create? What Web 2.0 tools do I have access to? Which will work best? Do I need just one tool or several? Google docs? VoiceThread? Blabberize.com? Wiki? How will others have access to my final product? Who will I share it with? If not Web 2.0, will I create a poster or Word document? Publisher? How will I present my citations? How will I encourage feedback? Reflect on your work - Is my presentation compelling? Have I left out anything? How was my organization? How can I work more efficiently through this process? Rate myself on a scale of 1-5 for each step in the process. How well did I do? What were my strengths? What can I improve on?