"The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life." -Steve Jobs

Every new adventure has a beginning.  Every adventure has bumps and cracks.  We all need to learn from the good and the bad; just be willing to enjoy the ride!

As we worked for our first year, we made adjustments to the following scope and sequence.  Quickly we discovered that meeting each week for buddies in the beginning was not a productive use of time for all involved students.  We also quickly learned that students needed time separate from their buddies to research, take notes etc.  We also realized that depending on the grade, some students needed specific lessons to prepare them to work with their buddy.  Check out our Resource / Process Findings page and our mini-lessons page for resources and ideas to support inquiry buddies.  In addition, see how Inquiry Buddies fits into the new BC Curriculum and addresses the Core Competencies perfectly!  
Mini-lessons are suggested at the beginning of implementing Inquiry Buddies and throughout.  From our experience, mini-lessons are best done in their grade level classes.

Steps

Prior to Starting: 

Activities

Conversations / Lessons need to take place in all buddy classes on the following topics:
We also suggest setting up a teacher Edmodo or similar format for teacher collaboration.

Step 1:
(May take 1 to 3 lessons)
  • Students get a special inquiry book from dollar store- decorate/personalize.  Call them "iThought books." (See examples of Grade 2/3 I-Thought books here) Another option is to have students use a duotang or keytab to keep all sheets and reflections in throughout their inquiry journey.
  • In addition, older students were asked to blog their reflections at different points using their Kidblog.  Teachers and other students were able to comment on their learning journeys.
  • Get students to browse books for interests (Library Block or in the Classroom)
  • Invite students to write down or draw their interests in their I-Thought books - Create a web. 
  • Students may use Popplet or another app to brainstorm ideas as well.  These could then be printed and glued into iThought books.
  • Brainstorm topics of interest on overhead, whiteboard, or iPad with projector in individual classes
  •  Teachers meet and share brainstormed topics with each other, they then go back        and share wide range of topics with all groups.
  • Students choose their top 2 topics of interest.
  •  Teachers get together to form “interest groups/pairings etc.”  
          - We try to honour their first choices as much as possible; therefore, some groups 
           were formed under larger 'umbrella' topics.  For example, we created a reptiles 
           group with students interested in turtles and Komodo dragons.
  • Teachers divide these groups amongst each other.  This can be done by interests/strengths of the teachers first, as well as the needs of the students.

Teachers: Gather resources from media center, library, book rooms, video, internet etc.    

Step 2: Buddy Day
The First Buddy Day: Getting to Know you!
  • Students get a name tag with their interest topic and go for a “walk and talk” around the field to get to know their “interest buddies’
  • Give students time to play on playground to get to know their buddy on a different level
  • This day is VERY important, as are all built in 'fun buddy days'  They need to establish a relationship in order for quality educational conversation to take.  They need to trust each other, have fun together and enjoy spending time with each other. See findings on relationship and voice.

After learning their topic each student individually completes The Beginning of my Inquiry Journey sheet and Know Wonder sections of the Know Wonder Connections sheet.  They bring both to their next meeting together.

Step 3: Buddy Day
Browsing Resources
  • Students share The Beginning of my Inquiry Journey with each other
  • Each group member shares their Know, Wonder, Connections sheet.  They fill in connections with their buddies as they see what each person knows and wonders.
  • Buddies can read books / internet sources together looking to build background knowledge.

Step 4: 
Top 5 Quality Questions
  • Look at books to gain a little bit of background knowledge and get ideas to formulate their questions
  • Student then complete 'Our Top Five Quality Questions!' Each student fills one in.  At this point teachers meet with each group and help them identify the types of questions they are asking.  Is this a Background Knowledge question? Is this a deep thinking question or a surface question? Is this a matter of opinion? Could the answer vary depending on who you ask?
  • Get these questions ready for them to start answering!  Some, of course, will be difficult to answer at this point but we will have them come back to these at the end.  

Please see Mini Lessons on questioning, internet safety, valid information source, effective internet searching, and bias that should be occurring in class simultaneously during steps 1 to 4.

Step 5: Answering initial questions
Building Background Knowledge
This will take 3 to 5 weeks
Meet with Student Interest Groups
  • Give students time to research some general information on their topic together (read books, watch a video, explore a website, etc.)
  • More general information gathering and recording from books individually 
  • Students will may need some time in their individual classrooms to finish recording notes, find more resources etc.
  • We have students use this Cornell Style note-taking sheet to help answer their questions and record their learning.
  • Students can also take notes on the iPad or Web using Popplet and include photos in their notes and links back to their original site
  • Web Based they may want to create a Padlet wall where they 'stick notes and images to a collaborative wall.
  • Students may watch a video etc. to support learning on their topic
  • Buddies help each other record information, buddies share information they have found on their own time - websites, news article, books
  • Get students to do a “flipped classroom” where students write down a question in their agenda and they have to get an answer they can explain to the class the next day.  
  • “Ask an expert”  mini lesson - discussion time in own classrooms (student shares what he/she learned at home and the class can pose possible questions for future research or discussion)  

Have a Buddy Fun Day - Games Day was a real hit! Younger Buddy brings in a game from home!

Step 6: 
Representing Learning - Traditional (If primary buddies are included in the process, otherwise, skip to step 8 )
This process will take about 3 to 6 weeks.  We suggest having buddy time on alternate weeks.
  • Individual project but can present learning together  - At this stage, we had the younger buddies produce a little book of their learning.  Older buddies made a page or two to contribute to their buddies books.  In the future, we would probably have each student make a little book to share back with their buddies.  This should be done independently; however, build in buddy time for them to see each other, share their progress and provide each other with constructive feedback!
  • This said, we let a group of grade 5's and 7's create a Power Point presentation as an alternative to creating a little book of their learning.  Again flexibility allows for creativity!

Step 7: Buddy Day
Time to Share!
  • Students share their little books etc. with their Buddies
  • Have buddies to 2 Stars and a Wish
  • We also suggest that students share their Inquiry books with their own classes.  Have students ask students about their inquiry.

Time to Start Creating, Representing and Reporting out Learning!!

Step 8: Brainstorming
Representing Learning - A Model, an Experience, Use Technology, A traditional Report
  • Start to plan how they will demonstrate / represent their learning
  • Groups Brainstorm ways they can demonstrate / represent learning - Using this Chart.  We enlarged the chart and had each group fill in ideas.

  • We asked students then to choose something from the bottom two quadrants - for example a model, experiment, a play, a bake sale.  Then they will need to report out learning later from the top quadrants.
  • Students then fill in Inquiry Buddy Plan and Chart. 
  • Then they start making their model or preparing their experiences!
  • In our first year, students t made dioramas, models, grew crystals, completed experiments, made stop-motion videos and iMovies.  Some students did multiple representations of their learning.
  • Check out our student work samples and videos
 While working through Model / Representing Phase, prepare some questions for an outside expert
  • “Ask an Outside Expert Day” (teacher sets up something for groups)
  • Skype, guest, dvd, virtual field trip, etc.
  • Write what they learned through reflections on blog, in iThought journal

Celebrate Student Presentation - Have an Inquiry Celebration - Science Fair Style