1. Pam Wenger – EDES 542 – Assignment 4 – Due: Aug 11, 2010
Inquiry Unit Plan Report
Grade 5 Social Studies: Contemporary Canadian People
The unit of study I’ve created an inquiry plan for is grade 5 Social Studies:
Contemporary Canadian People. I am teaching Social Studies in a grade 4/5 class this
year and I feel it would be a great opportunity for inquiry. Figure 1.0 shows the
objectives listed in the Saskatchewan Curriculum for this unit, which would be the focus
of study prior to this inquiry project.
Figure 1.0 Saskatchewan Curriculum Objectives
Concepts:
• Identity, multiculturalism , point of view, Canadian heroes
Knowledge Objectives
Students will know:
- that multiculturalism is part of Canada's identity.
- that our heroes reflect Canada's diversity.
Skills/Abilities Objectives
Students will:
- conduct a survey and tabulate the results.
- identify various points of view.
- access, organize and share information about various Canadians including
heroes.
Attitudes/Values Objectives
Students will:
- appreciate and value the country's diversity.
Citizen Action Objectives
Students may:
- conduct a survey.
- nominate, assess and induct heroes into a local Hall of Fame.
SOURCE: Government of Saskatchewan (2010)
Describe the project
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2. I have created a letter to the parents describing the project and suggesting ways
that they could be supportive from home. “We want parents to be our allies and to
support their children’s inquiries at home…” (Parker, 2007, p.93-94). The following
letter in Figure 1.1 has been adapted from Parker’s letter in Planning for Inquiry (2007).
Figure 1.1 – Letter to Families regarding Inquiry Project
Dear families,
Our Saskatchewan curriculum supports inquiry-based learning.
We teach the required indicators and outcomes at each grade level
and encourage the students to ask questions along the way. We help
students make connections to what they know, we assist in exploring
their curiosity, and guide them in finding what they need to know. It
is our goal to make their learning personal, interactive and interesting,
in hopes that they will become independent learners and life-long
inquirers.
We are currently working on a social studies unit about Canada
with a focus on contemporary Canadian heroes. Within this unit, the
students have been learning about multiculturalism, identity, heroes,
and points of view. As a culminating project, the students are going to
be working on an inquiry project. It is my duty to support your child as
an inquirer through the following steps.
1) Each student will have an opportunity to select a Canadian
hero that they feel has had an impact on them, that is interesting to
them, or that has sparked some curiosity within them. Their
selections will not be teacher-driven, rather open to their personal
choice. They will be guided through this entire process with myself
(the teacher-librarian), their classroom teacher and other teaching
staff in the school.
2) Students will come up with a list of questions that they would
have for their selected Canadian. This could include questions about
family, early life, career, history, health, passions, interests, etc.
3) Once their questions have been created, they will begin to
use various resources to help discover the answers. They may use
internet, books, magazines, video interviews, etc.
4) Exploring the information and analyzing the resources may be
a difficult task for students at this level. The teachers involved will
work with the students to be critical thinkers and use information best
suited to answer their questions. We will also guide them through the
process of organizing the information that is found.
5) After all of the information is processed, students will have
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3. an opportunity to create a presentation for their findings. They will
have several options for presentation, including: poster, written essay,
written interview, voice recorded interview, digital video recording or
any other format they prefer. Once the product is finished, they will
present their “creation” to an audience.
The students will be assessed during the entire process using a
variety of assessment tools created by the teachers and some created
by the teachers and students collaboratively. Teachers will be
monitoring their progress and making suggestions along the way. This
project is based on student interest, but will be somewhat structured
for appropriate learning to take place.
So what can parents do to support their child in this process?
Parents play a vital role in allowing their children to be curious.
→ Allow them to come to you with questions
→ Ask your child questions
→ Learn alongside your child
→ Be a listener
→ Help access resources such as library books, computers, time,
etc.
We look forward to working together on this inquiry-based
project. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate
to call.
Thanks for your continued support!
Mrs. P Wenger & (classroom teacher)
SOURCE: Based on Parker’s (2007) letter to parents
I have also created a handout for students with information about the Inquiry
Project for Contemporary Canadian Heroes. I plan to discuss this handout with them and
allow them to ask questions about the project itself. It is important to outline the project
with the students so they can see how each step comes together to form a “bigger picture”
of the learning process.
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4. Figure 1.2 – Information for Students regarding Inquiry Project
Contemporary Canadian Heroes
Inquiry Project
Have you ever had a question that you’ve struggled to answer on your own?
This project will help teach you how to create questions and use the world’s
information to help you answer them!
Here’s what we’re going to do:
1) You get to pick a Canadian Hero that you want to learn more about.
2) You will come up with a list of questions you’d like to ask that hero.
3) Then you have a chance to learn about how to find information, seek out
important facts and analyze resources.
4) Once you have information, you will learn to organize it and create a
presentation to teach others about your Canadian Hero.
5) The final step entails presenting your project!
You will have several opportunities to create assessment tools with the
teachers and students! You will be introduced to new resources such as books,
internet tools, interactive programs and much more! You will have experiences
working in the large class setting, small groups, partners and independently.
Your first question to answer is:
Inquiry Plan Document
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5. In my plan, I have included as much information as I can gather at this point in
my planning. Depending on the inquiry experience with the students I plan to use this
with, changes will need to be made in terms of time. I have based my projections of time
on approximately 60 minutes for each class period and each week as 3 class periods. I
expect that the classroom teacher will provide students time without my presence
(perhaps for extra work periods, catching up, homework, etc), but I plan to be a part of
the classroom as much as possible.
Some of the skills and strategies have been adapted from Understanding and
assessing inquiry-based learning (2004) as well as Focus on inquiry: A teacher’s guide
to implementing inquiry-based learning (2004).
Planning
Time Skills and strategies
for students
Supporting others Assessments (A)
and Resources (R)
a) building
background
knowledge
Few
weeks to
a month
- learn background
information in pairs,
small groups, whole
class, and
independently
- being introduced to
new information and
resources
- learn to discuss new
topics
- begin to think about
interests
- use unit as pre-learning
- provide resources (both
print and other to gain
background)
- look through resources
and discuss information
- ask child questions:
Who interests you? Why?
What do you already
know? What do you
want to know?
(A)
- personal journal
- participation
rubric for
discussions
created by teacher
s and students
(R)
- Kidspiration
- Horizon school
library catalogue
- Regina Public
Library catalogue
- online rubric
and checklist
generators
- ELA lead
teacher
- parents
b) establishing
topic of interest
2 class
periods
and
homewo
rk
- learn about new
internet sites
- begin to think about
topics
- learn how to build a
concept map on paper
or online
- introduce parents,
students and teachers to
lists of famous Canadians
- brainstorm possible
topics for research
- use concept maps,
webs, online tools
c) developing a
good question
1 class
period
- learn how to create
appropriate questions
- assess sample
questions in partners
- model good questions
- discuss how you come
up with questions
- model examples
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6. - learn how to use
KWL chart
- learn how to modify
questions
- brainstorm and discuss
examples of good
questions
- use KWL chart
- how to change and alter
questions
d) identifying
information
sources
1 week - look through online
catalogs, pathfinders,
web tools in small
groups
- learn about call
numbers and search
terms
- show options through
computer and
school/public library
catalogues
- create pathfinders
- share a variety of
available resources
- introduce call numbers
and search terms
e) identifying
audience and
sharing format
options
1 class
period
- learn the difference
between audiences
- view options for
presentations in
partners
- discuss the purpose of
difference presentations
for different audiences
- determine audience
(small group, class,
school, parents)
- share possible
presentation formats
f) establishing
assessment
criteria for both
product and
process
2 class
periods
- compare a variety of
assessment tools in
partners
- work together to
create tools in large
group
- determine expectations
of teacher, parent and
student through process
- share possible
assessment tools
g) reflecting on
the process
2 class
periods
- begin to develop
question
- reflect on how it will
be assessed
- develop a plan
- develop a plan
- discuss criteria
- discuss possible issues
and solutions
Retrieving
a) developing an
information
retrieval plan
2 class
periods
- determine search
terms based on
question
- learn about best
places to find
information
- learn how to make
plan to begin the
inquiry process
- create online pathfinder
for resources
- guide students through
critical thinking
strategies
(A)
- personal journal
- participation
rubric for using
resources created
by teachers
- on task rubric
created by
teachers and
students
- KWL
b) locating and 1 week - learn how to locate - discuss possible
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7. collecting and
homewo
rk
resources using call
numbers
- visit local public
library
resources (books,
journals, articles,
websites, databases,
videos, etc)
- provide appropriate
print and media resources
- review using call
numbers
(R)
- Horizon school
library catalogue
- Regina Public
Library catalogue
- Regina Public
library and
technicians
- online rubric
and checklist
generators
- ELA lead
teacher
- parents
c) selecting
relevant
information
2 class
periods
and
homewo
rk
- select appropriate
material
- model this process with
sample question
d) evaluating
resources
2 class
periods
and
homewo
rk
- learn how to review
information
- discuss research
strategies
- how to make jot notes
e) reviewing and
revising the plan
1 class
period
- refer back to KWL
- make necessary
changes to inquiry
- review how to narrow
search using search terms
- ask students: Are you
still focused on same
question? Any changes
needed? Are you finding
what you need?
- refer back to KWL
f) reflecting on
the process
1 class
period
- reflect on useful
resources
- share resources with
others in small group
- discuss retrieval
strategies
- discuss useful resources
Processing
a) establishing a
focus for inquiry
1 class
period
- refer back to KWL
- reflect/confirm
inquiry question
- refer back to KWL (A)
- personal journal
- jot notes rubric
created by
teachers
- KWL
- graphic
organizers created
by teachers
- on task
checklists created
by teachers and
students
b) choosing
pertinent
information
2 class
periods
and
homewo
rk
- select information to
answer questions
- record information
- learn how to make
jot notes
- review note taking
strategies
- share strategies for
reading charts, graphs,
tables, photos, and
looking for key words
c) recording
information
1 week
and
homewo
rk
- learn how to read for
important facts
- provide graphic
organizers for recording
information
- discuss the graphic
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8. organizers
(R)
- Horizon school
library catalogue
- Regina Public
Library catalogue
- online rubric
and checklist
generators
- ELA lead
teacher
- parents
d) making
connections and
inferences
1 class
period
- make connections to
background
knowledge
- refer back to KWL
- allow time for students
to share their findings
- refer back to KWL
- question the students:
what does this remind
you of? How does this
connect to your previous
learning? New learning?
e) locating more
information
1 class
periods
and
homewo
rk
- use various resources
for information using
call numbers and
refine search terms
- allow time for more
research
f) reviewing and
revising the plan
for inquiry
1 class
period
- reflect on inquiry
question and new
information
independently, in
small groups and as
whole class
- question the students:
what is working? What
hasn’t worked? What’s
missing? What is found?
g) reflecting on
the process
1 class
period
- refer back to inquiry
question
- question the students:
Based on findings, where
do you go from here?
What is the plan for
creating stage?
Creating
a) organizing
information
Few
class
periods
and
homewo
rk
- learn how to sort out
new information in a
way that makes sense
- add and omit
information
accordingly
independently and
with peers
- provide time, space,
tools
- refer back to graphic
organizers
- model organization
based on sample inquiry
- continue to ask them
questions
(A)
- on task rubric
created by
teachers and
students
- personal journal
- Participation
rubric created by
teachers and
students
- KWL
- listening
checklist created
by teachers and
students
(R)
- Garageband
- iMovie
b) creating a
product (creating
new knowledge)
1 week
and
homewo
rk
- plan out final
product
- reflect on how you
want to present and
how to best share new
knowledge
- show examples of
previous student work
- introduce them to web
2.0 tools
- brainstorm ideas based
on topics
- reinforce how to make
presentation personal
c) thinking about 1 class - practice presentation - confirm audience
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9. the audience period in small groups - discuss: What would
audience appreciate?
How will they best
understand?
- discuss creativity,
appeal
- PowerPoint
- Animoto
- ToonDo
- online rubric
and checklist
generators
- Horizon school
library catalogue
- ELA lead
teacher
- parents
d) revising and
editing (remixing
and reworking)
1 class
period
and
homewo
rk
- use revise/edit
strategies
- share work with
others and offer
suggestions in small
groups
- write and discuss
changes made
- create multiple drafts
- discuss editing, revising
- model revise/edit
strategies
- allow time to share
work with others and
offer suggestions
e) reviewing and
revising the plan
for inquiry
1 class
period
- make changes based
on peer and teacher
suggestions
- reflect on creativity
and personality
- ask student questions:
Will this product provide
an appropriate learning
opportunity for audience?
Is it creative and
personal?
f) reflecting on
the process
1 class
period
- reflect back on
inquiry question and
KWL
- review plan to
present information
- ask student questions:
Have you begun to
answer original inquiry?
Are you knowledgeable
enough to present to
others?
Sharing
a) communicating
with the audience
1 class
periods
and
homewo
rk
- practice presentation
with partners or
parents
- present new learning
to audience
- model presentation
behaviours: voice, eye
contact, volume, etc
(A)
- presentation
rubric created by
teachers and
students
- audience
checklists created
by teachers and
students
- peer assessment
created by
teachers and
students
- self assessment
created by
teachers and
students
(R) - online rubric
b) presenting new
understandings
2 class
periods
- share knowledge in a
variety of ways
- make presentation
fun & educational
- provide opportunities to
share new learning
c) demonstrating
appropriate
audience
behavior
Few
class
periods
- participate as an
audience member
- reflect on
engagement
- discuss new learning
with whole class
- allow audience to ask
questions
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10. and checklist
generators
- parents
Evaluating
a) evaluating the
process
1 class
period
- refer to assessment
criteria
- complete self
assessment and peer
assessments
- discuss assignment
tools thus far
(A)
- participation
rubric for
reflecting on
process created by
teachers
- personal journal
(R)
- online rubric
and checklist
generators
b) evaluating the
inquiry process
and inquiry plan
1 class
period
- reflect on KWL
- refer to personal
journal and discuss
strengths and
weaknesses with
whole class
- reflect on personal
interactions with peers
- ask the students
questions: What did you
like? What did you
learn? What surprised
you? What was easy?
Difficult?
c) reviewing and
revising personal
inquiry model
I class
period
- reflect on what
implications this
process has for future
learning
- go back and examine
focus development
- discuss how inquiry
changed and
developed over time
- begin discussions
regarding future learning
- ask the students
questions: what did you
discover about your own
style of learning? What
will you change for next
time?
d) transferring
learning to new
situations/
beyond school
1 class
period
- make connections to
old and new
knowledge
- discuss the
opportunities for future
learning
- ask the students
questions: how will this
process affect new
learning? Why is it
important to have
different opportunities
for learning? How does
your new knowledge
affect your ability to
inquire?
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11. Supporting the Students and Teacher
The inquiry project will be a constant process of supporting the teacher and
students. It will be my personal responsibility to guide the students and teachers through
a new learning experience. Although my time is limited with the classroom, I will have
constant connection with the teacher via email, phone and face-to-face conversation. At
the end of each class period, I will discuss the next step in the process with the students.
After each class period, I will discuss the upcoming class period plan with the teacher so
that they are prepared for what is to come.
I have created the beginnings of a Pathfinder that has been adapted from one
created by the Children’s Services Staff at the Strathcona County Library for the students
to begin their searches.
Figure 1.3 – Pathfinder for Contemporary Canadian Heroes Inquiry Project
Famous Canadian Pathfinder
Used with permission from Strathcona County Library, August 2010
Call Numbers from Juvenile Literature
J 92 – J 926.1 Biographies on people, including famous Canadians
J 970-J 971 Canada’s history, including significant people
Subject Headings
- Canada – biography
- Canada – history
- Canadians
- Famous Canadians
- Great Canadians
- Heroes – Canada
Websites
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12. http://particle.physics.ucdavis.edu/Canadians/
http://www.canadians.ca/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadians
http://www.probability.ca/jeff/canadians.html
http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b261/famous_canadians/index.html
http://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/english/edservices/pedresources/webquest/famous_
canadians/index.html
Reference Materials
Canadian Encyclopedia Online  Up-to-the-minute information about our country.
Over 10,000 articles with lots of links and feature articles.
World Book Online  Offers in-depth information on a variety of subjects. A good
resource especially for pictures, biographical, & historical information.
Books
J 921 KYI
Kyi, T. (2001). Canadian girls who rocked the world. Vancouver, BC: Walrus Books.
Kyi, T. (2006). Canadian boys who rocked the world. Vancouver, BC: Walrus Books.
J 921 MAC
McLeod, E. (2006). Kids book of great Canadian women. Toronto, ON: Kids Can
Press.
J 970.00497 KAL
Kalman, B. (2004). Famous native North Americans. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree
Publishing.
J 971.0099 ARA
Arato, R. (2008). Courage and compassion: 10 Canadians who made a difference.
Toronto, ON: Maple Tree Press.
J 971.0099 MAC
McLeod, E. (2004). The best book of great Canadians. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press.
SOURCE: Adapted from www.sclibrary.ab.ca/kids/pathfinders/famouscanadians.htm
Personal Response
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13. This unit plan is a starting point for me in a process that was completely
unfamiliar up until just a few weeks ago. It is the first inquiry-based unit plan that I have
created, and because of this, my planning chart is quite generic. I have spent roughly 40
hours creating this unit plan in hopes that it is transferable to any curricular topic that my
students, teachers and I are working on. According to Alvarado and Herr (2003), “one of
the greatest pitfalls of using object-based lessons is that the first lesson you plan takes a
great deal of time” (p. 21). Because time is limited for everyone and collaboration is
something difficult to achieve at this point, creating my generic plan may encourage
some teachers to become interested since the plan is well under-way.
My head is full of new wonderings, new understandings, ideas, plans and
questions. As with anything new, there is doubt and uncertainty. How will this
assignment look in a classroom setting? Am I planned out well enough? Will the
students be interested in their topics? Will I have a teacher that will be onboard? Can
parents be supportive of this process even though it is different from how they learned?
Do I have enough sense of assessment tools to be able to observe new learning with
students?
I suppose my biggest fear at this point is that there may not be teachers that are
prepared for this type of collaboration. People in our school division are bombarded with
new programs, assessments, reflections, classroom visits by Board Office staff,
committees, etc. Why would they want to add more planning to their plate? It is
important for us to create a sense of community with our teachers, reinforcing the fact
that the teachers are guides through the process and that the community of adults
involved (teacher, teacher-librarian, other teaching staff) support one another. Chu,
Chow, Tse and Kuhlthau (2008) believe that “a collaborative approach involving three
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14. kinds of teachers and the school librarian in equipping students with the knowledge and
skills they need to conduct inquiry-based learning projects works effectively” (p. 26). I
can see how this type of teaching can seem overwhelming and a little intimidating upon
first glance, but the long term and short term benefits should outweigh the concerns.
Parents may also seem doubtful at first since this learning is a far cry from how
they learned when they were in school. It may take time to prepare the parents and
ensure that you have their support. They may fear that they will end up completing the
projects for the student, when in fact “parents should step in only when their children are
having serious difficulties” (Chu et al., 2008, p. 17). Perhaps they may be concerned that
teacher’s accountability for covering curricular topics may be decreasing, however every
inquiry topic is curriculum-based and directly related to the units of study. We need
teachers and parents to know that our goal through inquiry-based learning is “enhancing
their knowledge and skills through close collaboration of the teaching staff and parental
support” (Chu et al., 2008, p. 16). We are a team working towards a common goal:
developing the skills necessary to succeed in the 21st
century which include independent
learning and thinking, technological competency, social skills, information literacy skills,
inquiry and self-confidence.
I have gained significant confidence using technology through this course and
have come to discover that for me, this new learning takes time. I’m looking forward to
seeing growth with students in terms of information literacy skills while diving into this
inquiry unit plan. Chu et al. (2008) found that “access to technology makes schools seem
more real-world, and students are able to push the boundaries of their traditional school
curriculum” (p. 12). Through inquiry, we are now allowing students to make connections
to the real world and “the continuity between the curriculum within the school and the
child’s experiences outside the school promotes sustained meaningful learning”
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15. (Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2007, p. 26). Along with the powerful learning that takes
place in that third space, the use of unique and varied technologies will help teachers and
teacher-librarians meet the diverse needs of the students in our schools.
After completing many readings on assessment, I had an “Aha!” moment that has
really resonated with me. My biggest learning from this process is that assessing learning
is completely different from assessing knowledge. When I reflect on my teaching
throughout the years, I find that I’ve been assessing their knowledge at the end of a topic,
not their learning along the way. Is it necessary that they memorize all of
Saskatchewan’s treaty locations, dates and conditions once the information has been
taught to them? Or is it more important to assess their thinking process, making
connections to present day, asking questions and reflecting through learning about the
Saskatchewan treaties?
Harada and Yoshina (2005) believe “that assessment is conducted as an ongoing
activity that provides crucial formative information about what the student is learning and
how that learning is taking place” (p. 1). I need to remember that just as inquiry is a
process, assessment is a process and if we discuss the stages of inquiry with students, we
must discuss the aspects of assessment with students. In order for the students to make
progress, they should be aware of how the assessments can benefit their learning.
I was aware of the variety of assessment tools appropriate for assessing student
learning, however, Harada and Yoshina (2005) provided me with more knowledge
around how to construct these tools and how they are used to assess information literacy.
Often times, teachers will use an assessment tool but it may not fit the criteria necessary
for assessing the learning process. We have to become more critical thinkers in terms of
what we want students to learn, how we are going to observe and record that learning and
how “teachers and library media specialists examine the results to inform their own
15

16. instruction” (Harada & Yoshina, 2005, p. 19). It’s not a matter of obtaining a “grade”
and then moving onto a different focus, but rather analyzing the assessment and giving
meaningful feedback to teachers, students and parents.
Through this planning process, I’ve come to realize that it isn’t what we are
planning to teach that is important, it’s how we plan to teach it. Regardless of the topic,
we are teaching students all of the necessary 21st
century skills that will be carried along
with them for years to come. I will need to reinforce the fact that “the result of inquiry is
not only deep learning about the inquiry question, but also the development of skills for
independent learning” (Stripling, 2004, p. 1). They may not be able to recall every fact
about their famous Canadian hero 5 years down the line, but perhaps we can inspire them
to think critically in real life situations and put their knowledge of the process into
practice in future learning opportunities.
At first, inquiry seemed like something that was beyond my grasp. With all of my
new-found knowledge and reflecting on my past teaching experiences, inquiry seems a
little more within reach. With a little time, experimenting, educating and guiding, my
fears are sure to lessen and any doubts that I once had will change to confidence. I am
proud of the learning that I have done, and I’m excited to present this plan to teachers in
the near future.
References
Alberta Learning. (2004). Focus on inquiry: A teacher’s guide to implementing
inquiry-based learning. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Author. Retrieved from:
http://www.education.alberta.ca/media/313361/focusoninquiry.pdf
Alvarado, A. E., & Herr., P. R. (2003). Inquiry-based learning using everyday objects.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
Branch, J. L. (2004). Understanding and assessing inquiry based learning. In S. La Marca
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17. & M. Manning (Eds.), Reality bytes: Information literacy for independent
learning (pp. 99-113). Carlton, Victoria, Australia: School Library Association of
Victoria.
Children’s Services Staff. (2009) Famous Canadians Pathfinder. Strathcona County
Library: Sherwood Park, AB. Retrieved from
http://www.sclibrary.ab.ca/kids/pathfinders/famouscanadians.htm
Chu., S., Chow, K., Tse, S., & Kuhlthau, C. (2008) Grade 4 students’s development of
research skills through inquiry-based learning projects. School Libraries
Worldwide, 14(1), 10-37. DOI: 33013499
Government of Saskatchewan. (2010). Saskatchewan curriculum: Education the future
within us. Retrieved from https://bbtest.edonline.sk.ca/webapps/moe-curriculum-
BBLEARN/index.jsp?lang=en
Harada, V. H., & Yoshina, J. M. (2005). Assessing learning: Librarians and teachers as
partners. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
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