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Guided Inquiry in Action: High School: Inquiry Tools

Inquiry Community for collaboration

An Inquiry Community is a vibrant space where all members feel able to share their interests and background knowledge and show their growth in understanding "as well as share their process and ideas around content that support their learning." (24

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Inquiry Log for choosing

"The Inquiry Log serves to keep students organized with the many resources they are using as well as a way to make a note of why the resource may be useful to them in their research." (29) Students enter every source they look at in their Log so that it may be reconsidered at any time in their Inquiry Process. Stop and Jot--simplified note-taking--is a strategy use to capture ideas from each source and record it in their Log.

Inquiry Circles

Inquiry Circles build on community and offer a social component as students engage in their own learning.

Inquiry Journal for composing

A Inquiry Journal allows students to reflect on their personal inquiry process and "to connect with their personal reasons, or Third Space, for learning about their topic within the inquiry question." (27) The Learning Team offers feedback in a variety of ways.

Inquiry Charts for decision-making

Inquiry Charts facilitate the thinking process. Anchor charts are used in the Inquiry Community as reminders of the process, tools and resources. Inquiry Charts provide a scaffolding for learning and are quick assessment measures for the Learning Team. (31) 

Classroom Management tools

Blackboard

Google Drive/Classroom

Citation tools

Easy Bib

NoodleTools

Refworks

Zotero