Nonfiction Inquiry & Literature Circles

Heather Hanson, Brooklyn JuniorJessica Crooker, North View

Objectives

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Capitalization doesn’t matter, but spaces and spelling doTIP

EXAMPLE

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EXAMPLE

“Despite these challenges, to truly prepare students to be substantive thinkers and democratic citizens, we need to move from the tyranny of information-transmission teaching that dominates American education to inquiry-based teaching. There is no cost to the move, since it actually improves students’ performance on standardized tests, as it improves their engagement, understanding, and ability to apply what they have learned.” –Jeff Wilhelm, 2007

Why Inquiry?Engage students in reading content-related

textsOffer choice to increase “buy in”Differentiate for a diverse population of

studentsPush students to be seekers of knowledgeFoster thinking skillsAllow students to explore areas of interestPromote ownership of learningApplicable in all content areasAppeals to adolescents’ need to be socialCan lead to deeper comprehension

Instructional opportunities…Gather relevant

informationEvaluate source

reliabilityBibliography/Works CitedIn-text citationOrganization of

informationAsking questionsCuriosity to learnEstablishing a purpose

for reading

CollaborationMulti-taskingProblem-solvingHow to use technology to

find and create SummarizingParaphrasingDifferentiating common

knowledge from original ideas

How to synthesize information

Overview of an Inquiry CycleEstablish Background Knowledge/Activate

Prior KnowledgeShared text & comprehension strategiesCollaboration, Participation,

Accountability Investigation & Gathering Information Final Product & Assessment—Go Public!

Establishing Background Knowledge & Activate Prior Knowledge

invite curiosity, build background, find topics

Teacher StudentsInvites curiosity, questioning Express their own curiosityShares own curiosity Explore, experience, and learn Models personal inquiry Wonder and ask questionsDemonstrates questioning & finding a topic

Read, listen, and view to build background

Immerse students in topics to build background knowledge

Connect new information to background knowledge

Confers with groups & individuals

Meet with teams to set schedules, ground rules, and goals

Read the passage.Employ any reading strategies you

would normally use.A short quiz will follow.

Establish Background Knowledge/Activate Prior Knowledge

Why Cold Reading is Often a Bad Idea Gallagher (2006)

“The Procedure” (Bransford/McCarrell, 1974)

Without looking at the text, please answer these questions:

1. What will be expensive?______2. One ____ may be sufficient

depending on how much there is to do?

3. In 3 sentences, and in your own words, describe the procedure.


Answers1.) Mistake2.) Pile3.) The procedure being described in this

passage by Bransford and McCarrel (1974) is the act of doing the laundry. Certainly, if one had little to do, one pile would be enough. It is important to sort clothing into groups and not overload the machines as one little mistake can be expensive. While the procedure is simple, it is cyclical and never-ending as once our clean clothes are worn, they will be in need of laundering once again.




“…the prime determinant of understanding is prior knowledge. Period, point blank, case closed.”

“Most ‘reading difficulties’ are really prior knowledge problems”

(Harvey & Daniels 2009)


Why…How…Lay a foundation for continued

learningLack of BK/PK = no understandingHow to activate or create BK/PK:

PicturesVideo clipsDirect instructionBrainstorming Pre-teaching Vocabulary


Shared text & Comprehension Strategies develop questions, search for information/answers

Teacher StudentsFlood students with resources and materials

Articulate thoughts and questions about own interests and experiences

Model how to read with a question in mind

Listen, talk, read, view to gain information

Demonstrate how to determine importance, take notes (post-it, code)

Develop questions; then read, listen and view to answer them

Helps students sharpen inquiry focus

Use text and visual features to gain information

Confers with groups & individual

Meet with teams to set and monitor schedules and task completion

“Saved by the Deep” by Rick Reilly

Shared text & comprehension strategies

Collaboration, Participation, AccountabilityBenefits of Small Group WorkLifelike; generate energy for challenging workIn small groups, we are smarterDiversity is an assetEngaged, interactive learningDifferentiated instructionEmployers increasingly require collaborationWell-structured=enhances student achievement

Small-group discussionDiscussion Directions:1. Golden Lines (5 minutes)

Each person chooses one line to share (interesting, agree/disagree, made you think…)

Read the line to group and say WHY you chose it (no discussion yet, share only)

Give each group member a turn to share their golden lines.

2. Continuum/Interactive Discussion (5 minutes)Someone shares a comment/question. Group members

discuss their thoughts/comments until that point is exhausted or everyone has shared.

Each person must share AT LEAST one post-it thought. Discussion must sustain for a minimum of 5 minutes.

Collaboration, participation, accountability

Small-group discussion3. Further Inquiry—Closing the Discussion (3-

5 minutes)As a group, come up with at least TWO questions

relating to the reading that could potentially be further investigated. You may need to revisit the reading or reflect on the discussion. What are you still wondering about? Did anyone pose a question during discussion that went

unanswered? Did you have a question during the reading that was never

answered?


Hypothesis: Collaborative teams consistently

out-perform individuals You will need:1. scratch piece of paper2. complete focus and attention


Directions for FacilitatorTen seconds to look at lettersFirst time all aloneGrade using A, B, C, D, F (on chart paper with three columns

for each try) F=0-5 D=6-10 C=11-15 B=16-20 A=21+

Second time through partners, but no time to make a plan, can’t get credit for the same letters (does that mean one point for same letter? Yes!)

Last time tables work together and get one minute to make a plan

Brainstorm why it worked.Then choose top three.

Possible answers to “Teams That Work”StrategiesDivided workClear expectationsEngagementKnew what the work wasMultiple opportunitiesFamiliar assessment formatKnew what success was going to look likeRealistic expectations I can’t to I canChunked into smaller piecesWork together effectively everyone helpful, involvedWere successfulTOP THREE: (from each table) willingness to share, clear

expectations that were realistic, time to process as a group, have a plan

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“…[we] need to explicitly teach students how to successfully interact with one another and also how to reflect on those interactions… Unfortunately, taking time for what some consider ‘non-academic’ activities seems to fly in the face of our standards-drive curriculums. However, a positive classroom climate will enable your students to work at levels of engagement, collaboration, and self-direction that otherwise would not be possible.” (Steineke, 2002)


AccountabilityResearch notebooksDuring reading activitiesArtifacts/evidence of thinking & learningSmall group or individual conferencesMidcourse correctionsRubric (see Harvey & Daniels for examples)

Student reflections


Investigation & Gathering Informationintensify research, synthesize information

Teacher StudentShow how to infer answers and draw conclusions

Engage in deeper reading and research

Engage students in guided discussion and debates

Keep asking: So what? What about this really matters?

Share how to evaluate sources

Conduct “people” research: interviews, surveys, focus groups

Teach interviewing strategies Synthesize information to build knowledge

Confer with groups and individuals

Meet with teams to monitor schedules, complete specific tasks and plan for sharing

Inquiry GroupsIf we were to continue, groups would discuss:What do we collectively know about our

new topic?What do we want to know now? Who will

research these questions?How many diverse resources can we

include?Information, opinions, written texts, videos,

music, cartoons, pictures/photographs, maps, charts, graphs

Investigation & gathering information

Final Product & Assessmentshare learning, demonstrate understanding, take action

Teacher StudentCo-construct expectations for final project

Co-construct expectations for final project

Share widest range of possibilities for sharing/performing

Demonstrate learning with performances, posters, models, essays, poetry, etc…

Helps students find real audiences

Become teachers as they share knowledge

Responds, assesses, and evaluates projects

Reflect on their knowledge building, cooperative processes & changes in their own beliefs or behaviors

Helps students share learning by taking actions

Take action through writing, speaking, community work, advocacy

Going PublicHow can we best

share this information with others? Managed choiceELA anchor

standards for Speaking, Viewing, Listening, and Media Literacy

Final product & assessment

Assessment & Evaluation“We grade the learning, not the knowing.”

Assessment fills us in on what students are doing & how effective our instruction has beenTeachers reflect, revise, and reshape instruction

Evaluation gives a value to what students have learnedBody of evidence: work samples, student talk,

performances, artifacts, conference notesIndividual accountability=key to small-

group assessment


Consider your objectives…Gather relevant

informationEvaluate source

reliabilityBibliography/Works CitedIn-text citationOrganization of

informationAsking questionsCuriosity to learnEstablishing a purpose

for reading

CollaborationMulti-taskingProblem-solvingHow to use technology to

find and create SummarizingParaphrasingDifferentiating common

knowledge from original ideas

How to synthesize information


Research to Build and Present Knowledge

7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.


Tools & tips for facilitating inquiryStart small…Mini-inqury (pg. 19-27)Textbook circles (pg. 28-30)Short storiesShort textsPictures/videoScience labsA single chapter or section of reading

Recommendation: Don’t add on—replace Engagement: Initial push back—don’t be

discouraged. Consider small group conferencingInquiry & thinking is hard work!

Don’t teach every skill in one inquiry unit. Narrow down and let go.

Tools & tips for facilitating inquiry

Education

Nonfiction Inquiry & Literature Circles