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What is a shared inquiry lesson?
Shared inquiry is an inquiry based learning process. It’s like a Socratic or whole class discussion in terms of format. However, it doesn’t require preparation on the part of the students like a Socratic would. Inquiry-based learning encourages problem solving, curiosity, critical thinking and more.
How does it work?
In general, inquiry based learning requires some kind of question or task. Students are asked to solve that problem using skills and tools from previous learning. I have students sit in a huge circle in my classroom. I also sit in the circle and explain that we’re all working through the text together.
What about classroom management? Gosh this is so hard, right?
My first year of teaching, I worked in a really tough school. I definitely thought my students would not be able to handle doing any kind of classroom discussion. They read significantly below the grade level and getting through lessons was difficult with all of the behaviors I had to manage.
My mentor teacher challenged me to give up my desire to control the class and discussion and release some responsibility to the students.
It was terrifying. Like literally, I did not sleep one minute the night before our first discussion. However, it ended up being one of the best lessons I did that year. Did I have to manage and correct behaviors? YEP. Did I have to move kids and even ask some to take a break and step away? Oh yeah. But I also had students step up and show me things I hadn’t seen them do all year.
They analyzed and evaluated and I saw their confidence increase. It had such a positive impact on my students that I started incorporating them every few weeks.
How does it work in an English Reading class?
My favorite way to do this is to present a short-ish but rick and complex text that students haven’t read yet. We start with what they notice or wonder and then it’s off to the races! I always have norms that we go over at the beginning. I also plan out open-ended questions before the lesson but I never end up using all of them. Since I teach high school, each class period tends to take the text in a different direction. Every time, no two discussions are the same.
Why should I try it? Because it’s so fun!
Seriously, it’s a blast to watch students dive into a text in this way. They have to work together to make inferences and evaluate the author’s choices. It is also a FANTASTIC way to bridge students towards a Socratic discussion. Since Socratics and other discussion types are more unstructured, this kind of structured discussion invites students to sharpen the skills they need in that kind of open, bigger discussion
What is a good text for this? I got you.
I created a whole lesson plan with a slide deck that you can have for FREE here. It’s for the poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus. It’s an easy to read poem that is PACKED with rich imagery, vocabulary and meaning. My lesson plan includes a facilitator guide. It has questions you can ask to guide the discussion and norms to set your students up for success.
How the heck do I “grade” it? You can. You also don’t have to!
I use a circle tracker with visual symbols, you can download the one that I made for free here.
Extra tips for a successful Shared Inquiry Discussion
- Pre-encourage your students. I always start by telling them that not all teachers think their students can “handle” this kind of discussion format. I pump them up by telling them that I know they can handle it and will totally crush it
- One of my norms is always “speak from uncertainty.” (You can see all of the norms in the slide deck in the free lesson plan I talked about earlier). I explain that this looks like not being confident about what they’re saying but sharing it anyway. I remind them that it’s a new text for everyone so no one is an expert.
- Wait to use this until at least a few weeks into the school year. I never do this in the first month and a half or so of the school year. I think it’s best to wait until you have established your classroom culture and know your students well.
- Be patient! There will be silent moments where no one talks. Don’t try to fill it!
- Students will feel awkward at first, give them space to process and think. You can set them up for success by telling them that there will be silent moments but that is thinking time and it’s good.
Looking for an extension activity? I’ve created a FREE identity poem task with a prompt, slide deck and rubric you can use. It invites students to apply some of the strategies Lazarus uses to write poems about themselves. It’s a very structured poem with a fill-in-the-blank template. This makes it a lot less intimidating for students who haven’t written a ton of poetry.
I love having students do this after we read “The New Colossus” because it puts them in the driver seat. It is also FANTASTIC for a bulletin board or hallway display. You can get it for free by signing up for my Free Resource Library where you can find even more awesome free resources.
Do you want to incorporate even more Inquiry Based learning in your English class? Check out my Inquiry Project Unit. It’s based on the prompt: How an your words inspire change? It invites students to develop and advocate for any topic they choose. The unit includes slide decks, organizers, a digital or print notebook with prompts, rubrics and more! You can purchase it here.
