Inquiry Based Learning for Elementary Teachers

It's new. It's graphic. And it is the first of its kind. Designed to bridge theory and actual practice, Graphic Inquiry has applications for new and practicing educators and librarians. This visually rich book provides numerous, standards-based inquiry activities and projects that incorporate traditional materials as well as emerging social and collaborative technologies. This full-color book provides real-world strategies for integrating graphic inquiry across the curriculum and is specifically designed to help today's educators identify tools and techniques for using graphic inquiry with their students. Although research will be cited and references provided, lengthy text passages will be avoided in favor of practical, visual examples rooted in best practice and presented in graphic format. Readers will view this book as a quick reference to timely, realistic activities and approaches as compared to a traditional textbook.

With the adoption of the CCSS in most of the nation's schools, educators and administrators at K-12 schools have a pressing need to find the best ways to implement these rigorous and comprehensive standards that challenge students to understand informational text and digital content at increasing levels of complexity. This text provides faculty with much-needed support in achieving this critical goal, thoroughly describing inquiry learning and how it links to the CCSS. The authors--nearly 30 contributors total, comprising librarians, library media specialists, educational leaders, teachers from the kindergarten level to college professors, and administrators, each with direct experience and knowledge regarding the subject matter--explain how the standards' emphasis on in-depth investigation and evidence-based reading and writing skills dovetail perfectly with inquiry-based learning initiatives. Acclaimed thought leaders such as Jean Donham, Kristin Fontischiaro, Leslie Maniotes, and Barbara Stripling clearly define and illuminate the librarian's role in school initiatives today and share lesson plans that have been proven effective in actual practice.

Begin a school-wide movement toward collaborative instruction and ultimate student success! Challenge yourself and teachers to build learning environments that focus on realistic issues and themes. Build a strong case for the role of the library media specialist in implementing curriculum changes.

Inquiry is the fundamental first step in the learning process, and oftentimes the least understood. This finely edited volume enables educators to visualize inquiry as the unifying knowledge base to guide students through all major subject areas. Ite(tm)s a must-have guide for exploring ways to integrate concepts across different content areas.

Brad Buhrow and Anne Garcia are primary teachers in a diverse school in Boulder, Colorado. In Ladybugs, Tornadoes and Swirling Galaxies, you will see how they blend comprehension instruction and ELL best practices to explore inquiry as a literacy pathway for English language learners. As teachers and students engage in learning science and social studies content they also discover multiple ways to make meaning. The book is full of photographs of student artwork#151;including a color insert#151;that reveals the children's inquiry process, and demonstrates the important role of art as a sign system in ELL literacy and language acquisition. Brad and Anne provide explicit detail on the process they use as they move step-by-step with students from personal narrative through the independent inquiry process. They also discuss use of the Gradual Release Model, authentic assessment, and bilingual identities. Appendices in Spanish and English help to round out this informative and charming resource.

There is currently a rapidly growing interest in inquiry learning and an emerging consensus among researchers that, particularly when supported by technology, it can be a significant vehicle for developing higher order thinking skills. Inquiry learning methods also offer learners meaningful and productive approaches to the development of their knowledge of the world, yet such methods can present significant challenges for teachers and students. Orchestrating Inquiry Learning addresses the key challenge of how to resource and support processes of inquiry learning within and beyond the classroom. It argues that technological support, when coupled with appropriate design of activities and management of the learning environment, can enable inquiry learning experiences that are engaging, authentic and personally relevant. This edited collection of carefully integrated chapters brings together, for the first time; work on inquiry learning and orchestration of learning. Drawing upon a broad range of theoretical perspectives, this book examines: Orchestration of inquiry learning and instruction Trajectories of inquiry learning Designing for inquiry learning Scripting personal inquiry Collaborative and collective inquiry learning Assessment of inquiry learning Inquiry learning in formal and semi-formal educational contexts Orchestrating Inquiry Learning is essential reading for all those concerned with understanding and promoting effective inquiry learning. The book is aimed at an international audience of researchers, post-graduate students, and advanced undergraduates in education, educational technology and psychology. It will also be of interest to educational practitioners and policy makers, including teachers, educational advisors, teacher-students and their trainers.

Illustrates how to strengthen learners' problem-solving skills by incorporating problem-based learning (PBL) with Internet resources and presents projects that correlate to national science, mathematics, and technology standards.

Litlinks: Activities for Connected Learning in Elementary Classrooms is designed as a supplemental text in children's literature, reading and language arts courses. The first chapters introduce using literature in the classroom. Chapters 4-7 provide examples of activities that connect literature sections with different content areas in the elementary curriculum. The activities are all linked to appropriate national standards.

Personable and practical, Theme Immersion is invaluable for classroom teachers who want to make their teaching so exciting and relevant that their students will become lifelong learners. The book shows how themes should emerge from the experiences and current needs of students, rather than adhere to the seasons or follow prepackaged models. While basing theme immersion on a sound theoretical framework provided by Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Wells, the authors always translate that theory into practice, carefully illustrating aspects of theme immersion with teacher profiles, interviews, and classroom vignettes.