An Excellent Resource Tool for Inquiry Lessons (NCSS)

In order to be an effective teacher, it is important to constantly look for ways to create lesson plans and activities that will get the students engaged in the lesson and give them a better understanding of what they are learning. The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has worked together to create an online resource tool for teachers to use in order incorporate inquiry lessons in the classroom in order to enhance the students' learning.

 Inquiry lessons consist of the students following the scientific method format. The students develop a hypothesis relating to the main topic and test their hypothesis with the activity that follows. Inquiry lessons helps builds the skills that the students need for their lives as well as preparing them for the skills needed for college and their careers.

 The NYS 3 Teachers Inquiry Model website is a great online resource for teachers to access information, materials, and activity ideas for inquiry-based lessons. It provides explanations and reasons that are needed for inquiry-based lessons in the classroom.

 

The website also provides inquiry lessons approved by the NCSS. These activities range from kindergarten to grade 12. For example, one of the inquiry lessons is on Needs and Wants for kindergarten. In this lesson, the students follow the inquiry-based format in order to grasp the understanding between needs and wants and which serve as necessary components.

 

This lesson, including the other examples of the inquiry lessons, follow the Inquiry SS Lesson Plan framework. This framework helps to guide any inquiry lesson smoothly and effectively. The model consists of a compelling question, standards and practices, staging the question, supporting questions, formative performance tasks, featured sources, summative performance task: argument and extension, and taking informed action. This framework is a great model for teachers to create their inquiry lessons.

 I definitely recommend that teachers view this website. It is a great resource to use and incorporate more inquiry lessons into the classroom. I will definitely being referring back to this website and using the lesson plan framework in my future classroom.