Spark Learning: Inquiry-Based Learning in 5th Grade

If you could be any creature at all, what would you be? Which ink spreads the least in water? Can a flashlight be powered by the sun? Can water be purified through evaporation?

These were only a few of the questions that 5th grade scientists at Prairie View Elementary school answered through their own research and the scientific process. Their teachers, Mrs. Davidson and Mrs. Ward, challenged them with an Inquiry Project; Mrs. Davidson explained, “They created their own questions based off of personal interests, and followed through with gathering data, analyzing their data, and creating a presentation to show their results.”


Mrs. Davidson added, “We wanted them to learn to question something on their own”. They challenged students to think about how they approach a problem, and even how they would handle social situations, how people would handle money or respond to various circumstances. But most of all, they gave students choice. For their inquiry project, students could choose any topic that sparked inquiry: they could investigate something entirely new or ask a question that extended previous inquiries from their time in school. One of her students, Kaden shared, “I like that [the inquiry project is] a creative activity”, and that after this project, he “knows how to answer [his] questions”.


Following the steps of the scientific process through inquiry-based learning, students developed questions and hypotheses before performing research. Zephyr’s team was interested in conducting a social experiment. They wanted to know, given a few staple options, what food people would eat for the rest of their lives if that had to. He said, “We made a survey and asked the staff and 5th, 4th, and 3rd graders. We collected the data and looked at the pie chart… Surprisingly, most people prefer pizza.” Zephyr added, “It’s important to answer questions because we can learn”.


Both Mrs. Ward and Mrs. Davidson, co-teachers in math and science, highlighted how integral both math and science were to the processes students were tasked with completing. Mrs. Ward clarified, “You can’t do science without math, they’re married”. Student Davis made cross-curricular connections through this project, explaining that what he learned can be applied in other areas of his life. He made the connection talking about math and problems in general, “...first [I] look at the problem and then think about it. Then, get a solution. It’s the same as science.”


Ultimately, inquiry projects like this one offer students choice, but not at the expense of content knowledge or the skills students are developing through their own hard work. For example, one team learned the steps of the design process as a part of their inquiry. They wondered, “Can you clean water through evaporation?” To find the best way to measure their results, students had to design an evaporation system that would test their theory. They collaborated to created two different designs, tested each design to see which worked better, and tested their original hypothesis. Other group's experiments failed, but Mrs. Davidson stressed to them that failure is a part of learning and of the scientific process - failure is an opportunity, so they would present about what they learned through their failures.

A crucial aspect of this assignment was that students’ inquiry was driven by the end-goal of presenting their scientific findings to their peers and an audience. As students prepared to present, they had choice in how to showcase their findings. They created videos, posters, and traditional slideshows chalked full of tables and graphs; this autonomy and choice helped to foster their passion to share what they had learned. Students were even given the opportunity to present to an authentic audience at EXPO, the district’s student showcase. Student Davis excitedly shared that his team’s project was picked to present at EXPO, saying, “I did it last year and really liked it. I like getting up there and presenting.” His team made a video "...because it captured what the person was actually saying" Although he thought the video gave them more accurate data, he was quick to reflect on what he would change to improve his presentation before the event, explaining, "We are going to add subtitles".


Mrs. Davidson acknowledges that managing and guiding so many student-groups at a time can be challenging. A project like this requires teachers to step out of any traditional role, and into the role of facilitator. They have to be the supporter, to ask guiding questions, manage supplies, point students to resources for help, and all the while handling classroom management. To be successful, she explained that she gave her students a step-by-step checklist and detailed calendar of due dates and expectations at the start of the project. Mrs. Davidson -- a self-identified control freak -- points out that it's important to let go and let them do it. “Because it’s their own exploration, it’s high interest and high energy,” she stressed, “It’s worth the mess.”

Advancing Academics: More than Test Prep

As educators focus on growing their Advanced Academics programs and improving AP test scores, too often their conversations begin and end somewhere around “test prep”. While there is value in traditional test prep strategies like multiple choice practice and repetitive text analysis, students also desperately need to be able to think critically and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways.

Northwest High School’s AP World History teachers, Jeanette Jones and Nicole Olson challenged their students to collaboratively depict the effects of historic trade routes based on the five major themes of their AP course. Student Sam clarified, “We were given a map of all of the trade routes …and had to accurately describe the interactions between those empires on an environmental, economic, social, political, and cultural level.” Students worked together to research and create an infographic that compares trade routes and visualizes key points of their research. (You can access the full instructions here.)

Students were given choice in how to create their graphics; however, Jones & Olson specified that students couldn’t use PowerPoint or Slides to create their presentations because while useful, these platforms are too visually limiting for the needs of this assignment. Instead, they recommended Piktochart, a platform designed for creating professional presentations and graphics. (Check out these student examples: Sample: Smore & Sample: Piktochart.)

Student Bailey reflected on how this task prepared her for the AP exam, saying, “Trade routes are a major part of how things got diffused in the world… how language got diffused and cultural trade… those are important things to know for the AP exam because they are such a huge part of history.” She added, “And when I make a presentation for something, I typically try to make myself an expert in it…”

Creating infographics as a way to present research and demonstrate understanding of content engages students in a hands-on, student-centered learning process. Sam points out that, “When [you] read a textbook, you’re just looking for answers to the reading guide or for vocabulary. Having to do a project, to write it down and describe it, you really think about what you’re doing and how you’re learning it”. When students engage in collaborative tasks that require in-depth analysis and critical thinking, they gain sincere ownership of their learning that results in a lasting understanding of content in ways traditional test prep alone cannot provide.

Frankenstein Project Based Learning: It's ALIVE!

Students in Mrs. Day's English I GT class recently completed work on an amazing project based lesson over Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein.  According to the project instructions, students were tasked with creating a portfolio of artifacts that answered the driving question: Does knowledge or progress ever become a moral liability? Student groups chose their own area of scientific advancement to research, then explored the driving question from different perspectives and considered both the positive and negative effects of advancement. Based on their subject they created four products of their choosing to represent their findings and related them to the themes found in Frankenstein and how they apply to the world today.

The group of Michael, Matthew, Marcos, and Jonathan chose to do their project on robots and the future of artificial intelligence. "This project was fun because we got to put our own spin on it, both by choosing our own products and in how we did the presentation, which we did as a skit," said Michael. Jonathan elaborated that they "appreciated the product list Mrs. Day gave us because we got to choose what digital tools to use in order to more efficiently represent our topic." This way, students not only got to choose the topic themselves, but they also chose what tools to use. This allowed them to represent their thoughts on the subjects they chose as they related them to the lessons in the book. Michael explained that their research gave them a different "perspective on whether people should do things rather than if they could do things."

The group started by using a Google Doc to plan out the project, including their subject, research, pros/cons of the subject, links to resources and products, and even a script for their presentation. They decided to use a Google Slides presentation to present their portfolio of artifacts, which can be seen here:

The group used multiple tools to create their products.  For example, Matthew used Lucidpress to create their preparing for a Robot Uprising pamphlet "because it had lots of built-in design options for making pamphlets."  They used Imgur to create a Wanted poster for a rogue robot.  Marcos said the ability to choose their own tools, like Canva, and create their own products was very helpful.  He explained that it "gave us ideas how to connect things back to the book.  I chose the Survivor Shopping List because I thought that people would need to know what they'd need to survive, similar to what Frankenstein needed."

Check out the presentation above to see all the products as they were presented, which was in the form of an interactive skit.  The ability of these students to choose their route of learning was evident in every step of this project, and is represented in the quality of their products.  "I love the way these students draw comparisons between a novel from 1818 and modern day technology," said Mrs. Day. "These students prove that literature and the lessons it teaches are always relevant."

An Experience Worth Every Penny

A tool for the presentation, a tool for feedback, and a tool
for presenting information. 

Freshman in Mrs. Hayes Principals of Business Management and Finance class at Steele High School recently had a great experience not only researching currency exchange, but presenting ideas, and receiving/giving specific feedback. Students were told whether they would be researching a first, second, or third world country and then got to chose which country's currency they would explore. Each student used Thinglink to display research and Doceri as they presented their information to the class. The class then gave feedback to each member that presented using Verso.

Fine Tuning Presentation Skills
with Doceri

Punn and Emily got a lot out of this project and shared a bit of their experience. When asked what they enjoyed about the project, Punn states, "Using Doceri was very helpful. I enjoyed being able to go in to edit mode, circle words, and emphasize key points for the audience without having to use a laser pointer." Emily enjoyed using Doceri as well and actually grew as a presenter as she used it for the first time. "I learned how to get over rocky situations with Doceri. This was one of our first times to use it. I learned to keep smiling and presenting if there were bumps in the road." To be more specific, she added, "the free version of ThingLink did not let me present full screen, so it was a little difficult. If I had the option, I'd practice with Doceri ahead of time. I think that all students should use Doceri because it helps the speaker maintain eye contact with the audience. If the speaker looks at the visual rather than the audience, the presentation seems detached. Despite the challenges that I faced, I loved being able to look at my audience rather than the screen."

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of this project was that students got immediate feedback from their peers. Punn comments, "Verso was nice because you got anonymity from your peers, so you could be honest and give true constructive criticism. At the same time, you got instant digital feedback." As seen in the image to the right, Verso allows the students to be anonymous when responding to each other, while the teacher can see student names.

Punn also expanded more on the research itself. He points out, "We used several sources while finding our research. The CIA world fact book was helpful for determining our world’s economic status, and a simple Google search gave us most of the information that we needed otherwise." Researching currency exchange was only a part of what students learned from this experience. It was a mix of organizing and communicating research, presenting ideas to an audience, and both receiving and giving feedback that made this experience worth the time invested!

Emily's Thinglink: 

Punn's Thinglink:

Future Bound, Budget Aware

This spring the Pike Middle School 7th grade Pre Ap Math teachers, Alicia Morton and Meredith Burchett, took the financial literacy Math TEKS and designed a learning experience that will impact students for many years to come.

The intention was to grow a deep awareness of the cost of living, cost of college and the realities of what life can afford while staying within budget.

To help them on their course a website was designed with resources.

Additionally students went through the Naviance program provided through the NISD Counseling Department and College and Career Readiness program, to research colleges. Students selected colleges based on affordability, family influence and degree programs that were aligned to their strongest interests or career pursuits. Those interests were determined through a series of questions asked via the Naviance program.

After determining their degree choice, college to attend and career path, students then had to create a budget for what their vocation would provide. This included purchasing a home, vehicle and day to day expenses. Those expenses included paying off their college loans.

Once they had completed their findings, students then created a presentation. These presentations were presented to several Pike and District Staff, including Jamie Farber, Director of Counseling and Kyle Seipp, Director of College and Career Readiness. Where they were asked questions and given feedback on their presentations.

The project was transformative in many ways, but the greatest impact was captured through the reflection piece where there was a personal increased awareness of: what it costs to go to college, the sacrifices their parents make to make the pursuit of their dreams possible, and what it takes to live the kind of life they desire.

Students were given choice of the technology platform to present. Common platforms utilized were Canva, Google Slides, Weebly, Smore and Emaze. Additionally a rubric was provided.

Here are two student products that showcase the this amazing financial literacy project:





For more information about the Naviance program contact your Northwest ISD Middle School or High School counseling office.

Texas Oil: A Digital Exhibit

For this project, 7th grade Medlin students were asked to create a digital exhibit that records the history of the first Texas oil boom at Spindletop in 1901 and describe the social and economic effects of the discovery. Students researched the history of Spindletop, collected data, composed relevant charts and/or graphs, and present the information digitally. Students had the choice of what to use and   how to present their digital exhibit.

This student group created an emaze to communicate their learning on Texas oil. "I benefited from this project as a student and learned how the oil discovery at Spindletop accelerated the production and use of oil. The old discovery at Spindletop made oil the leading energy product for automobiles. This large oil discover led to oil production taking over as one of the World's largest industries is in the US and even the World."

Vanessa and Isabella created a video using Microsoft Movie Maker for their digital exhibit. "This project was so much fun! This project was a good experience for us to learn more about the oil industry. The technology we used was appropriate for the task given. I thought the fact that boomtowns arose in a matter of days was very interesting. I loved this project!"

For more projects, please visit the links below:

Smore: Oil, how did it affect Texas? 

PowToon: Texas Oil Project

Smore: The Rise of Black Gold


Thanks to Mr. Perrin and Ms. Scholler for their collaboration on this post.

Reality and Redefining Persuasive Writing

From a mere four reality TV shows in 2000 to a staggering 340 in 2010, this phenomenon has captured audiences and changed the face of television. So, how could a topic you are passionate about be transformed into a reality show? This is the question that Ms. Appel, from Medlin Middle Sschool, posed to her 8th grade language arts students. Students were tasked with collaborating to design a persuasive multimedia pitch for a reality tv show. 

Students worked in teams to develop a reality show name, a concept, a catch phrase, and conducted  research to identify the network that would be the best for for their show. After developing the foundation for their show, the groups created a storyboard and had the opportunity to chose the media or presentation tool they would utilize to present their persuasive pitch. The last piece of the puzzle was presenting their multi-media presentation to an audience and receiving feedback.

Josey, Brydon, and Shayleigh developed a showed called Fiction Wars. "Our mission is to get multimedia representation for readers, and their books, everywhere. Our show puts readers into mind bending situations based on their favorite book, testing their knowledge and resilience under pressure.  We believe that CBS is the best fit for our show because not only is it a major network, it has a strong reputation in the gameshow world."

"I felt like this was a great idea for a project. It allowed me to feel free to choose a topic I was passionate about. I was fun to get to come up with an idea and work through the process. Getting to choose our own tool allowed us to find what works best and make it our own. Using technology enable us to make our project more professional than we could have on paper. We were able to combine audio, visual and imagery to create a fun presentation for our audience." Shayleigh added that they were confident their persuasive technique was effective based on the clapping their group received at the end of their presentation. She found that this was a fun way to learn about persuasion while incorporating it with an idea they were passionate about.

Click here to view the rubric for this project.

A Smashing Good Book… Google Site Style

Every summer many students sign up for Pre-Ap English Language Arts classes. Students know they will continue their learning through their summer reading projects.  This type of summer reading project, which adds a digital touch, advances literacy, strengthens critical thinking, and authentically engages students to ensure an increased level of academic performance.  One particular project exceeded Mrs. Laynie Johnson's expectations with something that is known as App Smashing. The definition of App Smashing is the process of using multiple apps in conjunction with one another to complete a final task or project all included under one accessible URL.

Emmarie, 6th grader from Wilson Middle School, chose the book The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen.  She chose to show conflict resolution by using a comic creator called Pixton, figurative language was expressed by a multimedia presentation called eMaze, and her personal connection was showcased in a Smore digital flyer.  To bring all of the tools together she showcased them on a Google Site that is easy to navigate and has eye appeal.  The goal of the project is to CAPTURE the audience into reading the book and she certainly has done a great job.

While this project was intended for this school year, Emmarie has a vision for this Google Site to continually add to it each year to incorporate all of her summer reading projects for her Pre-Ap English Language Arts classes to show growth and curate her reading to share with others. 

Tearing Down Walls for a Community Classroom….

What do you get when you open the wall between two ELA classrooms?  Well...50+ students in one 7th grade classroom taught by Mrs. Heather Bjornberg and Mrs. Andrea Driver at Truett Wilson Middle School which equals LOTS of choice and digital creativity!!  

The lesson challenged students to analyze the relationship between theme and choice using the structure of Mythology.  Of course the teachers - YES TEACHERS - offered digital choice to their students by allowing them to choose any web-based program or app to showcase their knowledge.  Two student projects really stood out amongst the others: Jamie and Ashley. Jamie created a digital myth that explains the relationship between Demeter and Chartus that cautions readers to heed warning signs.  Ashley created a digital myth that showcases the conflict between Zeus and Gaea.

The creativity began flowing when both students used their devices: ipad, netbook, and smartphone, along with applications such as stop motion technology,  and multimedia presentations to animate their stories.  

Both Mrs. Bjornberg and Mrs. Driver knew they were not experts with the tools, but they encouraged their students to explore and become their OWN experts!  The teachers invited the campus I.T. Coach to help with planning and preparation before the execution.   I asked both students “What is your favorite part to having so many students and two teachers in your class?” Without hesitation Ashley said, “I always can have different perspectives about what we talk about in class.”  Jamie replied, “more collaboration and students to interact with on projects.”  

This is the first year that Mrs. Bjornberg and Mrs. Driver have been co-faciltators of a 7th grade ELA class and they are excited to continue this type of teaching for future years to come.