Inquiry Project – Grade 3

Inquiry Project

To help us better understand Cayman Heritage, each student will be inquiring into a certain aspect of Cayman. The children have now chosen their topics and written questions to guide their Inquiry. In class, research time will be given on Monday and Wednesday afternoon. The rest of the research will need to be completed at home as part of their weekly homework or during the coming long weekend (8 – 11 November). All research must be completed by Tuesday 12^th of November. Students will start working on their presentations from the week of the 12-15^th of November. The style of presentation is up to each student. It can be a poster, diorama, Power Point, drama sketch, research report etc. We will use class time on Wednesday 13^th of November and Friday 16^th of November to work on the presentations. But presentation work must also be completed at home so children get the best results. Students will present their work on either the 18^th or 20^th of November. I can inform parents about the time and date their child will present their work so that you can come and view the presentations.

Rubric for Inquiry Project
	D	C	B	A
Questions	Teacher directs the focus of the Inquiry questions.	Some teacher assistance needed to write the focus for the Inquiry questions.	Little to no teacher assistance needed to write the focus for the Inquiry questions.	Independently writes thoughtful and engaging questions.
Research Utilizes effective reading techniques e.g. skimming and scanning, finding the main idea, supporting details and the sequence of events. Can use a variety of sources for information e.g. internet, books, personal expert. Records where they found that information (source). Records information neatly and in their own words i.e. does not copy sentences/paragraphs from their source. Answers their questions which were written to guide their Inquiry.
Expectations for Grading	Meets only one or two of the research criteria.	Meets three of the research criteria. May meet more of the criteria but only with a lot of teacher/adult input.	Meets four of the research criteria	Meets all five of the research criteria.
Presentation Uses titles and headings appropriately. If using a computer, the font is easy to read. Uses creativity in their presentation. Good use of color and pictures which link to their topic. Written work adheres to standard writing conventions such as it is free of or has minimal spelling errors and correct sentence and paragraph structure is used. Stands confidently in front of the class and clearly shares their questions and answers to their Inquiry. Shows a thorough understanding of their topic by effectively answering questions from others at the end of their presentation.
Expectations for Grading	Meets only one or two of presentation criteria.	Meets two or three of the presentation criteria.	Meets three to four of the presentation criteria.	Meets all the presentation criteria. Shows a confidence about their topic as an ‘expert’ in this area.

Some tips on how to make certain presentations:

General information on how to conduct research or how to do a research paper.

http://arts-humanities.squidoo.com/k12interactiveresearch

How to make a diorama:

http://jimmie.squidoo.com/shoebox-diorama

If children make a diorama, they must also present an oral report where they state the questions they asked and the answers they found.

How to make a poster. The poster should be large enough so that all questions and answers are written out and can be read during the presentation.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Poster

How to make a Power Point

http://voices.yahoo.com/teaching-children-create-simple-powerpoint-presentations-618038.html

http://www.actden.com/pp/ This gives step by step instructions for creating slides etc.

A research report should be typed up probably on Microsoft Word and then printed out and bound together to be like a booklet. The booklet should have a title page with subsequent pages headed up with their questions and answers written underneath the questions. Pictures should also be included in the report.

A drama sketch is like an oral report, except the student may dress in a costume that relates to their area of study. They can act out different parts of their research. They will also need to state their questions and answers they found out just like any other oral report.

Final note to students:

Aim to spend at least 20 – 30minutes a day between now and when the research is due, Tuesday 12^th of November. You will not be able to complete all your research in one or two nights so use your time wisely. You can answer your questions in any order. Make sure you write the information in your own words and that you record where you got the information from. Always go back and check the Inquiry rubric to make sure you are meeting the criteria for an aim. Always aim high and do your best!

Final note to parents:

Children generally do need help to complete research projects, particularly at this young age. You can help them by maybe finding an appropriate internet site or putting them in touch with a local Caymanian who might have some “expert” knowledge. You can definitely also by helping them understand what they are reading. It’s important to break the research time into manageable time amounts otherwise it will seem too overwhelming. The written work should be in the child’s own words. You can help with presentation ideas but please let the work be the child’s work.