Columbus Inquiry - What We Learned

After our Columbus inquiry was over, I invited the kids to share about what they learned. I captured a few of their responses on video...

Christopher Columbus Inquiry

Last week I introduced Christopher Columbus to the class. We read a few picture books, shared our previous knowledge, and studied maps of his journeys. We then began to ask questions ,and we recorded these questions in our writer's notebooks. These questions were the basis for our inquiry. The following day, we had the opportunity to explore more resources as we searched for answers to our questions. Students used the Internet to study websites about Columbus; other students worked with partners to read non-fiction texts about this explorer. We came away from this experience with LOTS of our questions answered. I was really proud of our kids! After the inquiry was over, I asked our students to reflect on the experience. How do we go about finding answers to our questions? Here is what we came up with:

• We are curious people.
• We learned some initial facts.
• We asked questions.
• We wrote out questions in our notebook.
• We read 'big chunks" at a time.
• As we read, we asked ourselves, "What did I learn?"
• We wrote down what we learned in our own words.
• We shared our thinking and questions with our partners.
• We used the Internet and books as resources.
• We were on-task.
• We enjoyed learning new things.
• We concentrated.
• We thought about our questions as we read.

Below are some pictures of our researchers as work..

Christopher Columbus

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