Inquiry in Second Grade

Our second graders learn through the lens of six thematic inquiry units throughout their school year.

Inquiry Unit Theme One: How we express ourselves

Central Idea: Stories inspire us and help us understand the world around us.

Sample Guided Inquiry question asked by scholar: I wonder how Helen Keller’s life story is similar to a moment in my own life?

Summative assessment: Students create a summary of a biography of a person of their choice.  Scholars then write a personal narrative based on a small moment in their own life that they thought connected to the biography they read.

Key Concepts: Form, Perspective, Reflection

Subject Focus: Social Studies, Reading, Writing

Learner Profile Traits: Communicator, Reflective, Risk- Takers

ATL Skills: Reading (Communication Skill), Comprehension (Thinking Skill), Analysis (Thinking Skill), Writing (Communication Skill)

Lines of Inquiry:

• People tell their stories in different ways.
• Biographies are the stories of people’s lives.
• Stories of others can help us write about our own personal experiences.

Inquiry Unit Theme Two: Where we are in place and time

Central Idea: Simple machines have been useful then and now.

Sample Guided Inquiry question asked by scholar: I wonder how pulleys work then and now?

Summative assessment: Students answer questions about the simple machine of their choice in writing, create a 3D model, and present to the class.

Key Concepts: Change, Function, Connection

Subject Focus: Science, Reading, Writing

Learner Profile Traits: Inquirer, Thinker, Knowledgeable

ATL Skills: Formulating Questions (Research Skill), Comprehension (Thinking Skill), Writing (Communication Skill), Fine Motor (Self-Management Skill), Time Management (Self-Management Skill)

Lines of Inquiry:

• Force sets objects in motion.
• Simple machines can be defined by certain attributes.
• Tools and technology become more complex over time.

Inquiry Unit Theme Three: How the world works

Central Idea: There are different forms of matter that we interact with.

Sample Guided Inquiry question asked by scholar: I wonder how liquid matter changes to solid matter?

Summative assessment: Scholars write a paragraph that explains what happens when physical matter changes states and then they explain with a poster what they observed in the example that they did at home.  

Key Concepts: Form, Function, Causation

Subject Focus: Science, Reading, Writing

Learner Profile Traits: Communicator, Knowledgeable

ATL Skills: Planning (Research Skill), Observing (Research Skill), Recording Data (Research Skill), Interpreting Data (Research Skill), Presenting (Communication Skill)

Lines of Inquiry:

• Things are made of matter.
• We classify matter.
• We measure matter.
• Matter changes states.

Inquiry Unit Theme Four: Who We Are

Central Idea: We are given rights but are also required to follow rules and fulfill responsibilities.  

Sample Guided Inquiry question asked by scholar: TBD

Summative assessment: TBD

Key Concepts: Responsibility, Causation, Reflection

Subject Focus: Social Studies, Reading, Writing

Learner Profile Traits: Principled, Reflective, Caring, Balanced

ATL Skills: TBD

Lines of Inquiry:

• Personal accountability helps build responsibility.
• There are outcomes that come from our choices we make.
• Our society provides us with certain rights.
• Our society expects us to follow certain rules.

Inquiry Unit Theme Five: How we organize ourselves

Central Idea: Communities develop differently depending on their location.

Sample Guided Inquiry question asked by scholar: TBD

Summative assessment: TBD

Key Concepts: Form, Perspective, Connection

Subject Focus: Social Studies, Math, Reading, Writing

Learner Profile Traits: Thinkers, Communicators, Balanced

ATL Skills: TBD

Lines of Inquiry:

• Suburban communities have unique features.
• Urban communities have unique features.
• Rural communities have unique features.

Inquiry Unit Theme Six: Sharing the planet

Central Idea: Habitats need protection for plants and animals to thrive.

Sample Guided Inquiry question asked by scholar: TBD

Summative assessment: TBD

Key Concepts: Connection, Change, Responsibility

Subject Focus: Science, Reading, Writing

Learner Profile Traits: Caring, Thinker, Principled

ATL Skills: TBD

Lines of Inquiry:

• Habitats can be defined and sorted into categories.
• There are interdependent relationships in ecosystems.
• Humans interact with geographic areas in both harmful and helpful ways.
• Children can take action to protect habitats.