Inquiry-Based Learning Using Everyday Objects

Amy Alvarado has thirteen years experience in the classroom and extensive expertise in helping educators improve instructional techniques and curriculum design in all content areas. She has an undergraduate degree in English and secondary education from the College of William and Mary and a masters degree in Educational Psychology with a specialization in gifted education from the University of Virginia. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Virginia. Patricia Herr has eleven years of experience in the classroom and has participated in curriculum design in all academic areas during that time. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Social Science from Frostburg State University and a Masters Degree in Education from Marymount University. She also holds a certificate in Technology Education from George Mason University. She is currently teaching fifth grade at Ball's Bluff Elementary School and has done so for the past seven years. Mrs. Her has been identified twice as one of the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Educators in Loudoun County, Virginia. Additionally, she has mentored new teachers and supervised student teachers. Mrs. Herr has been actively involved in the Minority Achievement Committee county wide, serving as the chair for two years, and the co-chair for two years. She helped develop a mentoring program that was implemented county wide. She has also been the recipient of a number of grants to further the practice of object based inquiry teaching which has benefited students school wide with the addition of a museum exhibit area in the school. She has worked as a mentor teacher for the Naturalist Center's Iwonder program, helping other teacher learn to incorporate object-based inquiry strategies into their classrooms and to develop object-based inquiry lessons.

Acknowledgments About the Authors Dedication Introduction: Welcome to Inquiry-Based Learning Using Everyday Objects (Object-Based Inquiry) Part I. Object-Based Learning 1. What Is Object-Based Inquiry? The Reality of Object-Based Learning Why Use Object-Based Inquiry? Time to Begin Your Journey 2. How Do I Gather Collections? Getting Started Expanding Your Collection Storing Your Collections 3. How Do I Get Started? Planning the Classroom Grouping Your Students Planning Your Lessons Avoiding the Pitfalls Benefits Roles of the Teacher and Students 4. Where Do I Start With Planning? Things to Consider Step One: Developing Essential Understandings Step Two: Identifying Specific Objectives Step Three: Locating the Objects Step Four: Question Development Conclusion 5. How Do I Assess? Formative Assessment Summative Assessment Part II. Lesson Plans 6. Language Lesson Plans Why Do Tigers Have Stripes? What Makes a Poem Perfect? She Sells Sea Shells What's Your Fantasy? 7. Science Lesson Plans Zone Home Birds of a Feather Whose Track Is That? Science Rocks 8. Social Studies Lesson Plans I'm a Mystery: What's My History Can You Dig History? Where in America Are You? Flower Power 9. Math Lesson Plans Measuring Madness Architectural Geometry What's For Dinner? What Part of Fractions Is Difficult? Glossary Index