Planning

=**Planning**= The planning stage is where students create an essential question on which to focus their project. Teachers and teacher-librarians can help support students create a meaningful question which will serve as a central focus for the entire project. It is also important to have student input on the criteria that will be used for assessment.


 * Possible Activities:**


 * EXPLORE! This is a crucial stage of the inquiry based project. For most learners to be engaged from the beginning, they need to have some sort of reference point. Exposure to a topic can occur in a number of ways: earlier experiences, through group or class study, via a film or novel... The key to remember is that it is difficult to identify what we want to know about a certain topic without having had some exposure to it. If you are starting from a broad area of choice, then take the time to read, view photos, talk to others (teachers, parents, friends...) about the kinds of things that you gravitate toward. Be aware of the things that interest you most, jot down ideas, but don't commit too soon! Once you have an area of interest, then explore a little further to make sure it is a good fit. Use your teacher to help you refine your choice and coach you. Once you are on the path of your Inquiry Based Project topic, the following activities can help you stay on track.


 * Use a KWS chart to develop questions


 * Use mind maps, topic webs to generate ideas


 * The 'Who Cares Test' is an excellent activity to help students generate an essential question and determine if it is a good inquiry question.


 * Presearch organizer