Toxins Project

The Toxins Project explores the real-world impacts of environmental toxins, driven by student decision-making, collaboration, and guided inquiry. Over the several weeks of the project, the sequence of lessons and activities aligns with the Guided Inquiry framework - a framework that is invisible to students, but useful for teacher planning. Using this framework, these pages suggest different sets of resources for teachers to use at each stage of the project.

We're using a process called Guided Inquiry Design. Here's a cool graphic and some definitions.

Open: Invitation to inquiry, open minds, stimulate curiosity Immerse: Build background knowledge, connect to content, discover interesting ideas Explore: Explore interesting ideas, look around, dip in Identify: Pause and ponder, identify inquiry question, decide direction Gather: Gather important information, go broad, go deep Create: Reflect on learning, go beyond facts to make meaning, create to communicate Share: Learn from each other, share learning, tell your story Evaluate: Evaluate achievement of learning goals, reflect on content, reflect on process

Graphics and definitions are from:

Kuhlthau, Carol C., Leslie K. Maniotes and Ann K. Caspari. Guided Inquiry: A framework for your school. ABC-CLIO, 2012.

For more information about guided inquiry design, visit the GID website.