#Inquiry Based Learning

INQUIRY BASED LEARNING! Before students begin researching a topic, we set up an Inquiry Chart to guide their thinking. This step helps students understand that research begins with questions and prior knowledge—a key part of the scientific method of inquiry. By asking students “What do you already know?” and “What do you want to learn?”, we give them ownership of the learning process and a clear purpose for their research. Why setting up an Inquiry Chart first is so powerful: 1️⃣ Activates prior knowledge Students reflect on what they already know, helping connect new learning to existing ideas. 2️⃣ Drives purposeful research Student questions help guide what they look for when reading and researching. 3️⃣ Builds inquiry and critical thinking skills Students learn that good research starts with meaningful questions. 4️⃣ Strengthens academic language Discussing and recording ideas gives students structured opportunities to practice content vocabulary. 5️⃣ Tracks learning over time As students research, they revisit the chart to add new information and refine their thinking. When students begin with curiosity and questions, research becomes meaningful and purposeful. ✨ #beglad #inquirybasedlearning #ellstrategies #studentinquiry #elementaryscience

UFLI Teachers ↓ If you’re anything like, you already have enough piles of paper all over your room. 📑 ✔️ Tracking my students’ literacy skills online with my Sprig Reading tool has made my life SO much easier. You will not only feel more organized, but also confident as a teacher because you can stay data-informed and know exactly which skills your students need to master. If you’re ready to make your life easier, drop a 🌱 below or send me a DM to get started with Sprig Reading today for free. You can get set up in under 10 minutes! UFLI disclaimer (https://www.spriglearning.com/ufli/) #ufli #ufliliteracy #teacherlife #teachertips #earlyliteracy #teacherhacks #teachingearlyliteracy #gradeone #gradetwo #phonics #scienceofreading

Attention spans don’t always match our lesson plans in kindergarten. Sometimes the best way to explore maths is through choice and play. In this numeracy set up, children move between invitations that practise early maths concepts through hands-on exploration. While they play, teachers can: • observe strategies • ask questions • support individuals • extend thinking Play doesn’t replace explicit teaching: it deepens understanding. ✨ Save this idea for your maths block. Comment LINK for the links. Big love this Monday night. Teaching isn’t easy. BUT let me remind you that you are awesome for turning up each day. Jen xxx #kindergartenmath #playbasedlearning #earlyyearsclassroom #inquirybasedlearning #wherelearningmeetsplay

A closer look at differentiated ability assessment in a senior kindergarten classroom. Every child learns differently—and this is how we see it in action. Save this if you care about meaningful early education. #EarlyChildhoodEducation #KindergartenLife #TeachingReels #EducationReels #TeacherLife #LearningThroughPlay #ChildDevelopment #ClassroomMoments

Think Books… If you you have been following me for a while, you know that Think Books are a huge part of my literacy program and this week, I was blown away by the work that my students did on their first thing book assignment. For the first assignment, we made predictions based on images from a picture book. And as you can see, they absolutely killed the assignment. So in honour of my students doing amazing work I decided to put my think book resource on sale for the next 24 hours. So to grab yours, simply comment “LINK” to get it sent to your inbox. Happy Shopping!

What this can look like 👇🏼👇🏼 👉🏼When they ask you a question, don’t just tell them the answer. Say “hmm, let’s find out!” and go through the process of FINDING the answer together: whether it’s Google, YouTube, the library, or even conducting your own experiment. Show them how/where to find answers, don’t just give them away. There are so many small ways to encourage learning throughout daily life with your kids, but this one is the biggest. Why? Because young kids are FULL of questions! If you start taking each question as an opportunity to show them how to discover things for themselves — you’re laying an amazing foundation for an empowered learner. Want more tips like these PLUS vlogs & real life stories from our fam? Hit LIKE & FOLLOW! 🥰🫶🏼 Also if you’re new here — we’re homeschoolers who are taking a less traditional route. No curriculum, and totally child-led. Our oldest, Hudson, takes classes via Outschool on all sorts of topics! Chess, harmonica lessons, voice lessons, geography, drawing….we love this resource & can’t recommend it enough! You can get $20 towards classes using my code: LEAFANDLEARN20 get started here ➡️ outschooler.me/share #outschool #outschoolinsider #sponsored #education #childled #childhoodeducation #elementaryeducation #parenting #momlife #momvlogger #parentingtips #homeschoolers #homeschoolmom #momblogger @outschool

Writing sentences has never been so much fun and easy !! Comment link to get a link 🔗 to printable version of this activity #learningtoread #scienceofreading

How to teach critical thinking. #criticalthinking #analyticalthinking #education #edu #teach #teacher #specialeducation #specialeducationteacher #appliedbehavioranalysis #aba #bcba #bcaba #rbt #behavioranalysis Citation: Whimbey, A., Johnson, M., Williams, E., & Linden, M. (1993). Blueprint for educational change: Improving reasoning, literacies, and science achievement with cooperative learning. Morningside Press.

Ask boring questions, get boring answers! Flip the script and make your kid the expert at dinner tonight Follow for more tips to help you build human skills at home and at school 🌱

Some people don’t realize that… explicitly teaching my students HOW to be kind, inclusive, and accepting is a part of my job as a teacher. I need to prepare my students for their future. And their future is going to be in a world that is more diverse & connected than ever before. Teaching my students how to interact with people who are different from them & how to celebrate diversity is such a critical part of my job as an educator. Plus, there are EIGHT different languages spoken in my classroom. It’s important for me to have conversations like these to empower my English Learners & multilingual students, and teach my monolingual, English-speaking students. ALL of my students benefit from these discussions ♥️ If you would like the poster I am using in this reel, just comment the word “link” below & I will DM you the link :) • • • • #culturallyresponsiveteaching #diversityandinclusion #teachergram #socialemotionallearning #elementaryeducation #teachersofinstagram #elementaryteacher #upperelementary #teachersofig #teachershare #fourthgradeteacher #thirdgradeteacher #classroomideas #classroominspiration #teachertribe #classroomcommunity #teacherreels #classroomteacher #classroomculture #teacherinspiration #teachersofinstagram #diversityequityandinclusion #inclusion #inclusiveeducation #teachertalk #teacherthings #socialskills #socialskillsforkids #bekind #spreadkindness #kindnessmatters

For kids that are more reluctant to talk about their day at school, some of these questions take the spotlight off them, getting them to instead think/talk about others in their class. This can make them feel more relaxed and eager to keep sharing. At this point you can begin to incorporate questions that are more about them. Together, these questions are not only great for learning more about their day-to-day life but also for encouraging reflection on feelings, choices, and interactions with others, which can be a gateway to even more meaningful conversations with your child. *When I asked my daughter these questions, she said "ask me more!" She enjoyed answering these questions because it was not just all about her. She got to share about others in her class too. What other insightful questions would you add? More Connection, More Joy ✨

Custom, Challenging & Collaborative Literacy & Numeracy Lesson Plans! 🖍️☀️🏡