Searching for Gold: A Collaborative Inquiry Project

Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

3, 4, 5

Overview

In this collaborative inquiry unit, the real gold is the inquiry skills and content area knowledge that students develop. The class works in small groups, each focusing on one aspect of the same big topic, such as the Gold Rush. After skimming related texts, the class brainstorms people, places and things associated with the topic and develops a list of five or six main subtopics. Students then work in small groups to research one of the subtopics, practicing specific research skills as they work. Finally, students choose an activity, such as an oral report, trivia game, or newspaper, to teach what they have learned to the rest of the class. Group accountability and individual responsibility are built into this lesson process.

While this unit uses the Gold Rush as an example, any event or geographical area could be substituted.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.R3

Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

UP:ELA21.3.R3

Vocabulary

  • Background knowledge
  • Vocabulary
  • Discussion

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Relating experiences through discussions, reading, and writing will help build background knowledge and improve vocabulary.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Connect new concepts to prior experiences to increase background knowledge through discussions, reading, and writing.
  • Construct the meaning of words through discussions, reading, and writing.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Background knowledge can increase by relating experiences to new ideas, topics, and words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
  • Vocabulary will increase by constructing the meaning of words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.6

Use digital tools to enhance oral presentations, working collaboratively.

UP:ELA21.3.6

Vocabulary

  • Digital tools
  • Oral presentations
  • Enhance
  • Collaboratively

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital tools often refer devices like computers, laptops, etc.
  • Digital tools can help improve or enhance oral presentations.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Use digital tools to create visual aids to enhance oral presentations.
  • Work collaboratively.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Digital tools can help aid their oral presentations because their peers can see visual representations and can gain a better understanding of the information.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.39

Gather and evaluate information about a topic from a variety of sources, including digital sources, and utilize it to create a project, report, or presentation.

UP:ELA21.3.39

Vocabulary

  • Gather
  • Evaluate
  • Information
  • Topic
  • Sources
  • Digital sources
  • Utilize
  • Project
  • Report
  • Presentation

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Information can be gathered from print or digital sources.
  • Strategies to gather and evaluate information.
  • Relevant information about a topic should be added to a project, report, or presentation.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Gather information about a topic from a variety of print and digital sources.
  • Evaluate the relevance of the information to the topic.
  • Use information to create a project, report, or presentation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • The first step in creating a project, report, or presentation is gathering and evaluating information from a variety of sources.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.R3

Use digital and electronic tools appropriately, safely, and ethically when researching and writing, both individually and collaboratively.

UP:ELA21.4.R3

Vocabulary

  • Digital tools
  • Electronic tools
  • Appropriately
  • Safely
  • Ethically
  • Research
  • Individually
  • Collaboratively

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital and electronic tools must be used appropriately, safely, and ethically.
  • Digital and electronic tools can be used for research or for writing tasks.
  • Digital and electronic tools can be independently or with others.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Engage in safe and ethical behavior when using digital and electronic tools individually and collaboratively.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Safe behaviors, interactions that keep you out of harm's way, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
  • Ethical behavior, interactions that align to one's moral code, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.33

Use research to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

UP:ELA21.4.33

Vocabulary

  • Research
  • Clear
  • Coherent
  • Development
  • Organization
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Research happens when you look up information about a topic.
  • Clear and coherent writing is organized into a text structure and develops ideas with the addition of details.
  • Writing styles can vary depending on the task, the purpose, and the intended audience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Gather research information about a topic.
  • Create writing that is clear, coherent, and appropriate to the task, the purpose, and the audience.
  • Organize writing into a particular structure and develop ideas using details.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Before writing an informative text, they should gather information through research.
  • There writing should always be clear and coherent, but the style may change depending on the task, purpose, and audience.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.42

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes, and speaking clearly with adequate volume, appropriate pacing, and clear pronunciation.

UP:ELA21.4.42

Vocabulary

  • Report
  • Topic
  • Text
  • Recount
  • Appropriate facts
  • Relevant details
  • Descriptive details
  • Main ideas
  • Themes
  • Volume
  • Pacing
  • Pronunciation

Knowledge

Students know:
  • One way to share information is through oral presentations.
  • Oral presentations should be organized, have a main idea or theme, and include relevant, descriptive details and facts that support the key point.
  • Speakers should orally present in a volume loud enough for the audience to hear, at an understable pace, and with correct speech pronunciation.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Orally report in response to a topic or text, to tell a story, or to describe a personal experience.
  • Create an oral report that is organized, and includes relevant, descriptive facts and details that support the main idea or theme.
  • Speak at an adequate volume and appropriate pace and use proper pronunciation when presenting an oral report.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • An effective oral presentation requires an organized structure and uses relevant facts and details to support the key idea.
  • An effective speaker presents with a voice that can be heard by the audience, a speaking pace that can be understood by the audience, and proper pronunciation of words.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.R3

Use digital and electronic tools appropriately, safely, and ethically when researching and writing, both individually and collaboratively.

UP:ELA21.5.R3

Vocabulary

  • Digital tools
  • Electronic tools
  • Appropriately
  • Safely
  • Ethically
  • Research
  • Individually
  • Collaboratively

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital and electronic tools must be used appropriately, safely, and ethically.
  • Digital and electronic tools can be used for research or for writing tasks.
  • Digital and electronic tools can be independently or with others.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Engage in safe and ethical behavior when using digital and electronic tools individually and collaboratively.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Safe behaviors, interactions that keep you out of harm's way, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
  • Ethical behavior, interactions that align to one's moral code, are necessary when using digital and electronic tools.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.9

Express ideas clearly and effectively to diverse partners or groups.

UP:ELA21.5.9

Vocabulary

  • Express
  • Clearly
  • Effectively
  • Diverse

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Oral language and literacy skills.
  • Collaboration skills.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Clearly and effectively share ideas with others through speaking.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They can communicate with a variety of people if they express themselves clearly.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.38

Gather information on a topic or question, and share the results through various modes of writing, including projects and presentations.

UP:ELA21.5.38

Vocabulary

  • Topic
  • Question
  • Results
  • Modes of writing
  • Projects
  • Presentations

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Effective research skills.
  • Transferable writing skills applicable to many modes of writing.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Research information from a variety of sources to explain a topic or answer a question.
  • Share information learned through research in various modes of writing, including projects and presentations.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They can share their research findings through multiple modes of writing, including presentations and projects.

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

ReadWriteThink

License Type

Custom
http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/searching-gold-colla…

Custom License Type (URL)

http://www.readwritethink.org/util/legal.html

Comments or Notes

ReadWriteThink is a free resource with links to additional resources such as videos, interactives, and printables.

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

raulstoncg
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