And They're Off. . . The Washington State Inquiry Project Has Commenced

This week, the students have been hard at work planning their inquiry based projects about
Washington State.

Based on the whole group’s question storming last week, students were interested in learning more
about Native American history, the economy of Washington, arts and culture in Washington, the flora
and fauna of Washington, the weather in Washington, and diversity in Washington.

Each group reviewed the questions the whole middle school wrote for their group’s category and
then discussed their interests and questions. Because of these conversations, the students were able
to craft meaningful initial questions that reflected their shared curiosity. Students revisited these
questions after some initial research to make sure they still accurately reflected the shared interests
of the group. They then crafted central questions for their project proposals (see chart below).

Central Questions for Each Group:

Group	Question(s)
Native American history	Why are there so many Native American tribes in Washington ?
Economy of Washington	What are the differences between urban and rural economies in Washington state?
Arts and Culture in Washington	How has the world been influenced by Washington’s arts and culture, specifically physical art, music, and fashion?
Flora and Fauna of Washington	What prehistoric animals have lived in Washington state and how have they evolved/did they evolve?
Weather in Washington	What causes the weather patterns in Washington?
Diversity in Washington	How does diversity tie in to Washington's food culture?

Why Inquiry?

By basing students’ work around their own questions, they are more likely to be interested and
engaged in their learning. This authentic, intuitive way to learn goes back to Dewey and Rousseau.
When people wonder, they are more likely to learn. Because Seabury middle schoolers have the
chance to ask questions and seek answers in a supported environment, they are more likely to be
the kinds of adults who wonder about the world and then seek knowledge.

Students are also practicing seeking knowledge in collaboration with others and then sharing that
knowledge to the world outside of Seabury. This week’s planning sets the stage for becoming lifelong
learners. Think about how often adults ask questions, plan work, collaborate with colleagues, set their
own internal due dates, and assess the need for further work. Through inquiry-based group projects,
students have the opportunity to practice the twenty-first century skills we know they will need.

What’s next?

The groups also created objectives and calendars for their projects, working on flexibility and
organization skills. They will receive feedback on their project proposals from their science, English,
and social studies teachers this coming week. As the projects are interdisciplinary, the students must
include aspects of each of these subjects in their work. Teachers will check to make sure students
are acquiring necessary skills over the course of the project. Students also set and are working
toward individual goals that teachers will monitor over the course of the project.

Seabury's middle school students have proposed creating a financial newspaper, an art gallery,
a totem pole of prehistoric animals, an academic presentation, a narrative recipe book, and an
academic essay. We are so excited to guide the students on their learning journeys as they
continue to hone and refine these projects.

The current date for the project showcase is Tuesday, October 30th. More details will be forthcoming.