Teacher Commentary
Students engaged in this module will likely have many questions, only some of which you will be able to answer in the moment or even in the entire module.
One support for the inquiry process is to keep running lists on posters on the wall. Recording students’ questions validates their inquiry, even if all of the questions do not get answered. When answers to specific questions are uncovered, students can cross off the question and then add the new knowledge to the “know” list. Because the inquiry process is unfamiliar to some students and can feel overwhelming, it can be very helpful to formalize the knowledge that is built by adding the conclusions we reach (after negotiating the different interpretations in the room through argument—presenting evidence and reasoning, iteratively) to the “know” list.
Additionally, as these lessons require students to both practice and evaluate strategies they are using to make sense of and think historically about text, naming and recording these strategies solidifies a sort of tool box that students can return to for support.
Students can track this information on the last pages of their interactive notebook:
- Strategies we use to make sense of text
- Questions we have
- What we now know
Click here to read the complete teacher reflection on this module.