Yesterday, I read Doug Johnson's post entitled
"What is an authentic question?" and was feeling once again inspired to write. In just a few short words, Johnson gets to the root of the reason that so many 'research' projects fail... there is no authentic question to investigate! If there is already a list of predetermined outcomes and right or wrong answers, why bother inquiring? If you have never listened to Jeff Wilhelm talk about inquiry in the
Scholastic Professional series, take a few minutes to do so. Then, think about the big questions, authentic ones, that will get real inquiry rolling, and more importantly, your students engaged in thinking.
Here are just a few of my personal favourite examples:
- What enables some people to endure/survive horrible circumstances? (Holocaust, War/Peace, Survival units...)
- Why do we always want/need a happy ending? (fairy tale unit)
- What is worth fighting for? (Personal Best, Life Challenges units...)
- Is conflict necessary?
- What makes a good relationship? (Wilhelm's big question for Romeo and Juliet)
For great examples, check out Wilhelm's book,
Engaging Readers and Writers with Inquiry (p. 54-55)
