Inquiry Chart

What:

The Inquiry Chart (I-chart) is a strategy that helps students to gather information about a topic by reading or listening to several sources.

The teacher designs the I-chart around several questions about a topic.

Students examine sources on the topic and record answers to the questions within the I-chart; they create a summary in the final row.

Who:

I-Charts are best used individually, with small groups, and whole class

When:

I-charts are best used during reading

Why:

Strengthens critical thinking and reading skills
Teaches younger students to generate questions about a topic and organize their writing
Students build on prior knowledge or thoughts about the topic by sharing interesting facts
Evaluation tool for how much students have learned about a topic

How:

The teacher provides each student with a blank I-chart
The students collaborate to form questions about the topic à place the questions at the top of each column
The rows are for recording any information students already know and the key ideas pulled from sources. The last row is for compiling thoughts together as a summary
Teachers should ask students to check out and resolve conflicting or incomplete information.