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Welcome, Water Inquirers, to the end of another year! As you grade your final papers, we hope you'll lend an ear. It's been a productive fall in our "thinking lab" near Capen. Inquiry, Inc. characters had lots of puddles to play in. Carlos asked his questions; Lee had lots of fun. But we can't tell … Continue reading Clue Number 2! A Rhyme from Water Inquiry

As we gathered in late September to commence our first meeting of the 2017-18 Water Inquiry Story Project, much excitement was felt among old and new members alike. New members were eager to join a story-creating research group, and veteran members were enthusiastic to start anew, having had such success with last year’s Inquiry, Inc. … Continue reading New Ideas, New Members, New Stories!

Over the next two weeks, several local water-related events may spark your curiosity: whether you're interested in how water gets clean; how public artwork impacts water policy; or how you and your class might participate in a river clean-up. Water seems a crucial topic given the devastation caused by recent hurricanes; supplementing conversations about extreme … Continue reading How do rivers stay clean? Current events coming our way

Welcome to a new school year! Students are trickling onto the Smith campus, and we are excited to resume our Water Inquiry meetings in September. Inquiry Inc. characters spent the summer relaxing after their hard work saving ducklings in our first interactive storybook and are ready for their next adventure; this fall, they will set … Continue reading Back-to-School with Water Inquiry

First grade students in the classrooms of Margaret Betts and Martha Morgan considered this question during a recent pilot of Inquiry Inc. and the Case of the Missing Ducklings at Maple Street School in Easthampton, MA. “Talking about something and seeing what you can do,” one student offered, while others noticed the words “inquire, wonder, investigate” … Continue reading “What does inquiry mean?” Maple School Pilot

“I have too many ideas” was a pleasing lament to hear on an icy afternoon in mid-December. Nestled inside a first-grade classroom at Jackson Street Elementary School, Katy Butler (’12, MAT ’18), classroom teacher and Water Inquirer extraordinaire, guided her students through an exciting encounter with our interactive story, Inquiry, Inc. and the Case of … Continue reading Planning and Piloting: Water Inquiry Update, January 2017

As temperatures and leaves begin to change in Western Massachusetts, members of the Water Inquiry project are commencing their time at Smith with awakened fervor. Summer months did not stymie our productivity; in fact, group members collaborated online to work on character development and illustrations for our forthcoming narrative– a compelling account of a duckling rescue … Continue reading Collaboration and Character Development: Fall 2016 Water Inquiry

  What can you do with 100 hours?  Ask any of the eleven K-3 teachers who collaborated with Smith students and faculty on the 2015-16 Water Inquiry project, or read on to see what we discovered about inquiry-based learning, water as a topic and outdoor exploration. At our final meeting in May, we asked teachers … Continue reading Reflections on Water Inquiry, July 2015-June 2016

Follow up to the Questioning Activity by Katy Butler, First Grade Teacher, Jackson Street School At our last round table discussion, Renee presented work she had done with her class. Each student was given an image of a cloud and a faucet and asked to show how the water got from one to the other (just … Continue reading Investigating and Using Community Resources