Melissa Exler

Writing Reflection-- February 28, 2017

Today, writers were introduced to the new unit which is inquiry-based research.
Students were shown a powerpoint in which a brief explanation of the project was given.
The main focus of the lesson was thinking and writing big questions or big ideas. These
would begin with how or why and would not easily be answered. Also, the idea of
research v. fact finding was introduced.
After this was discussed, students were then asked to write as many big questions
they can on the following worksheet. For many students, this was something that was
normal as many of them are inquisitive. However, I was very surprised that this was a
difficult task for the higher-level thinking kids. One student who is exceptionally bright
and know many facts about a wide range of topics, consistently wrote questions that
would be considered fact finding.
I am looking forward to this unit of writing where students will learn how to
research and create their own project. I am sad that I might not be able to see the
finished products.