Focus- Integrating Critical Inquiry Throughout the Curriculum (Specifically Geography)

Attendance- Kevin, Stephen, Melissa, Mario, Brad, Rob

Overview

• Started the session discussing and trying to refine "If then" statement
• Looked at diagnostic (Explain the Image) as a group to see where they were strong and where they needed more support.
• Overall findings, were that students were usually making inferences first, then trying to support with observations.  Several groups still mixing up the two concepts. 
• We agreed that it would be good to have a follow up lesson where we just focused on Observations.  From there, they could build upon at and add in the inferences.  As well, we felt that they would need  more work on how to pull both of them together into an effective summary.
• At this point, we decided to determine where we should go based on what we observed during the lesson and in the activity.
• We agreed that we needed more clarification on the difference between critical literacy, inquiry and thinking.  We decided that this would be a good time to share our definitions based on the article, Exploring Inquiry.  We agreed that inquiry in more of a framework with an overarching question that drives the instruction.  As well, we discussed that their is a main inquiry task that students are working towards.  We also discussed that there needs to be a variety of smaller inquiries that lead them to developing the knowledge and skills to answer the overarching question.
• Looked at grade 4 example of critical inquiry unit.
• Decided that our over arching question would be; Which natural resource is most endangers human existence?  Need to tweak this.
• Overarching Critical Challenge: The UN has created a sustainability fund for natural resources. Create a proposal to convince them to fund your issue.  (Take the perspective of a representative of a specific country with a resource issue)

Next Steps:

• Teachers will continue their observation/inferences lessons.  Focussing on making clearer, observations.  They will complete the lesson using new pictures.  Breaking images up into sections. 
• Will try to think of more ideas to go towards the critical inquiry over arching question.