Apple Inquiry

This week we began our first inquiry of the year, an inquiry about apples.

How Our Inquiry Began

A few days ago, Ms. Marrella and I placed some small green apples and pine cones on the Discovery Centre table.  Rather than announce the new materials to the class, we decided to give students a chance to visit the Discovery Centre on their own.  We watched the children to see if anything caught their attention. 

Wonder Wall 

At the end of that day, the students were introduced to the Wonder Wall.  The Wonder Wall is intended as a place for students to share their wonders and questions about, well… anything!  That day, one student in the class wondered if all apples were green?  Another student wondered if apples rot?  Throughout the week other students wondered how many seeds were in apples, which led another student to wonder what would happen if we planted apple seeds?   

The Inquiry Process

With all those wonders about apples, our first inquiry was underway.  This week our students began to explore a variety of apples.  They began to learn about the different parts of an apple.  The students touched and counted the number of seeds in an apple.  They are currently observing how an apple rots in sand, soil, water, and by itself.  Finally, the students planted five apple seeds, and are waiting to see if an apple tree will sprout.  

Reflection

Looking back to the first day of school, Ms. Marrella and I would have never guessed that our class would be inquiring about apples.  As educators we have definitely learned a lot about the inquiry process by actually participating in one with our class. Though we still have so much to learn about the inquiry process, we were definitely impressed by the wonders and questions the students had.  There is no doubt that when students are actually curious about something, learning is fun!

The Inquiry Process in Early Learning-Kindergarten Classrooms

(The Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program, Draft Version, Pg.15)

Initial Engagement – noticing, wondering, playing

Exploration – exploration, observing, questioning

Investigation – planning, using observations, reflecting

Communication – sharing findings, discussing ideas