LEARNINGconnections
English Language Arts 28, 36
Tip 31
Multidisciplinary 32
Apps 35
History 38
Inspire Your Students through Inquiry, Collaboration, and
“This project was exciting because
it was a great chance to learn many
new things about computers, working together as a team, and being
a responsible person.”
—Sloan Lemberg, fourth grader reflecting on
her participation in an online inquiry book club
Sloan Lemberg, a student at West Maple Elementary School in Birmingham, Michigan,
USA, was part of an ongoing collaborative partnership between schools
on the east and west sides of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
This project had students of all
abilities participating in book clubs
and inquiry projects with peers they
had never met face to face. Using networking technologies, the students
communicated and collaborated,
solved problems with their peers, and
expanded their learning beyond the
themes of the books. In doing so, they
grew to understand more about themselves as learners and their potential
to be active global citizens. The goal
was to expand the students’ understanding of their ever-changing world,
and judging by the comments of participants such as Sloan, that goal was
accomplished.
We began the long-distance project
in 2010 between students in Diane
Titche’s third grade classroom at
Murray Lake Elementary, in Low-
ell, Michigan, USA; Michelle Ladd’s
third grade classroom at West Maple
Elementary in Birmingham; and
Susan McDonald’s fourth grade class-
room also at West Maple Elementary.
Joanne Rowe, a digital age curricu-
lum facilitator for Birmingham Pub-
lic Schools, coordinated the project
and served as a liaison between the
classroom teachers. The project has
since expanded to include middle
school classrooms.
The Four Phases
Our Inquiry Book Club Project has
four phases: book club, research, presentation, and evaluation and reflection. In each phase, students work
both individually and collaboratively
to construct and build knowledge
while we serve as guides to facilitate
learning. As a result of their experience, students explore literature more
deeply and are empowered to formulate meaningful, real-world questions
and seek answers. They learn that they
can make a positive impact on their
communities and the world at large by
sharing their learning with others.
Book club phase. We begin the project
by choosing an age-appropriate theme
with real-world relevance. We then select four to six novels with that theme
and a range of reading levels.
It’s a collaborative process. Stu-
dents preview the selected books
and rank their choices. Next we form
groups, combining students from each
classroom based on students’ book
choices, reading levels, learning styles,
and personalities. The mix of students
may include older or more advanced
students who serve as mentors to
younger or less advanced readers.
