2. Launching the Project
An engaging Entry Event and open-
ended Driving Question launch students on
their inquiry experience. Need to know
discussions raise questions that will guide
students’ investigation.
3. Critical thinking
Opportunities
Students identifies what they need to know to answer the Driving
Questions.
Students consider the various points of view that might
exist on the topic of investigation.
Students ask questions that focus or broaden the inquiry.
(CC ELA.6-12.W.7).
4. Collaboration
Opportunities
Students develop norms for effective teamwork.
Students work together to identify “Need to Know”
questions for the project.
Students create and monitor a task list, team roles, and a
schedule for project work. (CC ELA 6-12.SL.1b)
Students agree on how to use technology tools to
communicate and manage project tasks.
5. Communication
Opportunities
Students engage in discussion about the Driving Question and
Need to Knows, practicing active listening and active speaking.
Students clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-
meaning words and phrases, to gain understanding of the
Driving Question and project tasks. (CC ELA 6-12.L.4)
6. Creativity/Innovation
Opportunities
Students make sure they understand the purpose driving the
process of innovation by asking, who needs this and why?
When students ask follow-up questions that focus or
broaden the inquiry (CC ELA 6-12.W.7) they develop insight
about the particular needs and interests of the target
audience.
7. Building Knowledge,
Understanding Skills
Students learn necessary content knowledge from
the teacher, readings, and other resources, and gain
skills that will help them create project products
and answer the Driving Question. They do research,
test hypotheses, and gather and analyze data.
8. Critical thinking
Opportunities
Students integrate multiple sources of information to address the
Driving Question. (CC ELA. 6,11-12. RI.7)
Students assess the credibility, accuracy, and usefulness of
each source of information. They decide if information is
relevant and sufficient. (CC ELA. 6-12.W.8)
Students evaluates a speakers’ point of view, reasoning,
and use of evidence and rethoric. (CC ELA. 6-12.SL.3)
9. Collaboration
Opportunities
Students work in teams to do inquiry-based research.
Students prepare for and participate effectively in a range
of collaborative discussions with diverse partners. (CC ELA
6-12.SL.1)
Students follow rules for collegial discussions (CC ELA 6-
12.SL.1b), decision making, and conflict resolution.
10. Communication
Opportunities
Students use formal English to interact with experts and other
adults outside the classroom. (CC ELA 6-12.SL.6)
Students acquire and use accurately a range of general
academic and domain-specific words and phrases, and
demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary
knowledge. (CC ELA 6-12.L.6)
Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of
evidence and rethoric (CC ELA 9-12.SL.3)
11. Creativity/Innovation
Opportunities
When students gather information to address the Driving
Question from multiple and varied sources (CC ELA 6,11-12.RI.7)
they find unusual sources of information or develop innovative
methods for gathering it.
Students promote divergent and creative perspectives
during discussions (CC ELA 11-12.SL.1c)
12. Developing and Revising Ideas and
Products
Students consider diverse perspectives and
generate multiple solutions, designs, and answers
to the Driving Question. Through cycles of critical
feedback, they refine their thinking and improve on
early ideas as they create final products.
13. Critical thinking
Opportunities
Students evaluate arguments for possible answers to the Driving
Question by assessing whether reasoning is valid and evidence is
relevant and sufficient (CC ELA. 6-12.SL.3,RI.8; 6-12 Math
Practices. 3)
Students justify their choice of criteria used to evaluate
product drafts. Students revise in adequate product drafts,
designs or solutions and exlain why they will better meet
evaluation criteria. (CC ELA. 6-12.W.5)
Students craft arguments to support claims using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence (CC ELA. 6-
14. Collaboration
Opportunities
Students understand the approaches of others for solving complex
problems. (CC ELA 6-12.SL.1d)
Students build on others’ ideas and express their own
clearly and persuasively (CC ELA 6-12.SL.1)
Students use technology to produce shared writing
products. (CC ELA 6-12.W.6)
Students give and receive critical feedback to improve written products
(CC ELA 6-12.W.5) and evaluate problem solutions,products designs,
and answers to the Driving Question.
15. Communication
Opportunities
Students build on others’ ideas and express their own clearly and
persuasively (CC ELA 6-12.SL.1)
Students give and receive critical peer feedback, which
help improve their products through iterative cycles of
revisions. (CC ELA 6-12.W.5)
Students produce clear and coherent writing appropriate
to task, purpose and audience. (CC ELA 6-12.W.4)
16. Creativity/Innovation
Opportunities
Students use a variety of strategies to generate original ideas or
solutions, evaluate them, then select the best one to shape into
an original product or answer to the Driving Question.
Students persevere in solving problems, monitoring and
evaluating their progress and changing course, if necessary.
(CC Math 6-12.MP.1)
Students seek out and use feedback and critique to improve product (CC
17. Presenting Products and Answers
to Driving Question
Students share the results of their efforts with a
public audience, demonstrating what they learned
in the project. They explain and defend their
research, product design, and strategies for
problem solving. Finally, they reflect on their
experience.
18. Critical thinking
Opportunities
Students evaluate the advantages and disavantages of using
different mediums to present a particular idea or topic.
(CC ELA 8.RI.7)
Students recognize the limitations of their answer to the
Driving Question or product design and consider
alternative perspectives.(CC ELA 11-12.SL.4)
Students justify their conclusion. (CC Math. 6-12.MP.3)
Students present information such that listeners can follow the line of re
19. Collaboration
Opportunities
Team members decide how best to use multimedia components,
visual displays, and digital media and presentations (CC ELA 6-
12.SL.5)
Team members share responsibility for presenting work
effectively to a public audience (CC ELA 6-12.SL.4)
Team members reflect together on how well they
demonstrated collaboration skills during the project.
20. Communication
Opportunities
Students use technology including the internet to produce and
publish writing. (CC ELA 6-12.W.6)
Students present their ideas to an audience and answer
questions (CC ELA 6-12.SL.4)
Students make strategic use of multimedia, visual display
and digital media in presentation. (CC ELA 6-12.SL.5)
21. Creativity/Innovation
Opportunities
When students create presentation media and visual displays (CC
ELA 6-12.SL.5) they make them visually exiting and include
creative designs touches.
Students include elements in their presentation that are
especially fun, lively, engaging, or powerful for the
audience.
22. Credits
PowerPoint created by Sandrine Schocher
For Napa High
Based on an original poster from the Buck Institute for
Education
