Inquiry Based Learning Activities for Teachers
Explore inquiry-based learning activities created by teachers to launch students into open-ended investigations and tasks that encourage them to think critically and logically to complete tasks.
The projects in this teaching resource collection were created by the teachers on the Teach Starter team to encourage independence and self-management while empowering students!
Curious about adding inquiry based learning to your classroom? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Inquiry-Based Learning?
Inquiry-based learning is a pedagogical approach that focuses on active student engagement and exploration by asking questions, investigating and seeking answers.
Whew. That was a mouthful!
Essentially, this approach encourages students to become more independent learners by letting kids be curious and question!
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Food Webs - Research Project
Explore the food webs that exist in various biomes around the world with this student-centered inquiry task.
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Mother's Day Magazine Article Project
Celebrate Mother’s Day with this creative Mother’s Day magazine project.
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Making a Timeline of My Life Project
Teach your students how to make a timeline with a Create a Timeline Project.
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Write With Your Senses: Daily Descriptive Writing Prompts
Inspire your students to write descriptively using our 20 daily descriptive writing prompts slide deck and graphic organizer.
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Landform Diorama Project
Create and display a diorama of a landform with our landform project planning and creation templates.
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Differentiated Geographic Location Project-Primary and Upper Elementary
Uncover how geographic location affects the culture, customs, clothing, food, and overall lifestyle of humans with a differentiated research project.
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End of Year- Carnival Planning Project
Integrate STEM activities into your end-of-year lessons by inviting young entrepreneurs to plan, design, and advertise their own carnival!
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End of Year Project- Design a Summer Camp
Plan, design, and organize a Summer Camp Program with a fun end of year art and STEM project for elementary students.
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STEM Activity — Ice Cream Shop Design Project
Use reading, writing, math, and STEM skills to plan, design, and advertise an Ice Cream Shop with a STEM education project for elementary students.
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End of Year - Build a Board Game Project
Build critical thinking, writing, and reading skills by engaging your students with an end-of-year S.T.E.M activity.
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Buoyancy Experiment – Sink or Swim
Use this practical buoyancy experiment when teaching your students about why some objects float in water while others sink.
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Friction Experiment - Sticky Friction
Use this engaging friction experiment when teaching your students about sliding friction and the effect it has on the movement of objects.
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Volume Investigation - Creating the Land of Cubes
A mathematics investigation involving volume, embedded in a real-world context.
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Financial Planning Math Investigation - My Day at Leisure Land!
A mathematics investigation involving financial planning embedded in a real-world context.
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Math Investigation - Operations with Fractions with Common Denominators
A mathematics investigation about fractions, embedded in a real-world context.
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Challenging Female Gender Stereotypes Inquiry Task
An inquiry task to use in the classroom when learning about inspirational contemporary women.
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Human Inherited Traits Activity - Science Experiment
Engage your students in learning about the traits inherited from their parents with a fun Human Inherited Traits Lab activity.
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Design a Planet Project
Explore the different planets during this design your own planet project for kids.
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Wheel of Heat Transfer Project
Explore the process of heat transfer with this engaging wheel of heat project.
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Sound Research Science Experiment for Kids
Immerse your students in an auditory adventure, exploring sound energy with this engaging experiment.
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Line Plot Project: Bakery Menu Design
Make learning about math as sweet as your students' favorite treats with this project based learning line plots exercise!
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Data Collection Investigation Project
Assign this data collection project to enable students to master the skills of acquiring and recording data.
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Sun Observation Project
Use observations of the sun to describe patterns that can be predicted with this journal project.
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Phases of the Moon – Journal Project
Observe, describe, and record patterns of the lunar cycle with this moon tracking project.
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How to Reduce Waste - School Lunch Project
Investigate the waste produced from school lunches and create a plan of action to reduce waste with a school lunch waste analysis project.
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How to Catch a Leprechaun STEM Project
Use your engineering and design skills to build a leprechaun trap on St. Patrick's Day!
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Lapbook - All About Me Template
Skip the "All About Me" worksheet and create an About Me lapbook on the first day of school.
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One Word Resolution- New Year Goal Setting Project
Inspire your students to reflect and set one-word goals for the new year with a “Just One Word” goal-setting project.
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All About Me Time Capsule
Build a self-portrait time capsule as a fun first day of school activity!
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Back to School Supply Shopping Task - Primary Grades
Calculate the cost of school supplies and answer questions with this back-to-school math activity.
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Me on the Map - City Map Project
Engage young learners in developing their map skills with a design-your-own map project.
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School Supply Shopping - Upper Grades
Calculate the cost of school supplies and answer questions with this back-to-school math activity.