Analysis+of+an+Inquiry+Lesson

Using a great website called Thinkfinity.org, I was able to access a bunch of different lesson ideas, resources and interactives. Through this incredible database, I stumbled upon the lesson plan for "[|Seeing Sense in Photographs & Poems] ," which was a great lesson that compared the imagery found in both poetry and photographs. Using this lesson, I then went through to see how my inquiry model, PREP, would line up alongside this lesson.

**PREP** and Seeing Sense in Photographs & Poems Summary
 **Pre-search** •The students are asked to look at a photograph and write down all their initial impressions. What is in the picture? Where are there light and dark colors? What parts are shaded? meaning is implied by what they have now discovered? Can they revise their initial reaction? mood, tone and imagery. They must also fill out a worksheet to display their new knowledge. (this process would then be used again with a poem)
 * Research ** •Then the students are told to ask themselves why or for what reason when they look at all their observations. They are supposed to focus now more on what mood or tone is evoked as opposed to the actual description.
 * Evaluation ** •Students now are asked to look at the "whole" of the photograph. What is the sum of all the parts? What new
 * Presentation ** •Students are asked to explain their criticisms/praise for the photograph using what they now discovered about

Use of Inquiry?
This lesson uses inquiry as the main motivation for students to discover more about imagery found in both photographs and poetry. The students are motivated to understand imagery further because they are reacting to their own feelings. When initially looking at the photo or reading the poem, the student knows his/her reaction, but does not necessarily understand //why// these feelings are evoked. By allowing these students to **explore and discover** the reason for their reactions, it allows them to take control of their learning and, thus, inspire in them further curiosity on the subject. Poetry may seem dull and boring, but, when compared to photographs, something most students are familiar with, poetry becomes more alive and useful. Students may be more intrigued by the poetry and the photographs as they make their own discoveries about the senses that are activated when reading or viewing them respectively.

One Step Further...
This type of inquiry lesson is also known as a **confirmation i nqu iry lesson ** because students are following a certain process to respond to the teacher presented question: What is your reaction to this photo/poem? As the students take certain steps to discover about imagery, they are guided by the instructor each step of the way, including which pictures the students must look at. Though they are not fully aware of the end result, students are controlled in their process right down to the final worksheet they must turn in. Based on our knowledge of each level of inquiry, how would the lesson change if we changed the level of inquiry? Let's see...
 * ~ Level of Inquiry ||~ Structured Inquiry ||~ Guided Inquiry ||~ Open Inquiry ||
 * ~ Definition || •students investigate a teacher-presented question through a prescribed procedure* || •Students investigate a teacher-presented question using student designed/selected procedures* || •Students investigate topic-related questions that are student formulated through student designed/selected procedures * ||
 * ~ How could the lesson be adapted to fit this level of inquiry? || Students would be allowed to pick the photo or poem that they wish to analyze. Students would be less aware of the **intended solution and more aware of the process.** || Students would be told the problem they are attempting to "solve." They would be asked to describe how the photos/poems make them feel and then **left to their own devices ** to discover how and (more importantly) **why **? || Students would be told to create a final product that presents what the student understands about imagery. This lesson may be used as an example project to begin students generating **<span style="color: rgb(183, 11, 172)">their own ideas, process and products **. ||
 * ~ How does the activity change? || Though students might get to choose their photo/poem, the end result would ultimately be the same. Students would still be asked to fill out a worksheet to show what they have learned. || The activity would now present students with the idea of imagery and would be asked to learn more about it using pictures and poems. But students would choose all their materials and final products to present. This allows students to gather the most information as they go through their own process to discover the answer. || Because this lesson is so structured, trying to change this activity to an open inquiry **completely changes the lesson**. The teacher can only focus the students in the general direction of imagery as a topic and guide them as they make their decisions. ||
 * ~ How do these changes change the students learning experience? || Students are given more freedom in their photos and may find they are more invested in the image/poem they choose. However, they still are gaining the intended information by following the process designated. || I think this would be **the best** way to do this lesson. The students will be the most invested because they would be allowed to choose their poem/photo and then they would be allowed to come up with their final presentation based on what they have discovered, whether it be a poster, a critique, a presentation or a paper. || The teacher has far less control of the students process and products. Instead s/he functions more as an assistant to learning as opposed to a teacher. This allows the student to take complete control of their learning process, and thus they are able to answer the questions that mean the most to them. ||
 * Definitions are thanks to the Four Levels of Inquiry Website

Sources: Four Levels of Inquiry http://edweb.sdsu.edu/wip/four_levels.htm

Inquiry Based Learning http://virtualinquiry.com/inquiry/inquiry7.htm

Promoting Student Inquiry:Webquests to Web Inquiry Projects (WIPs) http://edweb.sdsu.edu/wip/WIP_Intro.htm

Virtual Information Inquiry Levels of Inquiry http://virtualinquiry.com/inquiry/inquiry1a.htm