Teaching Elementary Students Real-life Inquiry Skills

Fake news and misinformation is everywhere. Learn how to teach elementary students to locate reliable information, evaluate sources, and develop their writing skills in the classroom and in the library.

Empower students to find and evaluate information with this practical guide to supporting classroom writing and research instruction. You’ll learn ways to teach students to evaluate information for accuracy and to collect information from credible sources such as library journals. Additionally, you’ll learn how to incorporate writing into your makerspace, encourage curiosity through the inquiry process, and help students to find their voice. Along the way, you’ll discover how to support various writing genres including technical writing and the research project and how to teach prewriting for digital media such as websites, blogs, and social media.

Lesson plans, which can be adapted from year to year as a part of the classroom and library curriculum, explain how students can use databases, search engines, books, and expert testimony to gather information. Also included are student samples and hands-on activities that will get students excited about learning.

Kristy Hill, MLS, is a library media technology specialist in Fort Worth, TX. She is an author of professional books for teachers and librarians.