I-Chart

Before beginning this strategy, decide on a topic that students will be exploring and collect appropriate resources (books, magazines, websites, etc.).  Or, if you choose to have students self-select a topic, arrange for time to be spent in the library or in a computer lab with internet access.  Provide each student with a blank copy of the printout and assist with topic selection or provide a pre-selected topic.  Have a class or group discussion about the topic(s) that students will be working with.  You may choose to have a formal discussion, complete with an organizer such as a K-W-L Chart, or you may have an informal discussion where students simply share their thoughts aloud.

Students should spend time during the "inquiry" phase researching the questions that they wrote in the top row of their printout, or things they “want to know.”  As they find information about their questions, they should record their findings from the different sources.  After gathering information from multiple sources to answer each of their questions, students should use the “Summary” row as a place to write a concise sentence or two about what they learned about each question while researching.