Lesson 1: Forming inquiry question on Captain Cook

Inquiry Stage: Tuning In & Preparing to Find

Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will have an opportunity to demonstrate
their ability to:
1. form appropriate questions to fuel an inquiry on a world explorer
Australian Curriculum:
The journey(s) of AT LEAST ONE world navigator, explorer or trader up to the late eighteenth
century, including their contacts with other societies and any impacts. (ACHHK078)
Pose a range of questions about the past (ACHHS083)
Resources:

Picture book: I wish Id sailed with Captain Cook by Leonie Young

Paper
Pens
A2 Poster (prepare before lesson with the title, Our Inquiry Questions)

Students Prior Knowledge:

Prior knowledge on Captain Cook to be determined in this lesson

Lesson Procedure:
Orientation:

Invite the class to sit on the floor to read, I wish Id sailed with Captain Cook
o At the end, ask the class who was represented in the story and how they
were depicted
Explain to class that they will be undertaking a study on famous British explorer,
Captain Cook, for this unit.
With the class still sitting on floor, establish any prior knowledge that the students
have on Captain Cook
o Record this information on the board in the form of a concept map (take a
picture of this at the end for use later in the unit).

Enhancing:

Ask students to close their eyes and think about things they would like to learn in
this unit.
With this in their minds, ask the students what questions might we need to ask
ourselves throughout this unit?
Form into students small groups or pairs before explaining the task.
Give students the task of forming some key inquiry questions that the class would
need to learn about Captain Cook

Give the class 10 minutes to do this activity

o During this time the teacher will wander around to groups and scaffold their
ideas for inquiry questions.
When the time is up ask the students to all join together on the floor.
Ask students to share their inquiry questions
o Whilst the students are sharing, the teacher will be writing brief notes on
the board on their inquiry questions
The teacher will ask the class if they can see any questions that can be grouped
together
Students will participate in a class discussion to create concise and effective inquiry
questions for the unit. Teacher will write these on the board.
The teacher should use this discussion to scaffold the class if any important inquiry
elements are missing.

Concluding:

Once the finalised inquiry questions have been established, ask the students to read
them back as the teacher records the final versions on the A2 poster. Inform the
class that they will be able to refer to these throughout the unit to check and
monitor their learning goals.

Differentiation for diverse learners:

Write the task on the board for students with hearing impairment as well as students with
Aspergers (Smith Myles, Hage, Holverstott, Hubbard, Adreon, Trautman, 2005). This will help
students stay on task and have a clear understanding of what is expected of them.
Assessment of Student Learning:
Diagnostic assessment: Teacher will use this lesson to establish students knowledge on
Captain Cook. Teacher will use this information as well as the class formed inquiry questions
to shape the unit
Evaluation- Objectives:

Were the students able to construct appropriate inquiry questions?

Evaluation-Self as a Teacher:

Was the picture book an interesting way to engage students with the topic?
What elements of the lesson did the students have difficulty with? Why?
How could this lesson be altered (if necessary) for a more positive learning
experience?