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πŸ” Inquiry Skills

Te Rangahau β€” Learning to Research

❓ Curiosity is the Starting Point

Inquiry learning is about asking questions and finding answers. It's a skill you'll use your whole life β€” in school, work, and as a citizen. Good researchers know how to ask the right questions, find reliable information, and think critically.

πŸ”„ The Inquiry Cycle

1

Ask

Develop good questions

2

Plan

How will you find out?

3

Gather

Find and collect information

4

Analyse

Make sense of what you found

5

Create

Present your findings

6

Reflect

What did you learn?

❓ Asking Good Questions

Types of Questions

  • Closed β€” one right answer ("What year did...?")
  • Open β€” many possible answers ("Why did...?")
  • Research questions β€” can be investigated with evidence

Good Research Questions Are...

  • βœ… Specific β€” not too broad
  • βœ… Answerable β€” can find evidence
  • βœ… Interesting β€” worth investigating
  • βœ… Appropriate β€” suit your time and resources

Example: Instead of "What about climate change?" try "How has climate change affected native birds in Aotearoa?"

πŸ“š Finding Information

πŸ“– Books

In-depth, edited

🌐 Websites

Check reliability!

πŸ“° Articles

News, journals

πŸ‘€ Interviews

Primary sources

πŸŽ₯ Videos

Documentaries

πŸ›οΈ Museums

Archives, artifacts

πŸ”Ž Is This Source Reliable?

CRAAP Test

Check each source using these criteria:

  • Currency β€” Is it recent enough?
  • Relevance β€” Does it answer your question?
  • Authority β€” Who wrote it? Are they an expert?
  • Accuracy β€” Is it supported by evidence? Are there errors?
  • Purpose β€” Why was it written? Is it trying to sell or persuade?

✏️ Activities

Activity: Question Improvement

Turn these weak questions into better research questions:

  1. "What about pollution?" β†’ ___________
  2. "Is technology good?" β†’ ___________
  3. "Tell me about Māori culture" β†’ ___________

My improved questions:

πŸ‘©β€πŸ« Teacher Notes

Curriculum Links

  • All subjects: Key competency β€” using language, symbols, texts
  • Social Studies: Social inquiry
  • Science: Nature of Science