The Curious Classroom: 10 Structures for Teaching with Student-Directed Inquiry

by Harvey Daniels

Curious about inquiry? Hundreds of thousands of elementary teachers are. Smokey Daniels travels the country supporting well planned and organized inquiry teaching, and he gets these two questions most often:


Where do I find the time? What are some simple ways I can try with my kids? The Curious Classroom answers these questions. It shares a ladder of 10 inquiry structures. Begin with briefly modeling your own curiosity or start on a higher rung as you gradually move toward units driven by kids' own questions.

Ever wonder how to get students genuinely engaged in your curriculum? Or wish you could let them explore those amazing questions they brim with? If so, Smokey provides research-based suggestions that help cover the curriculum by connecting what kids wonder about to the wonders you have to teach them. He shares 10 structures, 34 inspiring models from teachers nationwide, full-color photographs and examples of students work, plus specific suggestions for assessment and grading.

Just getting started with inquiry? Looking for your own next step in student-driven inquiry? Or do you just want new teaching ideas to try? Read The Curious Classroom. "By the end of this book," writes Smokey Daniels, "I hope you will say two things:



I never knew my kids were capable of working at this level; and
This is the most fun I have ever had in my teaching life."

Genres: Education, Professional Development, Teaching, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Adult, Teachers

198 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2017

Reviews

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for elementary classroom teachers to shift thinking from being the one always asking questions to creating curious students who ask the questions! I have all of Smokey's books and he always hands teachers the tools to make significant positive changes to work with children. The introduction of this book explains that the schools using inquiry have the same constraints many other teachers have: mandated curriculum, standardized tests, and district adopted programs. He explains the difference is that teachers have "flipped their thinking" from worrying "about covering the material" and now "plan how to evoke kids' curiosity". This is a great book to help make positive changes in your classroom, in your instruction, but mostly to generate that curiosity that seems to be lacking in many classrooms today. For a teacher's professional resource I also appreciate the attention to design given to this text!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first time listening to a teacher book on audio and I’ll definitely do it again! This was a good overview of inquiry with clear and concise models and examples of each. I appreciated that there were kindergarten examples, truly making it applicable to all grades.

[Natalie Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written with an elementary or middle school teacher audience in mind, this book gives 10 easy strategies for incorporating inquiry into an otherwise teacher-, standards-, or curriculum-driven classroom. Good for librarians, too, but unfortunately, we're not mentioned very much.

[Brianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the author’s acknowledgment of barriers that general education teachers face in public schools, while giving simple and clear models of how to incorporate inquiry into the classroom, along with examples from various classrooms to add depth to these strategies. A few of my favorite examples that I hope to incorporate include soft starts in the morning, wonder walls, inquiry journals, inviting experts into the classroom, coaching students through their questions and wonderings, and using inquiry as a tool to help students grapple and cope with difficult topics and tragedy.

[Nicole]

I can honestly say this is the most excited I have walked away from a book study book. Everything in this book is do-able and manageable in my classroom. Will I do it all? Absolutely not but I have already noticed some small daily changes in my wording of things. I have incorporated things into my classroom that may not be fully used (or understood) to the extent described in the book yet, the students are enjoying and actively participating with them! I appreciate how quick most of the suggestions are... yes you have to plan and occasionally create but the actual activity takes no time and once taught, the students can do it on their own.
*It is easy to think "I'll do that in August." I guarantee you I will forget by August. My intention is to start small, make an effort to figure out what is working and what is not, quickly review my notes throughout the book, and extend come August.

[Cheryl]

I read this after hearing about how it guided a A Genius Hour program in an elementary school classroom. Daniels' writing is upbeat, accessible, and argues for student-directed inquiry (as opposed to"tell and test" instruction), with kids' curiosity ( "wonders") driving the curriculum. There are lots of examples of what this looks like in different elementary classrooms. What seems to be missing is exactly how we, as teachers and librarians can scaffold this work for children, especially when it comes to online research (e.g., using key words for searching, having adequate keyboarding skills, etc.). Making time for children's questions seems like messy and unpredictable work, but worth the effort.

[adeservingporcupine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book could have been maybe two pages because that’s how much actual information is in it. The rest is story after story of classroom after classroom where kids are coming up with questions instead of the teacher ... which is great but not actually the hardest thing to do in elementary classrooms? I skipped a lot of this book starting at the part with the teacher answering questions about the stitches she opted to get in front of students for the sake of inquiry. Not a helpful text at all.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is okay. There are better books with more guidance around inquiries including his own Comprehension and Collaboration: inquiry circles for curiosity, engagement, and understanding. I kind of wish I'd bought that one instead. This is a nice collection of good ideas around a culture of curiosity, but I feel like the meatiest inquiry ideas to takeaway point to finding other resources to read more elsewhere.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked chapter 7 that included the idea of using travel Tuesday research topics for students. Ask students at the beginning of the year one place they want to visit at some point. Then each week, pick a place out of the bucket to research. Students get to choose what they research after filling out what they already know and asking one question about the place. I really liked that idea. Towards the end, he got political, which just made me want the book to end.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous resource for teachers who want to incorporate authentic, meaningful learning opportunities with their students. Smokey Daniels shares easy-to-implement ideas and advice from teachers who are actually doing what's described- an essential piece that is sometimes left out of professional books for teachers. I also liked Tanny McGregor's sketches that summarized each chapter.

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am definitely more curious after reading this book - lol. Most of the examples were from elementary classrooms. I was still able to make connections and even tried something today with my 8th graders, which I believe sparked their curiosity. I need to read Daniels' book titled Upstanders: How to engage middle school hearts now.

I would recommend this for both teachers and parents.

[Aubrey DiOrio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for educators looking to dig into inquiry learning. It’s easy to pick 1 small thing to start or if you’re ready to take inquiry further, it helps you improve your practice. I go back to this book frequently.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is fine - and perhaps informative to teachers trying to break away from programs and data points for the first time in a place where no other type of teaching has happened before. There were good ideas here and there. There always are.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful resource for teachers who are just getting started with inquiry. Daniels gives great, actionable examples of how to introduce structures for inquiry, and how to foster / sustain it during the course of the year.

[Denise Shaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been in my TBR pile for a year, since I saw this book during my visit to an IB school in my district. As my school is in the beginning stages of our pyp program, I was excited to read it. There are some great ideas and I look forward to implementing them in the classroom.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books works best for elementary school classrooms.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with clear strategies that could be implemented straight away in any classroom.

[Tima Nisbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are new to inquiry, have never taught it, or know nothing about it, then this is a good read.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want quick practical ways to bring inquiry into the classroom? This is the book for you!! From Travel Tuesdays to Wonder Walls and so many more inquiry structures. Quick, fun and practical read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are quite a few good ideas in here I’d like to try. But the book could truly be half this length. Explanations of strategies and ideas are much longer than necessary.

[Susan McGilvray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of the best professional books I have read.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and full of practical ideas to stir up curiosity and wonder!

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical advice for teachers looking to begin exploring inquiry. Lots of stories from actual classrooms. Skews to primary classrooms - some middle years examples.

[Roch Boisvert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with stories from different teachers. Took away some pretty good ideas.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I've ever read about education. Period. Should be required reading for all teachers, especially those working with littles.

[Jill CD · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great guide for someone new to inquiry based learning.

[Sarah Brower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend for educators who want to foster a curious classroom! Practical examples that can be implemented ASAP!

[Jonathan Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book
If a teacher wants some good ideas to use in the class to help kids get more engaged while still following an assigned curriculum then this is the book for you

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

While some of the methods mentioned were witnessed in less-traditional school formatting, thus not ideal for public school situations and traditional testing, I appreciated Daniels' strategies for incorporating inquiry-based learning in any kind of classroom. Mentioning the different ways of developing inquiry practices that will support resilience, curiosity, and research skills helped me approach my teaching differently. I would like to mention, especially, the chapter on approaching trauma through inquiry; I appreciated Daniel's timely inclusion of this topic, considering today's social climate.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! I love how it is set up with easy to more complex implementation of inquiry in your classroom.