The document provides guidelines for using primary sources to encourage shared inquiry in the classroom. It discusses creating meaningful discussions around academic texts that students find interesting. Students should closely read complex texts and support their interpretations with evidence from the sources. Successful shared inquiry discussions involve all students carefully reading the text beforehand, discussing ideas to explore them fully, listening to other students and responding directly to their interpretations, and asking questions rather than giving their own views of the text.

1. Using Primary Sources to
Encourage Shared Inquiry
With Kim Moore

2. A Classroom for Shared Inquiry
Create meaningful discussions that draw from
conversational language that includes academic
vocabulary.
Sharing and listening
while collaborating in
regards to something
that is meaningful to
the student will
result in great
conversations and
discussions.

3. A Classroom for Shared Inquiry
Teach students to be critical thinkers through a unique
questioning strategy supporting close reading of complex texts.
 informational text
 close reading strategies
 writing to sources
 critical thinking
 appropriate text complexity
 text dependent questions and tasks

4. A Classroom for Shared Inquiry
Five key guidelines to engaging in a successful Shared
Inquiry discussion:
 Participants must read the selection carefully before the
discussion.
 The goal of the group is to discuss the ideas in the text and
explore them fully.
 Participants should support interpretations of the text with
evidence from the work.
 Everyone needs to listen carefully to the other participants and
respond to them directly.
 The leader is there to ask questions rather than offer his/her own
interpretations of the text.

5. Does the Constitution Work Today?

6. What Do You Know?

7. What is the Price of Freedom?

8. What is the Price of Freedom?

9. President Reagan’s Farewell Speech
Speech p. 50
Teacher’s Guide p. 23
Great Books Discussion p. 21

10. President Reagan’s Farewell Speech
Life in a City on a Hill by Sarah Vowell

11. President Obama’s Farewell Speech

12. Interpreting Political Cartoons

13. Interpreting Political Cartoons
Colorado Budget

14. When is Bombing Constitutional?
Blog p. 78

26. Why I Am Political
By Margaret Cho
www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/statueofliberty/