Glossary

Action Module
a module consisting of a series of lessons that guide students through a design process to create an Inquiry Product and take informed action; appears once at the end of each Inquiry

Assessment Guide
an annotated version of an assessed material, detailing expectations for successful student completion

Checkpoint Assessment
a designated, objective-aligned opportunity to check for understanding of concepts and development of skills after a period of sustained investigation; a checkpoint assessment serves as a formative assessment for the Inquiry and a summative assessment for the module, challenging students to draw conclusions and demonstrate understanding in diverse ways, often through formal performance tasks

Core Lesson
a lesson that is required in order to meet established module objectives and content standards

Course
an eLearning experience designed by inquirED to develop inquiry-based teaching practices and expertise in facilitating inquirED’s inquiry-based curricula; micro-credentials are awarded upon the successful completion of a course

Curricular Lead
a designated person within a school district who is responsible for the adoption and implementation of the inquirED curriculum; they may identify an Implementation Lead to coordinate the day-to-day implementation responsibilities

Essential Question
the thought-provoking question that frames each Investigation Module, providing structure for the sustained investigation of content within each Inquiry; EQs help to chunk information, scaffold understanding, and support assessment

Extension Lesson
an optional lesson that explores a concept in more depth, builds interdisciplinary connections, activates place-based resources, or utilizes a specific technological tool; the content of Extension lessons is not required to meet established module objectives and content standards

Flex Lesson
an optional lesson framework that can be added to any module in order to cover additional content or introduce or refine learning strategies; often requires customization to align to topic of study

Formative Assessment
an opportunity for students to demonstrate understanding and skills across a diverse set of tasks, including written claims, creative responses, and others; opportunities for ongoing, formative assessment appear in every lesson

Implementation Coach
a member of the inquirED team who supports partners by providing, professional development and thought partnership to support the successful implementation of their inquiry-based curriculum

Implementation Lead
a designated person within a school district (often identified by a Curricular Lead) who is responsible for managing and coordinating the day-to-day responsibilities of the inquirED curriculum implementation

Informed Action
an action that students take to impact the world in a meaningful way; drawing from key findings gathered during a sustained investigation, students design and implement actions serve a purpose beyond an individual letter grade, whether that is to inspire, change behaviors, solve problems, or serve an audience

Inquiry
a themed unit of study that launches with a compelling question, moves through a sustained investigation of content, and culminates when students use the knowledge they have acquired to take informed action that impacts their community

Inquiry Advocate
a designated person within a school or district who provides on-the-ground support to teachers implementing the inquirED curriculum; in addition, they meet monthly with inquirED’s Partner Experience Team to discuss successes and challenges that arise for teachers who are implementing the curriculum. Check out this video for more information.

Inquiry Hub
a dynamic online space designed to provide support and professional development to educators who are deepening their inquiry-based teaching practices and/or using inquirED’s inquiry-based curriculum

Inquiry Journeys
inquirED’s inquiry-based social studies curriculum for elementary school

Inquiry Product
a physical object, expression, interpretation, or initiative created when students take informed action during the Action Module; it is created through a design cycle of brainstorming, prototyping, feedback, and revision

Inquiry Question
the complex, open-ended question that frames learning in an Inquiry; a great Inquiry Question gives purpose and meaning to student work, igniting student curiosity and driving them forward into investigation and action. For examples of Inquiry Questions in K-6 social studies, view the Scope and Sequence for inquirED's Inquiry Journeys.

Inquiry Skills
a set of five powerful skills that students develop and use throughout the inquiry process to generate questions, conduct sustained investigations, and take informed action. Find out more about the Inquiry Skills here.

Inquiry Work Gallery
a digital gallery that showcases straight-from-the-classroom images and examples of inquiry work submitted by educators using the inquirED curriculum. Check out the Inquiry Work Gallery here.

Investigation Module
a series of lessons that guide students though the investigation of a specific topic, framed by a thought-provoking Essential Question; each Inquiry includes multiple Investigation Modules

Landmark Lesson
one of several lessons that punctate each Inquiry to shape the direction of the Inquiry. Check out the types of Landmark Lessons.

Launch Module
the opening series of lessons that begin each Inquiry, designed to hook students into the investigation, introduce the Inquiry Question, and help students generate questions to guide their learning

Legacy
a term used to refer to earlier versions of inquirED products; legacy versions remain available to partners until they are phased out, at which point they will no longer be accessible

Module
a connected series of lessons; there are three types of modules: Launch, Investigation, and Action. Check out the Inquiry Structure Overview to learn about each of the module types.

Pre-assessment
the opportunity to gauge the prior knowledge and skills of students at the beginning of every Inquiry

Session
a live, professional development session designed to develop inquiry-based teaching practices and expertise in facilitating inquirED’s inquiry-based curricula; micro-credentials are awarded upon successful completion of a session

Unit
see Inquiry