Behind the scenes: Nevada 4th-graders star in QFT video
What goes into filming a classroom video? We traveled to Gardnerville, Nevada, this month to shoot footage at Gene L. Scarselli Elementary School. Students in Alyssa Park’s fourth-grade class demonstrated how to use the Question Formulation Technique with primary sources and got first-hand experience being “actors” on camera. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the experience, and stay tuned for this new video resource.
Building elementary school students’ curiosity through trial and error
James Staton has been an elementary school educator for 32 years — in the United Kingdom and United States — and has used the Question Formulation Technique with students from kindergarten through sixth grade. Through trial and error he has learned some lessons about using the QFT with this age group and strengthening student curiosity.
Resources for elementary grades
Here are some resources for using the QFT with elementary school students.
- Creating a Culture of Questioning: Inquiry in Lower Elementary — Teaching Channel, by Ashleigh Burry and Kristy Mandell.
- “How Does the Sun’s Power Get into You?” Using the QFT to Explore Energy with First Graders, by Jodie Botzang.
- Kentucky Kindergarten Teacher Uses the QFT to Boost Reading and Writing Skills, highlighting the work of Sheila Varney.
- Lesson Snapshot: QFT & Primary Sources in a Kindergarten Classroom, by Catherine Tommasello.
Online course in June
The next run of our free online course, Teaching Students to Ask their Own Primary Source Questions, is from June 6 to July 7, and the deadline to register is June 1. In this course you’ll learn how to combine the Question Formulation Technique with Library of Congress primary sources to drive student-centered, inquiry-based primary source learning.
What we’re reading
Here are some things we’ve been reading recently.
- A Look at the Lack of Basic Nurturing Care Worldwide for Preschoolers — Usable Knowledge
- Six Ways Schools Improved P.E. to Prioritize Student Interests and Motivation — MindShift
- These Middle School Students Have a Warning About Teens and Social Media — NPR, Student Podcast Challenge
- After a Lockdown, Students Found Comfort in Humor. But What Are the Jokes Hiding? — NPR, Student Podcast Challenge
Upcoming learning opportunities
Starting June 7: Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Primary Source Questions. Register by June 1.
June 22-July 27: Teaching Students to ASK Their Own Geo-Inquiry Questions
July 12-August 1: Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions: Best Practices in the Question Formulation Technique. Register by June 30.
Your donations mean a lot
When you make a gift to the Right Question Institute, you help bring free resources to teachers and schools. Plus, you help equip people in low-income communities with skills and strategies for solving problems, participating in decisions, and making their voices heard — contributing to a more inclusive educational system, society, and democracy. Thank you for your support.