Welcome to The Inquiry Project
The Inquiry Project is a research and curriculum development effort that engages children in Grades 3–5 in science inquiry about the nature of matter. In Inquiry Project classrooms, children work collaboratively with their classmates and teachers, using measurement, mathematical and graphical representations, and discussion to build scientific explanations about objects and materials in the world around them.
A carefully constructed sequence of curriculum, informed by a parallel longitudinal research study, accompanied by professional development, and formative assessment progressively builds student understanding about core science concepts across a three-year period. These concepts provide an important foundation for understanding science in secondary school. Learn more »
I agree that tiny things have weight…just because it doesn’t feel like it has weight, doesn’t mean it doesn’t.
— 3rd grade student
The Inquiry Project was funded by the National Science Foundation.
Research
The Inquiry Project seeks to understand how elementary school students make headway in their understanding about matter and physical quantities — especially material, weight, volume, length, area, and density. Learn more »
Curriculum
For each grade (3-5), there is a nine-week contextualized series of investigations about the properties of matter, focusing on measurement and representation of weight, volume, and density. Learn more »
Assessment
Formative assessment is central to the Inquiry project, informing teachers, curriculum development, researchers, and children about the development of their scientific ideas. Learn more »
Professional Development for Teachers
Teachers learn in a community of scientists, psychologists, and other teachers how to engage students in deep scientific inquiry using discussion and embedded formative assessment. Learn more »