Being a Good Student Back to School Inquiry Unit

Being a Good Student Back to School Inquiry Unit

Hey, y'all. Have you noticed your students needing a little extra support on being an active participant in their education? I know my students do. 

To combat this in a productive and supportive way, we're going to be exploring what it means to be a good student through the inquiry process. This is a great unit to use during the back to school season as an introduction to inquiry-based learning and for setting expectations. 

We start off by discussing what we already know about how to be a student. Students brainstorm their questions and think about their goals for the year. Questions could be, "What makes a student a 'good' student?" or, "How can I become a better student? 

We define what we mean by being a "good" student. It's not just about compliance (although that certainly is helpful). It's about being attentive, focused, and kind. It's about caring for others, being a leader, and participating in your own education. Students know these things, but they also need it spelled out for them. Not all of them, but many.  

We illustrate what being a good student looks like in different settings. Yes, that page says "At home." Students tend to think that their learning stops when they go home, but a good night's sleep, healthy eating habits, and getting exercise are all part of becoming a good student. 

At the beginning of the year especially, we read a TON of books about what it means to be a good student as we're setting our expectations for the year. Comparing what the characters do to become better students to what we can do helps solidify these behaviors in students' minds. 

Then, we take all these behaviors we've talked about and put them into our ideal learner profile. We talk about what qualities a good student should possess (and there are male and female versions included) and set our own goals for ourselves for the school year. 

At the end of the unit, we reflect on what we've learned, what we want to accomplish, and how we need to behave in order to meet those goals. The best part is that these pages can be added to students' data binders in order to keep the expectations high and the behavior going in the right direction. 

You can find this unit in my Teachers Pay Teachers store here. I'm always adding new resources, so be sure to follow my store so you stay up to date. 

I hope you found some ideas you can use in your classroom soon. Have a great week and I'll talk to you soon. 

Stay cozy,