"Zoom-In Inquiry" Model Activity - Workshop Four
Understanding Goal 
Digital primary sources provide unique opportunities for students to ask questions and make discoveries.
Description
Zoom-In Inquiry is often an introduction portion of a lesson. During this activity, students uncover a primary source image piece by piece in order to understand a big idea or theme related to curriculum standards. An investigative question starts the exploration and guiding questions focused on observation, interpretation, and evaluation follow as pieces of the image are revealed one at a time. Students use evidence and subject specific vocabulary to support their hypotheses. Students reflect on their understanding of the primary source and its relationship to "the big picture" or a large scale understanding that is overarching and essential to the subject. Finally, other related primary sources are presented that ask students to apply knowledge and understanding from the Zoom-In Inquiry to a new source or problem.
Directions
- Use the Directions to crop an image in PowerPoint.
- Use Creating Questions to create inquiry questions to guide students toward the "big picture". View an example set of questions used in the Nature Zoom-In.
Best Instructional Practices
Sample "Zoom-In Inquiry" (PowerPoint Files)
| Subject | Download PowerPoint File | View Online Learning Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Art | Art by William Johnson Zoom-In (652 KB) | |
| Language Arts | Zoom-In Letter (290 KB) | Zoom-In Letter |
| Math | Zoom-In Geometry (743 KB) | Zoom-In Geometry |
| Math | Zoom-In Geometry Architecture (464 KB) | Zoom-In Geometry Architecture |
| Math | Zoom-In Patterns and Geometry (1.31 MB) | Zoom-In Patterns and Geometry |
| Science | Zoom-In Nature (312 KB) | Zoom-In Nature |
| Science | Zoom-In Living Things (806 KB) | Zoom-In Living Things |
| Social Studies | Zoom-In Civil War (424 KB) | |
| Social Studies | Zoom-In American History (360 KB) | Zoom-In American History |