Inquiry Project Prior Knowledge: I really do not have any prior knowledge regarding inquiry-based instruction.

I can assume that it has to do with using questions to guide a lesson, based on the title of the book and my English word root knowledge. In order design and carry out an inquiry-based lesson, I will need to learn everything, including what inquiry-based instruction is and how to carry it out. Lesson Plan: Group: My /r/ group (two private students from my neighborhood, grades 3 & 5) Topic: Introduction to the Rules of /r/ Standards Addressed: 3rd Grade: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. 5th Grade: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.5.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.5.3a Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. Essential Questions: Which letter is the most difficult to pronounce in the English language and why? Activities: -Entire World of /r/ Screener -Discussion about /r/ variations -Word generation activity -Highlighting /r/ words in article to determine /r/ frequency -Discussion about tongue placement -Model using mr. mouth Final Project: Students will be able to: -Identify the variations of the letter /r/ -Explain which of these they can & cannot pronounce correctly -Explain and model the correct tongue placement of the letter /r/ Lesson Reflection: The lesson outlined above was conducted with a group of two students whom I work with privately. They are brothers and live in my neighborhood. They were dismissed from speech therapy in the school (not by me!) because their articulation was thought to no longer interfere with academics. Both boys have grade appropriate reading and spelling skills and it

was reported that the /r/ errors do not interfere with their ability to be understood or participate in the classroom because they are so mild. I created my lesson using the 3-step process suggested by Wilhelm (2007). My essential question (which letter is the most difficult to pronounce) was designed to lead us into the lesson and ultimately to our enduring understandings (the letter /r/ has several variations, which need to be practiced separately) (Wilhelm, 2007). The final outcome of our lesson would be the boys ability to identify which /r/ variations are difficult for them and also for them to know, in theory, how to correctly produce the /r/. Their own correct pronunciations might take more time, but we need to start with knowledge of correct placement. My backwards plan included the administration of an /r/ screener and several discussions/activities that would serve to frontload our knowledge and lead us to answer the essential question (Wilhelm, 2007). This was my first lesson with these boys, so it was a good chance to engage in a discussion about the letter /r/ and its importance in the English language. Our discussion centered on the fact that the letter /r/ has nine different variations, which makes it the most difficult letter to pronounce in the English language. It also happens to be one of the most common. Both boys were given a screener to determine which /r/ variations are difficult for them. Neither one had ever been taught about the /r/ variations. It was interesting to present this idea to them and see them connect the dots about why the /r/ was difficult for them to produce and really engage in how to fix their errors, knowing that it is so common. They really seemed to personally buy into this, more than other students with whom I have taught similar lessons, but did not approach in this way. Unfortunately, a lot of the techniques discussed by Wilhelm in Engaging Readers & Writers with Inquiry (e.g. Opinionaires, ReQuest and QAR), do not apply to my personal teaching

in the speech room, since I do not teach content. However, I am excited to be able to present them to my content area teachers in order to facilitate comprehension with my language impaired students in the classroom.

Works Cited Common Core State Standards, English Language Arts retrieved from www.corestandards.org on 3/8/2013 Wilhelm, J. (2007). Engaging readers and writers with inquiry: Promoting deep understandings in language arts and the content areas with guiding questions. New York: Scholastic.