1Looking Inside: Student Edition 8

People could put in any questions they wanted, send out the surveys, and the tool would collect the data for them.

Walk through the halls of SurveyMonkey headquarters in San Mateo, California, and you might be intrigued, to say the least. Its conference rooms bear names like “Hogwarts,” “Aurora Borealis,” and “Stonehenge.” Factoid plaques sharing interesting data and “did-you-know” statistics dot the walls down the halls. One room, the Curiosity Room, is filled with interesting items, such as vinyl records, books, and other cool objects. The SurveyMonkey headquarters reflects what SurveyMonkey is all about: powering the curious. The company offers an online survey tool to help its customers find the answers they want. All they have to do is ask the questions.

SurveyMonkey was founded because one person was curious. In 1999, Ryan Finley worked at a music production company in Madison, Wisconsin. He wanted to gather feedback from customers—to find out what they liked and didn’t like about their music production experiences. When Finley realized there was no tool to gather and compile the feedback, he created one. He called it SurveyMonkey. Soon, Finley started a company to allow other businesses to use his tool.

Organizations, corporations, academic institutions as well as smaller groups, like neighborhood soccer leagues all found SurveyMonkey useful. They appreciated how easy the tool was to use.

SurveyMonkey:SurveyMonkey:INQUIRE

Powering CuriosityPowering Curiosity

34

1Looking Inside: Student Edition 8

Before SurveyMonkey, surveys were given using pens and paper. Many times, surveyors would ask the questions in person. SurveyMonkey made it possible to do everything online. Now, surveys could go anywhere in the world, sent instantly to as many or as few people as desired. Because the surveys could be answered quickly, people did not mind completing them. As people did, the data would be promptly organized by the SurveyMonkey software. This information would help businesses make decisions about how best to serve their customers or accomplish their goals.

Because it was so easy and useful, SurveyMonkey became popular. Its leaders moved the company to Portland and then to Northern California. Today, SurveyMonkey has 33 million customers. People use its software to answer more than 20 million questions each day. The company now offers different kinds of survey templates in order for users to choose the tool that is perfect for their specific purposes. There are

templates to find out how satisfied customers or employees are and to ask patients questions so they can be provided appropriate healthcare.

SurveyMonkey’s surveys can help companies and organizations make informed decisions. What new classes should a college offer? What nonprofit efforts should money be used to support? SurveyMonkey can also be used to collect information for academic research.

SurveyMonkey itself used surveys to help design its new, exciting headquarters. Employees suggested ideas for a fun game room, a library with real “dead-tree” books, a room with knitting supplies, and more. Each space is meant to inspire curiosity.

“Curious people are the ones who want to learn and grow,” says SurveyMonkey CEO Zander Lurie. “They challenge others and like to be challenged, and that’s how you grow.”

35Inquire | SurveyMonkey: Powering Curiosity

1Looking Inside: Student Edition 8

In what ways does SurveyMonkey demonstrate the critical thinking trait inquire?

Think about these words from the text. Check the statement that describes your knowledge of each word. Explain what you think each word means. Then, record an explanation for the connection each word has to the characteristics of the inquire trait.

Inquire – I seek information that excites my curiosity and inspires my learning.Explore the Trait

Word My knowledge of the word What I think the word means Connection to inquire trait

curiosity This word is new to me.

I think I know the meaning. I know the meaning.

intrigued This word is new to me.

I think I know the meaning. I know the meaning.

feedback This word is new to me.

I think I know the meaning. I know the meaning.

compile This word is new to me.

I think I know the meaning. I know the meaning.

inspire This word is new to me.

I think I know the meaning. I know the meaning.

36 Grade 8 | Student Activity Book

1Looking Inside: Student Edition 8

When you inquire, you ask questions and seek information that satisfies your curiosity. Apply the Trait

When learning about a new topic, an overriding initial question often comes to mind. As learning continues, new questions become apparent.

Consider the topic provided by the teacher. Record your overriding initial question, new learnings, and subsequent questions as your understanding of the topic becomes thorough.

Initial Question Subsequent Question

Subsequent Question

Subsequent Question

New Learning

New Learning

New Learning

New Learning

Thorough Understanding

37Inquire | SurveyMonkey: Powering Curiosity

1Looking Inside: Student Edition 8

Read the list of topics. Use numbers to indicate the top three topics that most interest you. Use a dictionary or search engine to learn about unfamiliar topics.

fake nails for cats

hotels made of ice

observatories

ghost towns

killer snails

ice cream that does not melt

prime spirals

how to have a book published

In the boxes, explain why the topics excite your curiosity. Then list the ways you can learn about the topics.

First choice Second choice Third choice

I am curious about ________________________________

because _______________________________________________________________________________________ .

I can learn about this topic by_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ .

I am curious about ________________________________

because _______________________________________________________________________________________ .

I can learn about this topic by_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ .

I am curious about ________________________________

because _______________________________________________________________________________________ .

I can learn about this topic by_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ .

Check My Thinking

38 Grade 8 | Student Activity Book

1Looking Inside: Student Edition 8

Think about what you have learned about the critical thinking trait inquire.

• Shade three question marks if you always inquire.• Shade two question marks if you inquire most of the time.• Shade one question mark if you inquire, but you need help.• Do not shade any question marks if you do not inquire.

Provide evidence to support your assessment.

Inquire – I seek information that excites my curiosity and inspires my learning. Self–Assessment | Inquire

When you set a long-term goal, you will often set smaller goals or milestones which are steps to achieving this goal. Use the graphic organizer to map your long-term goal with milestones for the inquire trait.

Goal Setting | Inquire

Long

-ter

m G

oal

Mile

ston

e 1

Mile

ston

e 2

Mile

ston

e 3

39Inquire | SurveyMonkey: Powering Curiosity

1Looking Inside: Teacher Edition 8

28 Grade 8 | Teacher Guide

Critical Thinking Trait Inquire Engagement Indicators ● Students initiate learning. ● Students actively investigate a range of ideas (e.g., to deepen and expand knowledge, to stimulate interest, to pique curiosity, to address doubt or discomfort).

● Students demonstrate inquisitive attitudes by asking probing questions, questioning responses, and challenging the status quo.

Prompts to Develop the Inquire Trait ● Do you seek problems to solve? ● Do you search for new and better solutions? ● Do you view problems and conflicts as opportunities to learn? ● Do you ask questions to explore and extend learning? ● Do you search for data to support your conclusions? ● Do you test ideas to determine if the solutions are reasonable? ● Do you seek opportunities to expand your knowledge? ● Do you explore your interests or passions? ● Do you actively pursue topics related to your strengths or challenges? ● Are you open to taking risks? ● Are you willing to learn from your experiences and mistakes? ● How do you use technology to enhance meaning or learning?

Strategies to Facilitate the Inquire Trait ● Encourage student initiative and self-direction. ● Teach students to question what they read and hear. ● Ask open-ended questions that challenge students’ intellect, and encourage students to delve deeper into their own shared responses.

● Relate complex concepts to students’ interests or daily lives. ● Model a flexible mindset to promote personal investment in topics by encouraging conversation, exploration, and opinions.

Mind Shifts for a Critical Thinking Classroom

● A critical thinking culture engages students in thinking deeply about their learning.• The teacher is the facilitator of

learning rather than the dispenser of information.

• Students focus on learning rather than on task completion.

● Classroom expectations move beyond behavior and focus on well-defined learning and thinking outcomes.• The teacher models and provides examples of

expectations for students.• Students use tips explained and articulated on charts to

develop the inquire trait.

● A thinking environment ensures that each student’s voice is heard and that students share responsibility in their own learning.• The teacher establishes a nonthreatening culture that invites students

to raise questions and problems for research.• The teacher embraces experiential learning opportunities and praiseworthy

failure experiences (e.g., taking risks and not succeeding).• The teacher discovers topics that inspire each student and uses the information to

motivate and emotionally engage students in learning.• Students strategically ask questions to stimulate their own thinking and that of others. • Students demonstrate dissatisfaction with the status quo and seek to construct

knowledge in order to improve situations.

Inquire Trait Reflective Review Circle the rating that best describes students’ abilities to apply the critical thinking trait inquire.

5–Students apply the inquire trait consistently.

1–Students struggle to apply the inquire trait.

5 4 3 2 1

What additional opportunities might I provide to students who consistently exhibit the critical thinking trait inquire during learning? ________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

How might I foster additional opportunities for students who struggle to inquire during learning? _____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Inquire — I seek information that excites my curiosity and inspires my learning.

1Looking Inside: Teacher Edition 8

29Inquire | SurveyMonkey: Powering Curiosity

SurveyMonkey: Powering Curiosity Student Activity Book pages 34–35

Before Reading: Use these activities to set a purpose for reading. ● Ask students what topics pique their curiosity. ● Brainstorm reasons that companies, organizations, and individuals may need to conduct surveys.

TextWalk through the halls of SurveyMonkey headquarters in San Mateo, California, and you might be intrigued, to say the least. Its conference rooms bear names like “Hogwarts,” “Aurora Borealis,” and “Stonehenge.” Factoid plaques sharing interesting data and “did-you-know” statistics dot the walls down the halls. One room, the Curiosity Room, is filled with interesting items, such as vinyl records, books, and other cool objects. The SurveyMonkey headquarters reflects what SurveyMonkey is all about: powering the curious. The company offers an online survey tool to help its customers find the answers they want. All they have to do is ask the questions.

SurveyMonkey was founded because one person was curious. In 1999, Ryan Finley worked at a music production company in Madison, Wisconsin. He wanted to gather feedback from customers—to find out what they liked and didn’t like about their music production experiences. When Finley realized there was no tool to gather and compile the feedback, he created one. He called it SurveyMonkey. Soon, Finley started a company to allow other businesses to use his tool.

Organizations, corporations, academic institutions as well as smaller groups, like neighborhood soccer leagues all found SurveyMonkey useful. They appreciated how easy the tool was to use. People could put in any questions they wanted, send out the surveys, and the tool would collect the data for them.

Before SurveyMonkey, surveys were given using pens and paper. Many times, surveyors would ask the questions in person. SurveyMonkey made it possible to do everything online. Now, surveys could go anywhere in the world, sent instantly to as many or as few people as desired. Because the surveys could be answered quickly, people did not mind completing them. As people did, the data would be promptly organized by the SurveyMonkey software. This information would help businesses make decisions about how best to serve their customers or accomplish their goals.

Because it was so easy and useful, SurveyMonkey became popular. Its leaders moved the company to Portland and then to Northern California. Today, SurveyMonkey has 33 million customers. People use its software to answer more than 20 million questions each day. The company now offers different kinds of survey templates in order for users to choose the tool that is perfect for their specific purposes. There are templates to find out how satisfied customers or employees are and to ask patients questions so they can be provided appropriate healthcare.

SurveyMonkey’s surveys can help companies and organizations make informed decisions. What new classes should a college offer? What nonprofit efforts should money be used to support? SurveyMonkey can also be used to collect information for academic research.

SurveyMonkey itself used surveys to help design its new, exciting headquarters. Employees suggested ideas for a fun game room, a library with real “dead-tree” books, a room with knitting supplies, and more. Each space is meant to inspire curiosity.

“Curious people are the ones who want to learn and grow,” says SurveyMonkey CEO Zander Lurie. “They challenge others and like to be challenged, and that’s how you grow.”

During Reading: Use these questions to help students focus attention on the key ideas and details in the text.

● Have you heard of the company SurveyMonkey? If so, how did you hear about it? ● Why were traditional pen and paper surveys difficult to conduct? ● How does SurveyMonkey inspire curiosity?

After Reading: Use these activities to support student understanding. ● Read the inquire trait statement. ● Guide students to answer the question in the Explore the Trait component of the Student Activity Book.

In what ways does SurveyMonkey demonstrate the critical thinking trait inquire?

Explore the Trait Student Activity Book page 36This activity provides an opportunity for students to explore the characteristics of the critical thinking trait inquire.

Set the StageIntroduce vocabulary terms for the critical thinking trait inquire.

● curiosity ● information ● learning

● excites ● inspires ● seek

Complete the Activity ● Ask students to identify unfamiliar words in the text and to discuss their meanings with partners.

● Have students follow the directions in the Student Activity Book. ● Allow students to exchange Student Activity Books with partners for discussion.

Extend the Activity ● Have students brainstorm inquiry questions for current units of study. Invite students to discuss how asking questions helps to formulate a research focus. Encourage students to consider interesting perspectives of the topics that might excite their curiosities and might lead to deeper understandings.

● Identify ways to inspire curiosity. Then create a class poster for display.

1Looking Inside: Teacher Edition 8

30 Grade 8 | Teacher Guide

Apply the Trait Student Activity Book page 37These activities provide opportunities for students to become an expert about an assigned topic. Prior to the activity, discuss important components of effective inquiry. Teachers can choose to use an activity from a preferred discipline or may choose another subject area for the activity.

ELAHave students engage in sustained recursive inquiry processes on self-selected topics and record academic citations. Instruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

ScienceTopic: Models to represent aspects of the natural world such as an atom, a molecule, space, or a geologic featureInstruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

MathTopic: Representing linear proportional situations with tables, graphs, and equations in the form of y = kxInstruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

Social StudiesTopic: The effects of political, economic, and social factors on slaves and free blacks before, during, and after the Civil War Instruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

Fine Arts ● Art Topic: The elements of art, including line, shape, color texture, form, space, and value Instruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

● Dance Topic: The use of dance elements in practice and performance incorporating technology and elements of dance production Instruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

● Music Topic: Appropriate cognitive and kinesthetic response such as inner hearing, silent fingering, shadow bowing, or Curwen hand signs Instruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

● Theatre Topic: Production elements in theatre, film, television, and other media Instruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

Health/P.E. ● Health Topic: Preventive health measures, immunizations, and treatment in disease preventionInstruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

● P.E. Topic: Harmful effects of the sun such as sunburn, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and heat cramps and recommend prevention methods Instruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

Technology ApplicationsTopic: Troubleshooting techniques, including restarting systems, checking power issues, resolving software compatibility, verifying network connectivity, connecting to remote sources, and modifying display properties

Instruct students to follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

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31Inquire | SurveyMonkey: Powering Curiosity

Check My Thinking Student Activity Book page 38 ● Have students follow the directions in the Student Activity Book.

● Announce topics and allow students to share reasons for the selections and strategies they might use to learn about the topics.

Self-Assessment | Inquire Student Activity Book page 39 ● Have students complete the self-assessment to analyze their understanding of the critical thinking trait inquire.

● Instruct students to provide evidence to support their assessments.

● Evaluate student self-assessment responses and plan additional instruction as needed.

Goal Setting | Inquire Student Activity Book page 39Use goal setting to teach and to model effective strategies for setting trait goals. Allow students to practice setting goals and to explore different methods to meet their personally meaningful goals. Goal setting does not end with writing a goal but is a process through which students progress in order to attain the goal. The process includes the following stages:

● writing clear and personally targeted goals ● creating plans to reach personal goals ● reviewing personal goals on a regular basis ● reflecting on progress towards attaining personal goals ● revising plans to attain personal goals when needed ● celebrating milestones and accomplishing goals

Ask students to review their self-assessments. Discuss the importance of goal setting for the inquire trait. Have students complete the goal-setting graphic organizer to improve and monitor their use of the inquire trait. Allow students to share ideas with the large group. Periodically, remind students to review inquire trait goals and measure their progress toward attaining these goals.

Strengthen the Trait ● Have students draw tic-tac-toe grids on paper. In each square of the grids, ask students to record activities of interest (e.g., research a specific topic, learn a new skill, practice drawing, create multimedia presentations on topics of interest, read specific books). Invite students to explore the topics when they complete their work.

● Use a 5Ws and an H graphic organizer before beginning new units of study to gather initial wonderings and after instruction to record new understandings.

● As exit tickets, ask students to record new learnings and wonderings.

Revisit the TraitRevisit the inquire trait throughout the school year. Useful times to revisit the trait include:

● A few months after the trait has been introduced

● After holiday breaks

● When students struggle to exhibit the inquire trait

● After attending a school event or presentation

● When a new student joins the class

Cover a small box with construction paper and decorate it with question marks. When you notice students exhibiting the inquire trait, allow them to write examples that excite their curiosities and inspire their learning on slips of paper and place them inside the box. Then allow the class to play 20 questions to try to guess the examples. Option: Invite students to bring pictures or small objects that represent the inquire trait to place inside the box.