30 Inquiry-based learning project ideas
Are you looking for inquiry-based project ideas for your students who are highly curious individuals and thrive on complexity and ambiguity? We’ve put together a list of projects for you that…
present a challenge or problem to solve
are open-ended
sustain inquiry
require ideation or invention
so your students are engaged and motivated to learn. And even better, we’ve paired each list of inquiry-based projects with a step-by-step project guide for students so that most of the planning is already done for you!
30 INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING PROJECT IDEAS
Pair one of these projects with Spinndle’s passion project guide.
Introducing Me Project — All of us tell stories about ourselves. Stories define us. To know someone well is to know her story—the experiences that have shaped us, the trials and turning points that have tested us. When we want someone to know us, we share stories of our childhoods, our families, our school years, experiences, interests, opinions, and so on. You are going to introduce yourself to a group of new people by telling your story using a creative medium. First, you will uncover your strengths, interests, and stories with a little help from your peers. Then you will piece together your story using a medium that best fits your story. Eg. Podcast, Website, Recipe Book, Pinterest Board, Slide Presentation, Speech, Short Story, etc.
True to Self — In a culture full of ideas and images of what we should be, how do we form an identity that remains true and authentic for the individual? It's difficult to navigate who you are and stay "true to self" when the media is constantly telling you otherwise. What mediums get into your head and cause you to lose sight of who you are? How does this affect you? What can you do to ignore these messages? Develop a plan to fight back against the messaging and share this plan with your class.
An Attitude of Gratitude — Create a strictly visual - no sounds, or words - representation of what you are grateful for. If you’re creating a performance or video, the maximum length is 2 minutes.
Ted Talk Project — TED Conferences LLC is an American media organization that posts talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was conceived by Richard Saul Wurman in February 1984 as a conference; it has been held annually since 1990. In this project, you are going to learn to become an expert speaker yourself on a topic that you are passionate about, whether it’s education, business, science, tech, or creativity! The idea is to present your ideas, perspective, and opinion to an audience. How can you inspire people to change their views, take action or think deeply about the world they live in. It’s time to master the art of communication! Eg. “My philosophy for a happy life”
The Mindfulness Project — How can I be “more aware” and engaged at the moment to higher my levels of self-compassion and lower levels of stress and anxiety? Mindful strategies are different for every person. Explore and test ways to connect with your thoughts and feelings – without judgement or distraction. Once you’ve developed a strategy that works for you, propose a plan of action on how you will incorporate your version of mindfulness into your everyday life.
100 Years Project - How has human experience changed in the last 100 years? Think of everything from consumerism, to the family system, to recreational activities to the way you travel. What sparks your interest the most? You are going to choose 1 human experience and track how it has changed over the last 100 years.
Crossing Borders — How can we support cultural sustainability for those who are forced to migrate? A number of populations accross the world and across time have been displaced due to globalization. Eg. Syrian refugees migrating through Europe in 2015, Japanese migration to Canada in the 1870's etc. Explore the intensity, hardship and sheer enormity of displaced populations and how they maintain their culture.
Making Change Happen — What political activities are happening in your community right now? Identify a problem or issue that you are passionate about and design and implement an action plan that will help raise awareness or provide a solution to the problem. Consider different models of activism that are currently being used. What resistance might exist for the solution you chose? Take action on the issue in your community and reflect on your work.
Visit My Town — Persuade people why they should visit or dwell in your town. What physical and human characteristics does your town possess that would attract someone to it? Create a website, brochure or advertisement that will bring people to your town.
Let’s Be Civilized — Is civilization and order necessary for survival? Choose one ancient society to research and determine what practices are considered "primitive" and what are "civilized". What did we value as "civilized" then versus now? How have these practices led to survival? Create and share an exhibit exploring the concept of civilization.
Am I Still Evolving — Are humans still evolving? Research how the human body has changed and adapted over time. Has your environment changed in the last 15 years? How so? How does this affect how your body functions? Create a TedTalk or Presentation on how your body is still evolving. In this inquiry-based project example, students enlighten the audience with new ideas that are grounded in reasoning. Use examples from history to defend your point of view.
Theories of Evolution — Where did we come from? How did we evolve — and from whom? Explore scientists’ arguments about our oldest human relatives in order to decide what argument you think is best. Here are some possible topics for debate: Which hominids are our oldest direct ancestors? Why and how did humans learn to walk upright? Were Neanderthals a totally different species than modern humans, or did some of their genes mix with ours? Present your position in the most compelling way.
Our School Newspaper — We are going to write a school newspaper. Our newspaper can include information about weekly events, sports, students, activities, and more. First, you are going to explore various newspapers and their parts, before you assign who is going to write what! You will need to assign roles to your team. Who is going to be the reporters, writers, photographers, graphic designers, and editors?
My Hero — List the characteristics of a hero. Who in your personal life has been a hero to you and why? Use a medium of your choice to describe a hero in your life. How have they impacted you or others? How can you expose their character to a greater audience using literature? In this inquiry-based learning project idea students can use any medium to display their work. Eg. Magazine articles, short stories, podcast series, etc.
…WITH A PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING FOCUS
Try this Problem-based learning Project Guide to give your students a step-by-step plan.
My Training Program — Choose a specific system (Eg. Muscular, Skeletal, Respiratory, etc.) important to you. Understand how this system works, and the problems that can occur in order to determine ways you can keep this system healthy. Explain why this system is important for good health. In this inquiry-based project plan, students design a training program to keep this system healthy.
The Waste Project — How can we waste less energy in our day-to-day lives? How can you use data to reduce your impact on the environment? What statistics would you need to collect to track your daily, weekly, and monthly carbon footprint? Once you have collected and organized this data, what can you learn from it? How will you adjust your lifestyle? Track your new footprint. How will you inform, educate or convince others to change their ways? Eg. Designing a Tracking App., Social Media Footprint Challenge Campaign, etc.
My Carbon Footprint Project - What actions can we perform to reduce our carbon footprint? Do you think climate change is important? Why should we save energy? What are your role in climate change and the impact you have? Make a list of your daily activities. How do these actions affect the climate? Choose 1 to focus on. How can you impart change or raise awareness around this issue?
Journalist Project: Write a Wrong — How can you impact change in your community as an active journalist? In this project, you will choose a current affair or issue to research and document over inspiration from journalism projects like Out of Eden Walk and Circus Without Borders. Become an expert on the issue. How is the government involved in this issue? Develop your own position on the matter. In this inquiry-based project ideas students will need to make connections with people who are involved in the real world. With help from these mentors, create an action plan
Every Voice Matters Project — w can we use our voices to affect change? There are many political issues prevalent in our world and our communities today. Choose an issue that is important to you to research (Eg. Fracking, immigration policy, physical distancing). What can you do to make a difference and affect change? Find examples of effective public speakers to better understand how they effectively reach their audience. Create a podcast, Zine, Social Media Campaign, or another medium to get your message across.
Price Tag Project — What is the true cost of things? A personal seamstress is no longer making your dress and you don't go to a watchmaker when you purchase a new watch. So how much are you really paying for all the things you buy? Make a list of 10 of your favorite things. Research where they were made and how. Can you figure out how much they actually cost to make? What is the mark-up you are paying in a store? Why do you think companies mark up the price? Start your own make-believe company. In this inquiry-based project, students choose a product to sell and where the product will be made. Determine the cost of producing 1 unit and the price of sale in your local shop. Make sure you factor in all hidden costs of labor, delivery, etc. when determining a price that would produce a profit.
What Should We Do About Cyberbullying? — School looks a little different these days. You are now communicating online more frequently and exploring new technology. There is more opportunity for cyberbullying when you are not being monitored in a classroom. As a student and citizen of our school, how can you deliver a positive message about how to keep cyberbullying at bay or design a product/service that will encourage positive behaviors? How can you develop a stronger, more cohesive community online with your peers? Use a medium of your choice to get your message across the school student body. Consider how your work will change the way students interact online for the better.
Key to a Successful Business — Why do some businesses fail while others succeed? Even if a business is built on the best idea, if it doesn't apply the right business model to generate revenue --it's a bust! Choose a product or service to sell that already exists, that interests you. Explore the various business models that companies have used in the past to sell this product/service. Eg. Subscription Licenses, Partnerships, Freemium Model, Franchise Model, Pay-as-you-go model, etc. How could you create your own model to sell this product/service? Think about pricing, who your customers are, and how much it costs to sell one unit.
…WITH A DESIGN THINKING FOCUS
Pair your project ideas with this Design-thinking Project Guide
Future-Ready School - How can you design a curriculum that ready's students for the modern workplace? Because of Globalization and growing technology, the job market is drastically different than it was a generation ago. As a result, there is a growing maker and re-skilling movement to support the local economy. What kind of education do you need to be skilled for the future of work (to stay relevant)? Design a curriculum for yourself that supports the skills you think you need to succeed.
Playmakers Challenge: Playground Redesign — How can you redesign our school playground or courtyard to be more inclusive and accessible?
Inclusive School Redesign — How can you make your school more physically, culturally, or academically inclusive? What are some other ways you would like to see inclusion promoted in their classrooms? Read Eduitopia's article for ideas: https://www.edutopia.org/article/creating-inclusive-classroom. What do you like or dislike about your school? What programs do you find successful? What would you change and why? Discuss school rules, class structure, subject areas, scheduling, class divisions, grading, and community. Focus on an area of interest and propose methods to update or change. Provide reasoning to support your methods.
SMART City Project — Understand how your city runs. How is your city powered? How does it reduce waste? Where does drinking water come from? How do people get around? What are the challenges? How does your city deal with a growing population? Focus on an aspect of your city that requires improvement. Use a medium of your choice to plan and design your city. Are there sustainable solutions in other cities that we can learn from? Select one: transportation, waste management, water supply, green space, etc. to focus on.
Create a Public Policy — Understand the steps of policymaking, choose 1 policy to research, and plan your research. What is the exact information you need to find if you were to build a legal case in support of your policy? Understanding the information you need to gather will help you form your own policy. Create your own public policy and begin research. For your final presentation of work, perhaps you can moderate a debate or write a position paper.
Marketing For Good — Help a local business that does “good work” market itself to younger audiences. You will need to interview or survey a younger audience with the current marketing and product/service offering for feedback. Your marketing solution should include a "channel" for how you will best be able to reach the younger audience (Social Media, Blogging, Campaign, Pamphlets, etc.) and revised messaging. Create a proposal and present it to the business.
Big Data Project — Choose a local company to work with. You will be re-designing their marketing strategy using Big Data. You will need to determine the target market you wish to reach that will most likely use this service or product. Analyze the company's database and compile what you know about their customers. Using examples from other companies like Netflix, which responds to their subscriber’s data by giving users recommendations on what to watch, "trending now" or "Popular on Netflix" to increase their sales. Understanding what data to collect to bring in additional customers and streamline your services. Develop a Marketing Strategy to propose to the company.
Track Your Carbon Footprint — How can you use data to reduce your impact on the environment? What statistics would you need to collect to track your daily, weekly, and monthly carbon footprint? Once you have collected and organized this data, what can you learn from it? How will you adjust your lifestyle? Track your new footprint. How will you inform, educate or convince others to change their ways? In this inquiry-project plan, students can decide on any final product to display their new knowledge. Eg. Designing a Tracking App., Social Media Footprint Challenge Campaign, etc.
School Fundraising Event — How can you plan a profitable walk-a-thon, bake sale, or another school event to benefit a cause you care about? When planning an event, you need to think about the cost of goods, cost of labor, hours of work for each laborer, and how it will generate money from attendees. Propose your plans to the class. Include a timeline of tasks, cost of running the event, and expected profit if every family from your school attended. What will you do with generated money? Will you donate to a local charity that matters to you? Will it go towards improving your school?
Hold your students accountable for their learning process.
Students are set up with a step-by-step project guide. Students can add tasks to the project roadmap and share their process, one step at a time. The software keeps students on track, organized and accountable for their personalized project process. Teachers have one place to look to see each student’s inquiry process start to finish.
