Research Questions Focus

Lesson Overview

This 45-minute session is Lesson 3 of 7 in the unit "Celebrations: Exploring Holi". Students in Year 3 will use guided inquiry to brainstorm, develop, and refine research questions about Holi, focusing on Holi's history, customs, and cultural significance. The lesson supports the NSW Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) curriculum and is designed for a class size of 30 in a library setting.

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Learning Objectives (WALT)

• We are learning to create and refine research questions to guide our inquiry about Holi.
• We are learning to work collaboratively to improve our questions.
• We are learning to focus on historical, cultural, and customary aspects related to Holi.

Aligned NSW Curriculum Outcomes:

• ACHASSI059: Pose questions about past and present objects, people, places and events.
• Develop and modify questions to guide inquiry (HASS Inquiry Skills Year 3)
• Guided inquiry aligns with development of skills in asking questions, locating, selecting, and organising information (HASS Inquiry Skills for Year 3).

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Success Criteria

Students will be able to:

• Generate at least three research questions about Holi.
• Work with a partner to choose and improve their questions.
• Categorise questions into themes such as history, customs, and cultural significance.
• Express their interest in aspects they want to learn about Holi.

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Lesson Sequence and Timings

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Brief recap of previous lessons on "Celebrations" and Holi.
• Explain today's focus: "What do we want to find out about Holi?"
• Introduce the concept of research questions and why they are important.
• Model an example research question about Holi’s history.

Teacher Tip: Use clear, age-appropriate language and visuals about Holi to boost engagement.

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2. Brainstorming Research Questions (15 minutes)

• Students work in pairs (30 students → 15 pairs).
• Each pair brainstorms questions they want to explore about Holi.
• Prompt questions guiding students to consider:
  • History (e.g., When did Holi start? Why is it celebrated?)
  • Customs (e.g., What kinds of colours and foods are used?)
  • Cultural significance (e.g., What does Holi mean to people?)
• Teacher circulates, provides support and scaffolding, encourages elaboration.

Materials:

• Large sheets or mind-map templates for each pair to write questions.
• Examples of question stems (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How).

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3. Refining and Categorising Questions (15 minutes)

• Pairs exchange their questions with another pair.
• Each pair provides constructive feedback to refine questions by making them clearer and more specific.
• As a class, collaboratively classify questions into three categories: History, Customs, Cultural Significance.
• Teacher synthesises key questions that will guide further lessons.

Teacher Tip: Use guiding questions and sentence starters, e.g., "How could we make this question easier to understand?"

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4. Wrap-up and Reflection (5 minutes)

• Pairs share their favourite question with the class.
• Teacher summarises key themes and explains next steps in the unit.
• Students reflect briefly on what they enjoyed about the process.

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Differentiation Strategies

• For diverse learners: Provide sentence starters and visual cue cards for forming questions. Pair EAL/D or needing extra support with more confident peers. Allow oral or drawn questions as alternatives to writing.
• For students requiring extension: Encourage more complex questions that consider perspectives or effects, e.g., “How has Holi changed over time?” or “Why is Holi important in different communities around the world?”

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Resources and Materials

• Non-fiction books and fact sheets about Holi (available in the library).
• Printed question stem cards.
• Large paper or whiteboards for group brainstorming.
• Digital device or projector to briefly show a short introductory video clip on Holi (if time permits).

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Assessment and Feedback

• Formative assessment through observation of pair discussions and question refinement.
• Collect pairs’ final research questions for review.
• Provide individual feedback verbally or in written form to encourage deeper questioning.
• Use questioning scaffold sheets to track student progress in inquiry skills.

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Notes on Teaching Style & Setting

• Use guided inquiry process to nurture curiosity and independence.
• Facilitate using questioning rather than tell—encourage students to think deeply about what interests them.
• Library setting advantage: access to multiple resources on Holi for next lessons.

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This approach meets NSW History curriculum requirements for Year 3 inquiry skills and content focus, supporting historical understanding through student-driven questioning and collaborative learning.