Inquiry Research Assignment - Wonder Day Project - Finding Credible Sources: Spark curiosity and ownership over learning with this engaging Wonder Day inquiry research assignment that invites students to explore a topic they genuinely care about. During Wonder Day, students generate their own research questions, learn how to find credible sources, and investigate a topic of personal interest before sharing their discoveries with others. This project walks students step-by-step through the inquiry process—from curiosity and questioning to researching, organizing ideas, and presenting their learning in a meaningful format such as a video, podcast, or presentation. The activity is introduced with a highly engaging hand-drawn video by John Spencer that immediately hooks students and helps them see the value of pursuing their own questions. Because students choose what they research, engagement is naturally high while essential skills like evaluating sources, organizing information, and communicating ideas are reinforced in an authentic way.

How This Wonder Day Inquiry Research Project Works:

• Students begin by watching the included hand-drawn video, which introduces the concept of Wonder Day and encourages them to think about topics they are genuinely curious about. The video provides real examples of student-friendly research ideas to spark interest.

• Next, use the included PowerPoint presentation to guide students through each phase of the inquiry process, including generating questions, selecting a manageable topic, and understanding how to locate and evaluate credible sources.

• Then, students use the provided instructions, organizers, and checklists to plan, research, and create their final product while you support and monitor progress using the included teacher tools.

Included in This Wonder Day Inquiry Research Project:

➡️ Wonder Day Introductory Video: Use this highly engaging, hand-drawn video to launch your Wonder Day. The video introduces the idea of following curiosity, provides relatable examples of possible research topics, and motivates students to begin thinking about questions they genuinely want answered. It’s the perfect hook to set the tone for an inquiry-based classroom experience.

➡️ Wonder Day Teacher Instructions: These detailed, step-by-step teacher instructions walk you through how to set up, pace, and facilitate the Wonder Day inquiry research assignment from start to finish.

➡️ Wonder Day Teacher Presentation: This ready-to-use PowerPoint guides the entire lesson sequence. Slides introduce the inquiry process, model how to turn curiosity into research questions, and explicitly teach students how to evaluate credible sources by examining authorship, purpose, bias, and evidence. The presentation also includes prompts that help students stay focused at each stage of the project.

➡️ Credible Sources Student Handout: Provide students with this practical reference sheet outlining clear strategies for identifying trustworthy sources. It includes checkpoints such as checking publication dates, author expertise, supporting evidence, and website reliability, helping students build strong media literacy habits they can use across future research assignments.

➡️ Wonder Day Research Planning Graphic Organizer: This two-page organizer helps students move from curiosity to action by guiding them to develop focused research questions, list possible subtopics, and record sources they plan to use. It encourages intentional planning so students don’t jump into random searching.

➡️ Wonder Day Writing Graphic Organizer and Good Copy Pages: Students use these pages to organize the key information they discovered, summarize important ideas, and prepare their final presentation. They can choose how to share their learning—through a video, podcast, slideshow, or written format—giving them voice and choice while still following a clear structure.

➡️ Teacher Rubric: This clear, easy-to-use rubric allows you to assess research quality, use of credible sources, organization of information, and clarity of the final presentation. It supports quick grading while still providing meaningful feedback on both process and product.

What Teachers Are Saying About This Wonder Day Inquiry Research Project Work:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love this. I used this to launch my research paper unit...students were extremely engaged and it was a great way to spark ideas.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love the videos used to explain the concepts! Pretty fun, engaging, and thoughtful to watch.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wonderful resource! I cannot say enough good things about this comprehensive resource!

If you like this, you'll love this bundle:

>>> Video Creative Writing Projects

© Presto Plans © Spencer Education

➡️ Want 10 free ELA resources sent to your inbox? Click here!

⭐️ Follow Presto Plans on TpT to see what's new and on sale.

The videos and resources in this resource are for single-classroom use and are not to be uploaded to the Internet in any format without permission from the creators. Please contact prestoplans@gmail.com if you require more information.