Grade by Grade
A. Heritage and Identity · Our Changing Roles and Responsibilities

Be a Social Studies Detective: Asking and Finding Out

A2 A2.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can ask questions to find out about roles, relationships and responsibilities.
  • I can gather information from people, photos and objects.
  • I can sort my information using a chart, a timeline or a simple map.
  • I can tell what I found out and share it with others.

Words to know

inquiry
Finding out about something by asking questions and looking for answers.
question
Something you ask to find out more. Good questions start with who, what, where, when, why or how.
interview
Asking a person questions and listening to their answers.
source
Where you get information: a person, a photo, a book, an object, a video.
conclusion
What you decide after looking at all your information.
map
A drawing of a place as if you were looking down from above.

Detectives ask questions!

A detective wants to find out something, so they ask questions, look for clues, sort the clues and then figure out the answer.

In social studies we do the same thing. It is called an inquiry. You can be a social studies detective!

StepWhat you doExample
1. AskAsk a question you want to find out about."What responsibilities did Grandpa have when he was 6?"
2. GatherCollect information from sources.Interview Grandpa. Look at his old photos.
3. SortPut your information in order in a chart, timeline or map.Make a chart: Grandpa's jobs then / my jobs now.
4. DecideLook at your information. What did you find out?"Grandpa had more farm jobs than I do."
5. ShareTell, draw or show what you learned.Show your chart to the class.
The 5 steps of a social studies inquiry

Where do we find information?

A source is where information comes from.

  • People: interview a family member, a neighbour, an Elder or a community helper.
  • Photos: old family photos show what life was like.
  • Objects: a baby blanket, a first pair of skates, a report card.
  • Books and videos: at the library or from your teacher.

Good interview questions start with who, what, where, when, why and how.

A knitted baby blanket, a pair of small white figure skates and a closed photo album on a wooden table.
Objects can be sources! A baby blanket, a first pair of skates and a family photo album can help you find out how your roles have changed. AI-generated image
?Whowas there?Whatdid you do?Wheredid you live?Whendid it happen?Whywas it special?Howdid you get there?
Good interview questions start with who, what, where, when, why or how.
My homeSchoolGrandma's homePark
A simple map of significant places in Jade's life: her home, her school, the park and Grandma's home. The dashed lines show the paths she walks.

Sorting with a map

A map can help sort information about significant places. Jade drew this map. She found out:

  • At home she is a daughter. She feeds the cat.
  • At school she is a student and a reading buddy.
  • At the park she is a friend. She takes turns on the swings.
  • At Grandma's home she is a granddaughter. She helps water the plants.

The map shows that Jade's roles change in different places.

Worked example

Example: Let's do an inquiry together

Question: "How have my mom's responsibilities changed since she was in Grade 1?"

  1. Ask: Write the question at the top of the page.
  2. Gather: Interview Mom. Ask: "What jobs did you have at home when you were 6? What jobs do you have now? What changed?" Look at a photo of Mom at age 6.
  3. Sort: Make a chart with two columns: Mom at 6 (made her bed, fed the chickens on her grandma's farm) and Mom now (goes to work, cooks supper, drives us to swimming, takes care of us).
  4. Decide: Look at the chart. Mom has many more responsibilities now. Some came with new roles: she became a worker and a mom.
  5. Share: Draw Mom then and now and tell the class what you found out.

Conclusion: Mom's responsibilities grew as she grew up and got new roles, like being a worker and a parent.

Just for fun

Why did the social studies detective bring a pencil to every interview?

To draw conclusions!

Hands-on activity

Interview a family member

You need: paper, a pencil, and a grown-up or older relative to interview (in person, on the phone or on a video call).

  1. Pick a question: What were your responsibilities when you were 6? or What is a significant event in your life, and how did it change your roles?
  2. Plan 3 questions, using who, what, where, when, why or how. A grown-up can help you write them.
  3. Ask your questions. Listen carefully. Draw or write the answers (a grown-up can help).
  4. Make a chart: Then and Now.
  5. Say your conclusion in one sentence: "I found out that ___."
  6. Share it: show your chart to someone else in your family.

Remember to say thank you to the person you interviewed!

Your turn

1

What is an inquiry?

2

Say the 5 inquiry steps in order.

3

Turn this into a question: Grandma's jobs when she was little.

4

Name two sources you could use to learn about your family's past.

5

Look at Jade's map. Jade walks along the path from her home to Grandma's home. Which place does she pass on the way?

6

What is Jade's role at Grandma's home?

7

Why should you say thank you after an interview?

More practice: warm-up

1

Which is a question? "I like hockey." or "When did you learn to skate?"

2

Is an old photo a source? Yes or no.

3

What word means asking a person questions and listening? interview or timeline

4

What is the last step of an inquiry?

5

Name a question word that starts with W.

More practice: on your own

1

Ben wants to know how a firefighter's responsibilities help people. Who would be a good person to interview?

2

Write a good interview question for a grandparent about a significant event.

3

Amara found out: Dad had 2 chores at age 6. Dad has 8 chores now. What conclusion can she make?

4

Why is a timeline a good way to sort information about events in someone's life?

5

Name two ways to share what you found out.

Challenge

1

Leah asked only one person: "Do all families have a pet?" Her friend said yes. Leah decided all families have pets. What is the problem?

2

Plan a map inquiry: draw 3 places that are significant to you. Beside each place, write your role there.

3

Two sources disagree. Grandma says she walked to school. Grandpa says she took the bus. What could you do?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What is the first step of an inquiry?

2.

Which is a source of information?

3.

Which is the best interview question?

4.

Which tool shows events in order?

5.

What is a conclusion?

6.

On Jade's map, which place does she pass when she walks the path from her home to Grandma's home?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The social studies inquiry process has students ask questions, gather and organize information from sources (interviews, photos, artifacts), interpret it with simple tools (charts, timelines, maps), draw conclusions and communicate what they learned.

How to help at home:

  • Help your child plan and carry out a short interview with a relative, in person or by phone. Write down their answers for them if needed; the thinking is what counts.
  • Bring out family photos or keepsakes and ask: "What does this tell us about the past?"
  • After any family conversation, ask "So what did we find out?" to practise making conclusions.

Common difficulties:

  • Yes/no questions. Help your child turn "Did you have chores?" into "What chores did you have?"
  • Jumping to conclusions from one answer. Ask, "How could we check?"
  • Drawing maps from the side. Show them that a map is a view from above, like a bird would see.