Inquiry Cycle: Stages and Classroom Examples

In a Year 5 inquiry about water use, learners may begin by mapping what they believe, investigate local evidence, sort reliable findings and revise their first explanation. If the evidence exposes a misconception, they return to an earlier phase. That movement is a strength of inquiry, not a failure to follow the plan.

An inquiry cycle is a structured way to plan this movement through questions, investigation, analysis, reflection and application. Kath Murdoch’s widely used model names six connected phases: Tuning In, Finding Out, Sorting Out, Going Further, Synthesising and Reflecting, and Acting and Applying. Teachers often call the final two phases Making Conclusions and Taking Action (Murdoch, 2010).

The cycle is not a rigid lesson recipe or a sequence required by the International Baccalaureate. The current PYP framework centres inquiry, reflection, action, concepts and learner agency, while allowing schools to choose suitable planning models (International Baccalaureate, 2026). A useful cycle supports professional judgement rather than replacing it.

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What the Inquiry Cycle Is

The inquiry cycle is a flexible planning model that helps learners build and use knowledge through purposeful investigation. It combines learner questions with explicit teaching, structured sources, feedback and assessment. The six phases make the thinking process visible, but teachers can revisit phases or run a short cycle within a longer unit.

Murdoch’s model is one practical version of inquiry-based learning. It gives teachers memorable labels for different thinking demands. Tuning In reveals starting points.

Finding Out develops knowledge. Sorting Out organises evidence. Going Further tests or extends ideas.

Synthesising and Reflecting supports conclusions. Acting and Applying transfers learning into a meaningful response.

In a PYP setting, the cycle can sit within the school’s programme of inquiry and its PYP transdisciplinary themes. The official framework does not require teachers to display six arrows or move through them at the same pace. It asks for purposeful inquiry in which learners develop knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills and dispositions (International Baccalaureate, 2026).

Research commissioned by the IB also shows that inquiry is understood and practised in varied ways across programmes and contexts. Strong implementation includes intentional teacher guidance, meaningful questions, disciplinary practices and reflection, rather than simply giving learners unrestricted choice (Polman & Scornavacco, 2022).

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How to Plan a Six-Phase Inquiry

Plan backwards from the knowledge and conceptual understanding learners must demonstrate. For each phase, specify the teacher move, the evidence learners will produce and the assessment decision that evidence will inform. Then identify where learners can make genuine choices without leaving essential content, vocabulary or research methods to chance.

Start with one central question that is narrower than a topic but wider than a recall prompt. A Year 5 science inquiry called “Plant growth” is too broad. “How do changing environmental conditions affect healthy plant growth?” gives learners a relationship to investigate while keeping curriculum content visible.

Map the question to required knowledge before selecting activities. List the vocabulary, facts, concepts and methods that learners will need. Decide which parts need direct explanation, modelling or guided practice. Good PYP unit planning makes this instructional spine explicit while preserving space for learners’ questions and decisions.

Use the table as a compact planning check. It is a guide, not a timetable. A short inquiry may move through several phases in one lesson, while a substantial unit may revisit Finding Out and Sorting Out repeatedly.

Before teaching, mark likely return routes. If learners cannot interpret a graph, pause Finding Out for a short modelled example. If their conclusion rests on one weak source, return to investigation. If a new question is interesting but unrelated to the central goal, record it for later rather than allowing the unit to lose focus.

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Tuning In

Tuning In establishes what learners already think, what they notice and which questions are worth pursuing. The teacher uses a focussed provocation, listens diagnostically and introduces the purpose of the inquiry. Learners produce an initial explanation or question map that can be revisited as their understanding changes.

A provocation should expose thinking, not merely create excitement. Useful classroom provocations include a puzzling object, contrasting images, a short demonstration, a disputed statement or a local problem. Select one that directs attention towards the intended concept and can reveal predictable misconceptions.

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What the teacher does

Name the broad purpose, present the provocation and give everyone quiet thinking time before discussion. Use precise classroom questioning, such as “What do you notice?”, “What makes you think that?” and “Which part are you least certain about?” Record ideas without treating every suggestion as equally accurate.

Teach any vocabulary needed to describe the stimulus. Learner agency does not require learners to guess essential terms. If a Year 3 class is comparing materials, words such as absorbent, flexible and transparent allow more accurate observations and better questions.

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What learners produce

Learners can create an annotated image, an initial concept map, a list of claims and questions, or a short “I think this because” response. The product should show present thinking rather than polished research. Keep it so learners can later identify what changed and why.

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Classroom example and check for understanding

In Year 5 science, display two trays of seedlings grown under different conditions. Learners silently record three observations, one possible explanation and one question. Pairs then separate direct observations from interpretations. This prevents confident guesses from being mistaken for evidence.

Check understanding by sampling explanations, not by counting questions. If most learners say only that one plant is “healthier”, model how to describe height, leaf colour and stem strength. If they already understand the obvious relationship, adjust Finding Out towards a less familiar variable rather than repeating known content.

Move on when learners can state what they think, mark what they do not know and link a question to the class goal. If they lack key words or facts, teach those first. A good start gives the next phase a clear task.

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Finding Out

Finding Out is the disciplined investigation phase. Learners gather new information through texts, observations, experiments, interviews, maps or data, while the teacher explicitly teaches the methods needed to do this well. The product is a usable evidence record, not an unfiltered collection of copied facts.

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What the teacher does

Select a manageable source set and model how to read, observe, measure or interview. Think aloud while deciding whether a source answers the question. Teach note-making, source attribution and subject-specific methods directly.

In science, this may include controlling variables. In history, it may include considering origin, purpose and context.

Choice should be meaningful but bounded. One group can use photographs, another a short article and another a simple dataset, but all should encounter the core knowledge. Avoid sending novice learners into an unrestricted web search before they can judge relevance and reliability.

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What learners produce

Learners produce dated notes, measurements, quotations, sketches, photographs or interview records linked to a question. A source log can include: what this source tells us, how it connects to the question, what remains uncertain and what needs checking elsewhere.

Teach learners to distinguish gathering from explaining. Their first notes can be incomplete, but they should be traceable. Copying several paragraphs or collecting attractive images gives little evidence of understanding and creates unnecessary material to process later.

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Classroom example and check for understanding

In Year 8 history, learners investigate how factory work affected families during industrialisation. The teacher models one census extract, then gives pairs a curated set of photographs, testimony and numerical records. Learners annotate what each source suggests, what it cannot establish and where two sources agree or conflict.

Pause halfway for a source conference. Ask each pair to name its current claim and point to two relevant pieces of evidence. If a claim cannot yet be supported, decide whether the learner needs another source, a narrower question or direct teaching. This is a planned return route, not a failure of inquiry.

Move on when learners have enough sound material to test a claim. More notes do not always help. If the set has a clear gap, find one source that fills it. If the method is weak, stop and model the skill once more.

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Sorting Out

Sorting Out turns gathered information into organised meaning. Learners group, compare, sequence and connect evidence so that patterns and contradictions become visible. The teacher models analytical moves and corrects misconceptions. Learners produce a provisional explanation that shows how evidence relates to the central question.

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What the teacher does

Choose an organising structure that matches the thinking demand. A timeline supports sequence, a matrix supports comparison, and a causal map supports relationships. Graphic organisers are useful only when their structure helps learners think more clearly. A decorative worksheet with vague boxes adds work without improving analysis.

Model one example using content the class has already encountered. Say why two items belong together, which feature matters and how a contradiction can be handled. Then invite learners to revise the categories. The goal is not to guess the teacher’s headings but to justify an organisation that answers the inquiry question.

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What learners produce

Learners can create a comparison grid, evidence table, concept map, labelled graph or ranked set of causes. They should add a provisional statement beneath the organiser: “The strongest pattern is... because...” This sentence reveals whether they can move beyond arrangement into explanation.

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Classroom example and check for understanding

In Year 6 geography, learners investigate why some local streets are hotter than others. They sort temperature readings, surface photographs and shade observations into possible factors. Groups then build a causal map linking dark surfaces, vegetation, shade and temperature, while marking relationships that their data cannot yet confirm.

Use a two-minute explanation as the check. Each learner identifies one pattern, cites evidence and names one uncertainty. If they confuse correlation with cause, teach that distinction explicitly and return to the dataset. If an important location is missing, learners can move back to Finding Out for a targeted measurement.

Move on when learners can show how the parts fit and why the pattern matters. A neat chart is not enough. Ask for one claim in plain speech. If the claim has no proof, sort the material again or seek what is missing.

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Going Further

Going Further deepens the inquiry through a purposeful new question, context, source or test. It is not extra work for fast finishers. The teacher selects or approves an extension that strengthens conceptual understanding, while learners produce a focussed investigation or revised model that can influence their conclusion.

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What the teacher does

Review the provisional explanations from Sorting Out and identify a productive gap. Offer a small menu of routes, such as testing a claim in a new context, examining a contrasting viewpoint, changing one variable or investigating an exception. Ensure every route remains connected to the original knowledge goal.

This is also a suitable point to increase responsibility. Learners who have demonstrated the required method can choose a source or design part of an investigation. Others may need a teacher-selected source, a worked example or a conference. Equity means maintaining the conceptual destination while varying the route and support.

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What learners produce

Learners produce a focussed follow-up question, a brief plan and new evidence that confirms, qualifies or challenges their provisional explanation. They should state how this route will improve the answer to the central question. This prevents an interesting tangent from displacing the intended learning.

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Classroom example and check for understanding

In Year 7 English, learners have sorted evidence about how a novelist presents authority. One group examines a later chapter where the apparent pattern breaks. Another compares the narrator’s language with a different character’s account. Both routes require close reading and return to the same conceptual focus.

Before learners proceed, ask for a thirty-second rationale: “Our next question is..., and answering it will improve our explanation by...” Approve, narrow or redirect the plan. Afterwards, ask what changed. If the new evidence makes the original claim less secure, returning to Sorting Out is the correct intellectual move.

Move on when the new route adds depth, not just more work. Learners should be able to say what the fresh test or view changed. If it adds no value, close the route and use the sound work already in hand.

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Making Conclusions

Making Conclusions is the commonly searched name for Murdoch’s Synthesising and Reflecting phase. Learners combine findings, test them against the original question and state what they now think and why. The teacher makes success criteria explicit, checks the evidence chain and supports reflection on how understanding changed.

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What the teacher does

Return to the central and supporting questions. Model how to build a conclusion from a claim, selected evidence and reasoning, including how to acknowledge uncertainty. Provide criteria that distinguish an accurate, supported answer from a polished but weak presentation.

Use comparison with the Tuning In product. Ask learners to identify an idea they retained, revised or rejected, and the evidence responsible. Reflection is then tied to knowledge development, rather than becoming a generic statement about enjoying the task.

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What learners produce

Learners produce an evidence-based answer in an appropriate form, such as an explanation, model, presentation, debate, design justification or annotated diagram. Different response modes can be offered, but each must demonstrate the same conceptual goal and use the agreed evidence criteria.

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Classroom example and assessment moves

In Year 5 science, learners return to the question about environmental conditions and plant growth. They create a labelled model showing how light and water affected the seedlings, then write a short conclusion using results from their observations. They also identify one limitation in the class investigation.

For a formative move, collect a one-sentence claim plus the strongest supporting result before the final product. Group learners by need for a short feedback workshop. For a summative move, assess the final explanation against accuracy, relevance of evidence, quality of reasoning and acknowledgement of limits. Presentation quality can be reported separately.

A conclusion may expose a gap. If learners cannot answer because a key comparison is missing, they should return to Finding Out. If evidence conflicts, they may return to Sorting Out and revise the explanation. Recursion protects rigour because it prevents the timetable from forcing a conclusion the evidence cannot support.

Move on when each learner can answer the core question and show why the answer is sound. Leave room for doubt where the data is weak. A clear limit is more honest than a broad claim that the class cannot prove.

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Taking Action

Taking Action is the common label for Murdoch’s Acting and Applying phase. Learners use their new understanding in a meaningful decision, behaviour, design or contribution. Action should grow from the inquiry and learner agency, while the teacher sets clear boundaries for safety, ethics, feasibility and school policy.

Action does not have to be public, large or permanent. It may involve participation, advocacy, social justice, social entrepreneurship or a lifestyle choice. The important question is whether learners can explain how their action applies what they have learned.

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Five forms of informed action

• Participation: Year 4 learners use their accessibility audit to help reorganise the class library and then evaluate whether the change improves access.
• Advocacy: Year 8 learners present an evidence-based case for safer local cycling routes to the school council.
• Social justice: A history class reviews whose accounts are missing from a display and develops accurately sourced additions.
• Social entrepreneurship: A business class designs and costs a small reuse scheme, including an ethical check on who benefits and who carries the work.
• Lifestyle choices: Learners test one realistic change to food waste at home or school and analyse its effect without judging families whose circumstances differ.

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What the teacher does and what learners produce

The teacher helps learners define the purpose, audience, evidence and limits of an action. Learners produce a proposal, decision record, prototype, communication or changed routine. The PYP unit planning guidance on action is a useful implementation resource when teams want to connect action with agency and reflection.

Check understanding by asking learners to trace a line from finding to choice: “We learned..., therefore we decided..., and we will know it helped if...” This keeps action connected to evidence rather than rewarding visibility. It also reveals when a campaign idea has outrun the learning.

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When a proposed action is not acceptable

If an action is unsafe, unethical, infeasible or outside school policy, do not remove ownership of the purpose. Name the constraint clearly, then negotiate a safe route that addresses the same intention. Learners who want to contact vulnerable community members directly can instead work with an approved organisation, analyse public information or create a private proposal for review.

The teacher remains responsible for safeguarding, consent, accuracy and proportionate use of time. Learner agency means meaningful influence within legitimate boundaries, not freedom from boundaries. Record why the route changed so that learners can see ethical decision-making as part of informed action.

End the phase when learners can link the act to what they found and can judge its effect. The act can be small. A well-tested class change has more worth than a large campaign with no proof of need or impact.

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How to Assess Learning Across the Cycle

Assessment across an inquiry cycle should reveal changes in knowledge, reasoning, method and independence. Collect a small number of purposeful records at each phase, then use them to decide what to teach, model or release next. Do not grade every artefact or confuse busy documentation with evidence of progress.

A practical formative assessment plan links each checkpoint to a decision. Tuning In identifies prior knowledge and misconceptions. Finding Out checks research methods and source use.

Sorting Out checks patterns and reasoning. Going Further checks transfer. Making Conclusions judges the final evidence chain.

Taking Action checks application.

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Use a lean evidence trail

Keep the initial response, one investigation record, one mid-cycle explanation and the final conclusion. Add brief teacher conference notes only when they capture a useful decision. A portfolio should show change over time, not every worksheet, photograph and discussion.

In Year 8 history, for example, the evidence trail can include an initial causal ranking, two annotated sources, a revised causal map and a final argument. Comparing the first and final products makes conceptual development visible. The source annotations show whether improved writing rests on improved disciplinary thinking.

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Separate the assessment dimensions

Assess subject knowledge, inquiry method and communication separately where possible. A visually impressive video can contain weak evidence, while a hesitant speaker may hold a strong explanation. Shared criteria let learners choose an accessible response mode without lowering the conceptual demand.

Include self-assessment through specific prompts: “Which claim changed?”, “Which source was most useful and why?” and “Where did you need guidance?” Link these reflections to relevant Approaches to Learning and the IB learner profile only when learners can point to observable evidence.

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How to Scaffold Inquiry Without Removing Challenge

Scaffold the process, language and access route while keeping the central concept and success criteria ambitious. Teachers still select important knowledge, teach vocabulary, model research, correct misconceptions and provide structured sources. Support should reduce avoidable barriers, then fade as learners become more accurate and independent.

Effective scaffolding begins with the demand of the task, not a label attached to the learner. Identify whether difficulty comes from missing knowledge, unclear language, executive demands, inaccessible materials, sensory conditions or an unfamiliar method. Then choose the smallest support that enables meaningful participation.

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Reduce unnecessary load

Manage cognitive load by limiting simultaneous decisions. Provide a curated source set before an open search, teach key vocabulary before complex reading and break a long investigation into visible checkpoints. Keep instructions short and stable, and separate gathering evidence from producing the final response.

In a Year 9 history inquiry, a source analysis frame can prompt author, purpose, context, evidence and limitation. The teacher models one source aloud, completes another with the class and then asks pairs to analyse a new source. Later, the headings remain but the prompts disappear.

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Offer accessible response modes

Allow learners to record evidence through notes, audio, diagrams, photographs or supported speech where appropriate. Provide readable texts, captions, predictable group roles, quiet working options and time to rehearse. These adjustments change access, not the requirement to explain the concept accurately.

For a Year 5 habitats inquiry, one learner may build and orally explain a relationship model while another writes a paragraph. Both must identify organisms, describe interactions and use evidence. Assess the shared knowledge goal with a common rubric, then record communication needs separately.

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Fade support deliberately

Plan what will be removed, when and in response to which evidence. Move from a worked example to a partially completed frame, then to headings and finally to independent planning. If accuracy falls sharply, restore the previous level briefly and reteach the missing step.

Do not equate independence with working alone. Purposeful dialogue, teacher conferencing and peer critique can remain while procedural prompts fade. The aim is for learners to take more control of decisions because they have stronger knowledge and methods, not because support has been withdrawn on a fixed date.

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Common Questions About the Inquiry Cycle

Teachers commonly ask whether the cycle is compulsory in the PYP, how long it should take and how much guidance is appropriate. The short answers are that it is a flexible third-party model, duration depends on the learning goal, and guidance should respond to prior knowledge and the demands of the task.

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Limitations and Practical Safeguards

An inquiry cycle cannot guarantee depth, agency or strong outcomes. Weak content selection, vague questions, unrestricted research, excessive documentation and performative action can all reduce learning. Treat the cycle as a planning aid and use subject knowledge, assessment evidence and safeguarding responsibilities to govern each decision.

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Avoid activity without an evidence chain

A memorable provocation or practical task is valuable only when learners use it to build an explanation. Write the intended knowledge and final evidence before choosing the activity. During planning, ask which phase the task serves, what learners will produce and what decision the teacher will make from it.

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Protect curriculum coherence

Learner questions can enrich a unit, but they should not make essential knowledge accidental. Identify non-negotiable content and teach it through texts, demonstrations, discussion or guided practice. Record promising questions that fall outside scope for a later lesson, reading list or independent extension.

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Match inquiry to disciplinary practice

Evidence looks different across subjects. Science may require controlled measurement, history requires contextual source evaluation, literature requires close textual analysis, and mathematics requires generalisation and proof. Teach the relevant practice rather than using one generic research worksheet across the curriculum.

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Keep action proportionate and safe

Do not measure action by publicity, scale or adult approval. Check evidence, consent, safeguarding, workload and possible harm. When a public route is inappropriate, preserve the learners’ purpose through a private proposal, simulation, approved partnership or classroom change.

For a broader programme context, use the International Baccalaureate overview alongside official PYP documentation. For evidence on varied meanings and practices of inquiry, consult the IB inquiry research report (Polman & Scornavacco, 2022).

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References

These sources define the six-phase model, clarify the current PYP framework and report research into inquiry practices across IB contexts. The planning guidance linked in Taking Action is an implementation resource rather than evidence for a general research claim.

• Murdoch (2010). Phases of inquiry.
• International Baccalaureate. (2026). How the PYP works.
• Polman and Scornavacco (2022). Meanings and practices of inquiry-based teaching and learning in the International Baccalaureate.

Next lesson, choose one central question, write the knowledge goal beside it, and collect a short Tuning In response before deciding what learners need to find out.