Developing a good inquiry question
Inquiry = Investigation
A good inquiry question should be:
Open-ended: a question that cannot be
answered with a simple response like ‘yes’,
‘no’, a ‘date’, or a ‘name’
Complex: a question that is constructed in a
way that allows us to write a detailed response
(e.g. paragraph).
Specific in language: a question that uses
relevant vocabulary and terminology.
Clear and concise: a question that addresses
a clear focus that isn’t too broad.
Poorly constructed
questions
Well-structured questions
When did Otzi live?
When did Otzi live and how did archaeologists come to this
conclusion?
Who was Otzi?
Who was Otzi (physical features, age, occupation) and what
health problems did he have?
Why did Otzi die?
What are the leading theories surrounding the motivation for
Otzi’s murder and to what extent does the evidence support one
theory over another?