Background for
teachers on the
Immerse stage of
Guided Inquiry Design.

"In the Immerse phase, the inquiry community builds background knowledge together through an
immersion experience. The learning team designs engaging ways for students to immerse in the overall
ideas of the content area under study, for example, reading a book, story, or article together; viewing a
video; or visiting a museum. The main task of Immerse is to guide students to connect with content and
to discover interesting ideas to explore further. Learners are guided to think about what they already
know and what seems particularly interesting, curious, surprising, or troubling. As they build
background knowledge, students reflect on ideas that matter to them and are worth further
investigation." (3)

"In the Immerse phase, the inquiry community builds background knowledge together through an
immersion experience. The learning team designs engaging way for students to immerse in the overall
ideas of the content area under study. For example, the inquiry community can read a book, story, or
article; view a video; or visit a museum." (61)

The main task of Immerse is to guide students to connect with the content and to discover interesting
ideas to explore further. Learners are guided to think about what they already know and what seems
particularly interesting, curious, surprising, or troubling. As they build background knowledge, students
reflect on ideas that matter to them and are worth further investigation." (61)
Kuhlthau, Carol Collier, Leslie K. Maniotes, and Ann K. Caspari. Guided Inquiry Design: A Framework for Inquiry in Your
School. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited, 2012. Print.