Welcome to a new school year! Students are trickling onto the Smith campus, and we are excited to resume our Water Inquiry meetings in September. Inquiry Inc. characters spent the summer relaxing after their hard work saving ducklings in our first interactive storybook and are ready for their next adventure; this fall, they will set to work solving a brand-new water problem, and we can’t wait to share their happenings with you!

The summer months allowed us to give the Water Inquiry website some “TLC.” We hope that you will investigate our updated resources, including:

1. Our “About” page featuring teachers’ and children’s insights about “Why Water?” and how we work to improve ideas.  
2. An “Interactive Stories” page comprising a slideshow of local classrooms piloting our interactive story (see below); followed by downloadable PDF’s of Inquiry Inc. and the Case of the Missing Ducklings illustrated story and Educator Toolkit; a link to Pedro’s Coral Reef Adventures, a water conservation tale created by children in Belize working with Smith college students this summer; and a review of literature that informs our storytelling work. **Keep an eye on this page! We hope to offer a flippable, digital version of  Inquiry Inc and the Case of the Missing Ducklings for projection in your classrooms!** 
3. A “Schoolyard Investigations” page with downloadable PDFs of our learning adventures, as well as teacher resources for teaching and learning about water in the classroom (mapping, thinking strategies, water vocabulary, etc.)

As always, the Water Inquiry team invites all forms of collaboration; please contact Carol Berner at cberner@smith.edu to let us know what additional resources you would like to see on this platform, to join our Water Inquiry efforts, or to pilot our story and unit in your classroom.

We are heartened by the energy of teachers, students, and community members engaged in Water Inquiry and are excited by all that the coming year will bring. Best wishes to you all as you welcome new students into your classrooms– may you enjoy a year of growth and inquiry.

Sincerely,
Brittany Collins on behalf of the Water Inquiry team