An Entry Event generates interest and curiosity in the students, developing their need to know the answer to the driving question.
Begin Your Project with an Entry Event
"Rather than simply announce a project, we can generate interest by creating a special event that takes our class out of their routine, and lets them know something special is about to happen. Entry events should engage and intrigue, and provoke students to want to know more. We avoid pre-teaching important content, because we have not yet created that need to know. Entry events might be a field trip, a guest speaker, a video, a simulation or a piece of real or mock correspondence.
"After the entry event, the students should have a need to know more. The entry event should provoke student questions. The goal is to grab the hearts and minds of your students. For lower elementary you may want more than one entry event to build their understanding. They need things to be more concrete." Managing Projects
Start Your Project with an "Entry Event"
This is the kickoff, so do something that grabs students' attention and launches the inquiry process. The event could be a guest speaker (make sure the person is an engaging storyteller), field trip, lively discussion, puzzling problem, interesting video, or thought-provoking activity or piece of reading.