Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose? To inquire into the following: Who We Are Transdisciplinary Theme: An inquiry into the nature of self; beliefs and values; personal, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationship including families, friends, communities and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what is means to be human.

Class/grade: First

Age group: 6-7 School code: 006610

School: Oak Forest Elementary

PYP planner Teacher(s): Graham, Barnes, Mason, Neely, Redden, Spanier, Stephenson, Babb, Tanner Date: November 7 December 9, 2011 Proposed duration: 4 weeks Number of hours: 20 Over number of weeks: 5 2. What do we want to learn? What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective, responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry? Key Concepts Perspective, Reflection, and Connection Related Concepts Communication, Empathy, and Open-mindedness

Wong
Central Idea Relationships are enhanced through communal activities.

Summative assessment task(s): What are the possible ways of assessing students understanding of the central idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for?

IB Journal: Students will write in their IB journal about topics being discussed that are linked to our central idea. Teacher Observation: The teacher will observe students actively working in groups or writing in their journal Circle Maps: Are created in whole or small groups to organize their thoughts about various communities. Create a community: students interact with children in the community. Students reply to friendly letters written by fifth graders.

What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea? Social interaction Managing and resolving conflicts Characteristics that develop healthy relationships What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries? Why are there communities? What is the role of the family in a community? How do communities work together? Provocations: Students will be shown a movie about animal communities. They will journal what is viewed in the movie.

Evidence of understanding will be outlined in the rubric

The understanding will be demonstrated through presentation of the content. The evidence that we need to look for is - students will be able to understand the importance of relationships and communities.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Taught- November 7, 2011

4. How best might we learn?

Planning the inquiry

What is the learning experiences suggested by the teacher and/or students to encourage the students to engage with the inquiries and address the driving questions?

3. How might we know what we have learned? This column should be used in conjunction with How best might we learn? What are the possible ways of assessing students prior knowledge and skills? What evidence will we look for? Assess prior knowledge with KWL chart, brainstorm using bubble or circle map. Students will reply to letters from central day school. Teachers will use second step resource to develop healthy relationships. Teachers and students discuss attitudes and profiles.

Learning experiences should include What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development of the attributes of the learner profile?

Inquiry based: At home interviews perform by children. Children interview their families at home to discover more about their communities and where they live. Communication skills: Speaking, Writing friendly letters and interviewing family members.

What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
Students will inquire questions and post them on their parking lot. Students will write in the journals to reflect knowledge they have acquired.

Students will give their perspectives in their IB Journal.

5. What resources need to be gathered? What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available? Leveled Readers Discovery Learning website Books from Library:
Frederick by Leo Lionni ISBN-10: 0394826140 Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies By Howard Binkow ISBN-10: 0971539030 Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney ISBN-10: 0140505393

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Reflecting on the inquiry

6. To what extent did we achieve our purpose? Assess the outcome of the inquiry by providing evidence of students understanding of the central idea. The reflections of all teachers involved in the planning and teaching of the inquiry should be included. The students were enthusiastic while writing in their journals. Students completed various projects that were integrated from all subjects. Ex. Who Am I glyph. Communal activities also included students from Central Day School visiting our first graders.

7. To what extent did we include the elements of the PYP? What were the learning experiences that enabled students to:

Develop an understanding of the concepts identified in What do we want to learn? Perspective: Students were able to identify the difference between animal and human communities. They were able to compare and contrast using a Venn diagram.

demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills? Connection: Students made a connection that communities depend on each other. Example: Honeybees, weather (water cycle), sled dogs, students in other schools.

How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a more accurate picture of each students understanding of the central idea. Students can complete more grade level research.

develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes? Reflection: Students wrote in the weekly journals about subjects that were discussed or experienced.

In each case, explain your selection. What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and the transdisciplinary theme?

Students made connections of who they are by completing their Who am I glyph and the students interviewed their families at home.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Reflecting on the inquiry

8. What student-initiated inquiries arose from the learning? Record a range of student-initiated inquiries and student questions and highlight any that were incorporated into the teaching and learning. Why do we have communities? How do honeybees communicate with their friends? Why are communities important?

9. Teacher notes
The unit on Who We Are was a very successful unit as students where interested and motivated in sharing who they are. The students where very excited when sixth grade students from the community came to visit and played a math game with them. They worked hard on creating their animal community and presenting them to each other. The students discovered interesting things about their families during the interview home assignment

At this point teachers should go back to box 2 What do we want to learn? and highlight the teacher questions/provocations that were most effective in driving the inquiries.

How do communities work together?

What student-initiated actions arose from the learning? Record student-initiated actions taken by individuals or groups showing their ability to reflect, to choose and to act. Students choose which insect they wanted to research, students acted on their choice to create a hands-on project, and they reflected on the research and information they learned.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007