6. To what extent did we achieve our purpose?

7. To what extent did we include the elements of the PYP?

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.

What were the learning experiences that enabled students to:

develop an understanding of the concepts identified in What do
we want to learn?
Form: Students had many opportunities to explore their senses from
observing what they saw on the playground to listening to what sounds they
heard in the schools car park.

Students had a good understanding of what parts of the body are used for each
of the five senses. They were able to correctly say that they use their eyes to
see, for example. In addition, students increased their knowledge of healthy
ways to care for their senses. The class had several discussion and activities
about ways to care for their senses.
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.

Function: Students had a good understanding of the function of the five

senses and were able to go deeper in this understanding through multisensory activities, such as scented finger paint and play dough.
Connection: Students learned about ways to keep their senses healthy and
through this inquiry made the connection between their behavior and caring
for their senses.

demonstrate the learning and application of particular

transdisciplinary skills?

Formative assessment tasks were successful, because they were performed as

a part of daily activities. Most of these assessments were checklists and
observational notes, which is most appropriate for this age group. The
summative assessment was successful, because I was able to guide students
over several days. They were not required to create the project in only 1 or 2
class periods.

Research: Students had the opportunity to plan booklets and presentations

for the summative assessment. The also organized photos of themselves
eating and organized into different tastes of the food.

What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea
and the transdisciplinary theme?

Students inquired into their personal and physical health when they learned
about how to care for their senses.

Thinking: Students had opportunities to explore the world without one sense
(e.g. sight). They tuned into one sense and analyze what it would be like be
without that sense all of the time.
develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?

Curiosity: Students were curious about what scents were used in the scented
play dough and paint, as well as the food extracts.
Respect: Students learned about people with certain disabilities, such as
deafness or blindness. They learned how to be respectful when meeting
people like this.
Empathy: After experiencing, for a short time, what life might be like without
one sense, student were able to empathize with people with disabilities.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

8. What student-initiated inquiries arose from the learning?

9. Teacher notes

Record a range of student-initiated inquiries and student questions and

highlight any that were incorporated into the teaching and learning.

Overview: This unit provided many opportunities for students to interact with
the school environment and other materials that I brought to class. The activity
that students enjoyed the most was making and using scented finger paint.
This was enjoyable because students could see, smell, and touch this
substance. Next time, planning similar experiences would be beneficial to
students and would help them to inquire deeper into this unit.

I dont feel safe when I cannot see. I could get hurt.

Descriptions of sand and shaving cream: nice, soft, ticklish, smooth
I can hear Ms. PXXX. I can hear birds. I can hear cars.
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.
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.
One student brought sunglasses to school, after discussing ways to keep our
eyes healthy.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

The last line of inquiry (Ways in caring for our senses) was a bit difficult for
students to inquire into. Most activities related to this topic were dyadic
teaching: telling the students what was healthy and they repeating what I had
said. This line of inquiry seems too abstract for this age group. Therefore, I
suggest to modify it so that it is more child friendly or change it to a different
topic, for example a deeper inquiry into what it would like to live without one of
their senses, i.e. what the deaf/hard of hearing or blind communities are like.