Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose?

To inquire into the following: transdisciplinary theme

Class/grade: School:

Age group: 5-6 School code: 006610

Oak Forest

How we organize ourselves: An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.

Teacher(s): Sutton, Johnson, Winstead, Batts, Troxel, Gutierrez, Hampton, Jackson Date: October 8-November 16, 2012 PYP planner

central idea

Proposed duration: 6 weeks

Communities interact to fill wants or needs

Summative assessment task(s): What are the possible ways of assessing students understanding of the central idea? Identify a need and create an interdependence sequence chain for how each product or object is produced. What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for? Students should be able to research and explain how needs are met and how communities work together to supplement and provide needs.

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: Function, Reflection, Connection Related Concepts: wants/needs, natural/manmade, economics

What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea? Wants and needs of citizens in communities Natural and manmade objects Jobs within communities Fundamental economic concepts

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries? How do people acquire their wants and needs? How do we classify objects as natural and manmade? Why do people have jobs? How are jobs interdependent?

Provocation Mystery bag/Santa bag filled with needs Display pictures and ask students if it is a want or a need Token economy Teachers dress as a community job/profession.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Taught: October-November 2012

Revised: December 2012

Planning the inquiry

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? Ask students what they know about wants and needs. Teacher will give students a scenario where they are stranded on a desert island and ask what they will do. Observe as students discuss what they will do and if they name any wants or needs. Can they identify wants and needs? Evidence: Students are able to identify and sort wants and needs and explain how individuals obtain their wants and needs within their community.

What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for? Rubric Assessment and/or checklist Students are able to explain why people have jobs Distinguish between wants and needs Recognize that all jobs are important and realize that some jobs are interdependent

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Taught: October-November 2012

Revised: December 2012

4. How best might we learn?

What are the learning experiences suggested by the teacher and/or students to encourage the students to engage with the inquiries and address the driving questions? Week 1- Pre Assessment: Provocation- Mystery Bag of wants/needs. Ask students what they know about wants and needs. Teacher will give students a scenario where they are stranded on a desert island and ask what they will do. Observe as students discuss what they will do and if they name any wants or needs. Can they identify wants and needs? Evidence: Students are able to identify and sort wants and needs on a T-chart or tree-map. Weeks 2-: Wants and Needs of citizens in a community- How do people acquire their wants and needs? Activities: 4 square of needs Paper bag house filled with needs Writing activity/journaling about needs and wants Read Homes Around the World and discuss the difference between various homes and the materials used to make different types of homes (man-made and natural pre-assessment)

Week 3: Natural and Manmade Objects- How do we classify objects as natural and manmade? Activities: Use the story Homes Around the World and discuss materials that home are made of and whether they are manmade materials or natural materials. Nature hunt outdoors- Student created artifact table of natural and manmade objects. Sequence the process of making a manmade object. (Students will begin working on their interdependence chains for the summative as they come up with ideas.)

Week 4-5: Jobs within communities and fundamental economic concepts. Why do people have jobs? How are jobs interdependent? How do people get the things they need and want? Introduce the class token economy Read Bennys Pennies Discuss jobs/careers Firefighters visit the school Career dress-up day Journaling about and drawing pictures of their desired profession/career

Week 6: Summative and reflection The teacher provides the context for inquiry PowerPoint presentations/videos Teacher created picture sort Money Jar saving for needs Classroom mock grocery store

Leading and facilitating student inquiry Research Parking Lot questions Think, Pair, Share Communicate ideas Discovery tables

What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development of the attributes of the learner profile? Transdisciplinary skills Research, Communication skills Learner Profile attributes open-minded, knowledgeable, curious, enthusiastic, creative, empathetic

Reflecting on the inquiry

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available? United Streaming Video Wants and Needs / Needs of living things Miss Bindergarten Takes a Fieldtrip - ISBN # 978-0525467106 How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry? Childrens Museum Community helpers visit the classrooms

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? demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills? develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?

In each case, explain your selection. Key concepts Function, Reflection, Connection Function: Students gained understanding of how wants and needs relate to us because we are living things. They made the connection of how we get the things we want and need and how these things are identified as natural or manmade. Students researched the process many of their wants and needs go through to become a product that we buy. Reflection: Students reflected on their needs and wants. Students chose jobs to help them meet their wants and needs. Connection: Students made connections between wants and needs, natural and manmade, and jobs and economics. They understood that manmade objects come from natural objects. Transdisciplinary skills Research: Students initiated their own independent research and created books about the new knowledge. Students selected and researched a job/career. Communication skills: Students communicated their understanding concerning manmade and natural. Students communicated their understanding concerning wants and needs. Student presented research findings. They explained what they wanted to be and why. Learner Profile:

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.

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. The assessment on Natural and Manmade could be improved. We discussed incorporating a PowerPoint review and assessment. jc-schools.net/dynamic/science/scippt/Naturalvsmanmade1.ppt Use the Start to Finish Book collection to improve the students understanding of Natural and Manmade. These materials would also improve the summative products.

What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and the transdisciplinary theme? Through their portfolio assessment, students demonstrated understanding of how the people in the community organize themselves to provide goods and services to support others in their community. The summative showed the relationship and understanding of how wants and needs are met. Students chose a need and researched the need to see how it is produced. Students identified the need as natural or manmade.

Students became more open minded about how people have basic needs and depending on where they live i.e.) Needs are harder or easier to access. Shelters are not the same around the world. They became more knowledgeable about want, needs, natural and manmade, and jobs and careers. The were curious about how their wants and needs make it to the store. They were enthusiastic and creative when completing their summative assessments. They gained empathy and understanding about the needs of others around the world.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Taught: October-November 2012

Revised: December 2012

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. Students wanted to know if children all over the world have the same wants and needs? Do they have shelter? They were very curious about how our needs make it to the store and what we as citizens must do to have our wants and needs met. 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. Teachers dress as community helpers/jobs. Mystery Bag (Santa Bag) of needs. 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 generated several original books that they created about natural resources. A students has a lemonade stand and used the money to buy some wants. Students described to their family members how a book is made from a natural material. A student independently completed a flow chart demonstrating how the cotton ball is made. A few students researched a sheep and products we get from a sheep. Students independently chose a need. They researched and communicated their new understanding with our class.

9. Teacher notes
Subjects: ELA- Compare and Contrast (manmade and natural), Fantasy (3 Little Pigs discussing types of homes and materials made from manmade and natural materials) Math- Money (counting pennies), graphing (heads and tails) Social Studies- Careers Science- Living and Non-living, Manmade and Natural The students understood the lines of inquiry and communicated them in conversations with one another. They were excited to learn how man-made objects were made from natural objects. When asked, what would the world be like without natural objects, they were able to express that it would be boring and sad. The dolphins and fish would not have a home. We couldnt visit the zoo and we would not have tables to use to do our work. Books we need: Those Shoes The Hard-Times Jar Bennys Pennies Start to Finish Book collection We will consider: A field trip to the Pink Palace. A model community, highlighting jobs and connecting their wants and needs.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Taught: October-November 2012

Revised: December 2012

 International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Taught: October-November 2012

Revised: December 2012