Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose? Class/grade: Year 2 Age group: 7 years

To inquire into the following:
School: Trinity Lutheran College School code:

• Transdisciplinary theme Title: From Field to Table

How we organise ourselves Teacher(s): R.Murdoch, J. Holden. V. Edwards PYP planner

• Central idea Date: Term 2

The food we eat goes through many changes. Proposed duration :5 weeks

2. What do we want to learn?

Summative assessment task(s):
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection,
What are the possible ways of assessing students’ understanding of the central perspective, responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for?
Change.
Diagram/flow chart/production chain showing the process a chosen food goes
through from field/farm to table.
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?

- The changes foods undergo before they are sold in shops

- The roles people play in putting food on our table
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

Structured questions :
1. Where do the foods we eat come from? (form)
2. What people help put food on your table? (connection)
Contributing Questions;
1. Where do the foods we eat come from? (form)
2. How can foods change? (change)
Extended questions:
1. Where do the foods we eat come from and how do can they change?
(form/ change)
2. How are people important in food production? Justify (connection)

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2008

 Planning the inquiry

3. How might we know what we have learned? 4. How best might we learn?
This column should be used in conjunction with “How best might we learn?”What What are the learning experiences suggested by the teacher and/or students to encourage the students to
are the possible ways of assessing students’ prior knowledge and skills? engage with the inquiries and address the driving questions?

• Individual concept map – What I know about where our food comes from. May select a food/foods that they Structure/Core Extension
have eaten recently and show where it came from and what happened to it along the way. Where do the foods we eat come from? Where do the foods we eat come from
and how do can they change?
• Class brainstorm. Record observations and take notes about their current knowledge and understanding  Mystery box/display - Pictures and examples of raw materials and their food products – eg. wheat / bread
/ biscuits, sausages / pigs, bees / honey. Discuss and sort. Unpack central idea.
• Evidence – knowledge/understandings displayed on concept map.  Prior knowledge concept map
 Excursion – “Superbee” and “Strawberry Farm”
 Group brainstorm about current knowledge about a specified food and their questions
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines  Sort and classify where foods we eat come from. Use books, pictures,  Sort and classify where foods we
of inquiry? research..... eat come from. Use books,
pictures, research.....List changes
that occur in the foods we eat.
• Anecdotal notes/checklists Structured Core Extension
What people help put food on How can foods change? How are people important in food
• Individual conferencing your table? production?
 Read “Little Red Hen” - Use bread production chain as a case study
• Reflective Journal  Research project- what of food production Note people involved in the process. Extension
people help put food on justify their roles in production. Guest Speaker on bread.
your table. List and  Teach children flow chart concept on food production
• Group tasks – discussing and recording current knowledge, further questions and new knowledge
describe what they do.  Research project- focus on note taking and main ideas. Videos,
obtained through research.
Videos, books, Internet, books, Internet, posters, guest speakers
posters, guest speakers  Become an expert on a food- share presentation to class- flow chart
• Evidence – Growth in knowledge and understanding from prior knowledge assessment.  Become an expert on a and orally presentation
person who works with
food. Explain job and what
they do.
What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the
development of the attributes of the learner profile?Transdisciplinary skills
Research skills –formulating questions, planning, collecting data and organising it and recording it will be
covered during writing of report. Students will present findings in form of a flow chart.(ICT Integration)
Social Skills - cooperating, accepting responsibility, respecting others, group decision making will be
developed during group research times
Self management – time management , organisation developed through research opportunities
Learner Profile: Inquirer
Attitudes: Confidence

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
Guest speakers
Excursion – “Superbee” and the Strawberry Farm
Books – Non-fiction - “Bean to Table”, “Peanuts”, ‘Bread” Fiction - “The Little Red Hen”
Computer software – Intrenet Web research pages, Kidspiartion “Photo Story”
Videos/ CDroms - Photographs – Processed and Unprocessed food
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
Library resources will be available for use in the classroom. Internet will be available in both the Tech room and Middle room

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2008

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
Students were able to tell about the many changes that food underwent and show
these changes on a production chain. The webquest that was used again was
extremely appropriate to the level and allowed them to work collaboratively to find the
main idea in each step. Lower ability groups worked with the teacher. The scaffold
given gave direction for each main idea.
Kidspiration was used to sequence and write steps in the production chain. The main
idea was continual focused on as changes occurred.
Through class discussions it was evident that all students gained the required
knowledge and level of understanding required to achieve the desired outcome for the
unit. Students were able to verbally discuss and present the production chain for foods
such as rice, bread, chocolate etc.
How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a more
accurate picture of each student’s understanding of the central idea.
Assessment task provided an accurate picture of students understanding of the
central idea. They were able to choose their own food to complete the assessment
task which provided for differentiation and student choice. No improvements
necessary at this time.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and the
transdisciplinary theme?
The central idea was continually investigated through the research and social
transdisciplinary areas. Working collaboratively to discuss, find, record and analyse
changes that food went through was a major focus and it was continually reflected
upon.
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.
A range of mediums were used to provide students with the knowledge that they were
wanting to learn. Video, text and movies of production chains were viewed and focussed
on the foods that students wanted to learn about.
Throughout the unit students were able to develop and/or enhance their skills of inquiry
by the activities allowing them the scope to source and compile relevant information for
themselves. They worked in small inquiry groups to research, note take and present a
food production chain on a food of their choice. They also used a range of text types to
inquire into their chosen food.
• develop an understanding of the concepts identified in “What do we
want to learn?”
1. The excursion allowed students to see first hand the changes that various products
undergo when producing honey.
2. Video resource discussion in small groups along with whole class also assisted in
developing the students understanding.
• demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary
skills?
1. students planned, collected and recorded information and organised it into a flow
chart from planned webquest. Videos accompanied food- For Juniors
• develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?
1. Inquirer – various research tasks enabling them to be inquirers.
 Reflecting on the inquiry

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.
Students asked a number of relevant questions such as:
• Where do seeds come from to grow the plants?
Things we would do better next time:
.
Excursion may include a visit to a sugar cane farm and factory (Vanessa Keith in Prep is
the contact). Needs to be looked at to try and coincide with the harvesting of the sugar
cane. The excursion needs to include more than just a visit to the honey factory.

• Does all of our meat come from the same animal? Children would benefit from seeing more than one production process.

• Which parts of the animal do we use to eat?

A greater focus on the Key Learning Area of Science needs to be integrated into the unit.
• Are all farms the same or do different farms produce different foods? Children could complete certain parts of the production process of some particular foods
e.g. milk to butter, making icecream from milk, strawberries to strawberry jam etc.
• Is their only one way to make that food?

• Does every food have to go to the factory before it goes to the supermarket?

• Where do they grow the Cocoa bean?

• How is it Australian made when the plant is grown overseas?

All teacher questions were effective in driving the inquiry.

What student-initiated actions arose from the learning?

• Students chose a food of their own interest (Show and Share), researched it and
made posters showing production chains.

• They brought in their website findings with the class to share.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2008