Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose?

To inquire into the following:

Class/grade:

K1s

Age group: 3-4 years old

School: Aga Khan Nursery School

code: 500324

Transdisciplinary theme
HOW WE EXPRESS OURSELVES
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings,
nature ,culture ,beliefs and values the ways in which we reflect on extend and
enjoy our creativity, our appreciation of the aesthetic.
central idea
Tales are ways of expressing ourselves

Title: Tales are ways of expressing ourselves

Teacher(s): MS Faith, MS Fatma, MS Esther, MS Shilpa, MS Lamiya, PYP planner
MS Christine,
Date: 11/4/2016
Proposed duration:

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?

-Each child will choose a tale and express it in different ways e.g. songs,
dance ,books, painting, drawing ,role play narrating and miming.

2. What do we want to learn?

What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection,
perspective, and responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
Form- What is it like? (structure)
Function- How does it work (Communication)
Reflection- How do we know (Review, evidence)
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
1. What tales are .
2. Types of tales.
3. How we express ourselves through tales.
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
1. What is a tale?
2. What are the different kinds of tales?
3. What are the different ways we can express ourselves through tales?

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Planning the inquiry

3. How might we know what we have learned? The assessed curriculum

4. How best might we learn?

This column should be used in conjunction with 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
question

What are the possible ways of assessing students prior knowledge and skills? What
evidence will we look for?
-Mind map- different ways of expressions.
-Class discussions on tales.

-Teacher provides context for inquiry.

-Students brain storm on different ways to express themselves.
-Children will be encouraged to read books at home, draw, colour, or paint and
come with it in school to discuss.

-Children will inquire about different tales and dramatize them.

What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of
inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
-Childrens portfolio
-Using photographs, anecdotal records related to the unit.
-Childrens questions, comments on the unit.

What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for
the development of the attributes of the learner profile?

Skills:

Communication skill: children are able to express themselves and show their
creativity and also their vocabulary is expanded.
Research skills: students are reading more books and they are bringing them to
school. Their interest in reading and dramatizing is more focused and developing.
Social skills: children are able to enhance social skills by sharing, caring, problem
solving by expressing through tales.

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What
people,
places,
audio-visual
materials,
related
Computers ,story books, dvds, guest speakers, videos (you-tube)

literature,

music,

art,

How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
-Use of the library.
-Musical play.
-Create centers in class.

International Baccalaureate Organization

computer

software,

etc,

will

be

available?

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.

It was very helpful to go to the library with the children to choose reading
books which made it easy to discuss about the tales.

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?

The discussion of tales and role play in class made the children understand
the central idea.

Various forms of expressions were displayed in the groups formed by the

children in class.

Profiles:

Most children were comfortable sharing their tales in various forms of

expressions in class and during the unit celebration.

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.

In each case, explain your selection.

Open minded- they learnt to appreciate different ways to expressing self through tales.

Communicator-the children were able to express the tales using different expressions
through acting ,singing, role play and narrating the stories using story books and puppets.

Thinker-children were able to give their own views and opinions and explain the summary
of the tales been read by the teachers and others hence present it during unit celebration.

Taking videos as the children do different activities.

In the beginning give more opportunities to explore the vocabulary of

emotions and feelings.

Confidence-the children were able to express themselves through giving summaries,

acting, singing confidently during class discussions and group activities.

Have more on role play resources and more on story packs.

Appreciation-the children appreciated different views and were able to share their different
ways of expression and also learnt to be caring.

Creative-the children could express and show different ways of expressing through
painting, drawing, role play, acting, singing, miming, dancing, narrating.

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

Through tales they were able to know the different types of expression.

Children choose different tales and expressed themselves in various forms

in class and during the unit celebration.

Attitudes:

Concepts:

Form-the children were able to understand what tales are.

Reflection-children were able to interpret their tales and express them in different ways
(painting, drawing, role play, acting, and singing, miming, dancing, and narrating).

Function-children were able to understand different ways f expressing through role play,
discussion of the various tales.

Skills:

ass
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Communication skills- children were able to discuss and give the views and share ideas by
expressing through painting, drawing, and role play, acting, singing, miming, dancing,
narrating. They were able to understand the sequence and summary of the tales.

Research skills: children were able to come up with different tales from magazines,
pictures, books, videos and make use of the reading corner.

Social skills: children were able to relate with each other in group work, class discussion of
different tales

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.

What is expression?

What is a tail (animal tail)?

Is crying and sleeping an expression?

Is Pinocchio a tale?

Is ginger bread man a biscuit?

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.

Build up of social skills by working in groups in representing various tales

i.e taking turns, sharing.

Children were able to build up on their expressive skills and extend their
vocabulary.

Children were able to show responsibility and relate to the moral of the
story, e. g Goldilocks and the three bears, they understood its wrong to
enter somebodys house without permission.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

9. Teacher notes

Field trip- our trip to Bomas of Kenya enlightened children to

understand various kinds of expression in a diverse way(cultures)

Resources the children brought in the resources and books from

home and library help to investigate into the unit.

The children made connection with the previous unit (living things have
specific needs).

The children were engaged in this unit and were able to identify
different types of expression and to choose their favorite way to
express themselves.