Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose? Class/grade: 5 Age group: 9-10

To inquire into the following:
School: Trivandrum International School School code:049173
Transdisciplinary theme:Who we are
An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental,social Teacher(s): Mr. Sanjay Prabhakaran, Ms. Remi Rajan, Ms. Mareena Kurien, Mr. Manoharan,
and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities and Mr. Sujith, Mr. Rajneesh, Mr. Suraj, Ms. Brinda R S, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Deepak, Ms. Uma
cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human Sharma
Central Idea: Date: January 27, 2020 to February 28, 2020
Proposed duration: 5 weeks
Understanding body systems can help us to make responsible choices for our
personal health and well-being.
Summative assessment task(s):
Content: (eg. Test, quiz, presentation) Individual research paper on specific system 2. What do we want to learn?
(rubric)
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective,
and responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
Process: (eg. Demo or explanation, movie, presentation, written, visual or verbal) Group
Presentation/project on specific body system (checklist) Concepts: Form, Connection, Function,
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
Product: (eg. model, poster, movie, presentation) Group Presentation/project on specific
body system (checklist) and Individual Model/product of body system (rubric)
 Organ systems and their functions.
 Impact of lifestyle choice on body
 Safety measures and first aid techniques
Assessment criteria:
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
Assessment Strategy: Performance Assessments
1. Can you tell how different organs in our body work?
Assessment Tools: Rubrics, Checklists 2. What are the different types of body system?
3. Can you name any organ in your body that can function independently?
4. What are the similarities and differences between the body systems?
5. How do healthy bodies promote healthy minds?
6. What is the connection between exercise and a healthy lifestyle?
7. What happens if one system fails?
8. What choices foster good physical health and emotional health?

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

 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?
1. Students will analyze a graph on the obesity in children. They will discuss the factors that
cause obesity and what can be done to avoid it.
2. Students will participate in discussion about what makes a person healthy, emotionally
and physically.
3. Students will get into groups and complete a “What I SEE, What I THINK, What I
WONDER” inquiry activity about a picture teacher displays of the human body
systems.
4. A KWL will be used throughout the entire unit and displayed in the classroom.
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of
inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
1. Students will make their lifestyle chart and analyze their lifestyle. They will have to make
a diet plan/chart accordingly.
2. A descriptive creative writing ‘If I were a’ demonstrating the functioning of the digestive
system.
3. A quiz on the respiratory and circulatory system.
4. Mind map on how the systems are interconnected
5. What resources need to be gathered?
What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc,
will be available?
People and places: Subject specialist will be invited. Music teacher will emphasize the importance
of music therapy. Yoga teacher instructs the students on how yoga affects different systems and
also how to cleanse your body and mind through exercises. PE teacher instructs students on how
to take care of their body. PE teachers will demonstrate the safety measures and first aid
techniques.
Audio-visual material and computer software: Videos and picture of the different system will be
shown in class. Literature: Books will be taken from library. Music: Music therapy. Art: The
children will make a model of eye. Computer software: They will be made to do multiple choice
questions in the computer. Children link the theme with MS excel and MS word. They will make
PPTs and do research work.
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate
the inquiry?
Classroom environment:Appropriate research material like books, charts, diagrams, etc.
Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwrsL-lCZYo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0giiDDBJVQU,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOKmjYwfDGU, http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/usmovie.html,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjyI4CmBOA0, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dah-4mtAnsQ,
http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/csmovie.html, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s5iCoCaofc.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
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?
LOI1: Organ systems and their functions. LOI 2: Impact of lifestyle choice on body
(both LOIs were done simultaneously)
Tuning in:
Graph Analysis: Students will analyze a graph on the obesity in children. They will discuss the factors that
cause obesity and what can be done to avoid it. Bread Activity: Students will be asked to bring in two slices of
bread. They will follow teacher instructions to understand the path of food. Mushy Bag: Students will be asked
to bring a slice of bread and a zip pouch. They will follow teacher instructions to understand the process of
digestion in stomach. Stocking Activity: Students will be given a stocking with a tennis ball placed at the
opening. They will have to figure out a way to bring the ball down. Tetra-pack activity: Students will bring in
tetra pack juices and engage in an activity to understand the function of lungs. Sprint: During the PE lessons,
students will have a sprint race. They will use a stethoscope to record their heart beat to understand the
pumping of blood. Picture Discussion:
Finding out: Students will inquire about the different parts in an organ system and its functioning. They will
watch videos and read books to deepen their knowledge. Students will maintain a lifestyle log and compare it to
the food pyramid.
Sorting out: Students will be able to understand different organs involved in any organ system. They will be
able to sort out its function. A card game will be given to check student understanding. Jigsaw puzzles will be
used to sort different components of organ systems. Art: The students will be able to make different models of
organs in art class and on their own. Second language: Students will be able to identify the components of
language. Students will research about the diseases that affect each organ system and its preventive
measures. Music: The students will be able to identify soothing music for the body and mind according to music
therapy. Yoga, Swimming, and PE: They will be able to identify the different yogic asana, physical exercise and
swimming techniques for a healthy life.
Going Further: Students will inquire aboutthe ailments that affectthe organ systems and how their choices
affect the body. Students will make a mind map to demonstrate interdependence of organ systems. ICT:The
students will be able to identify the different components of a computer. Students will be able to identify good
life style choices and counsel peers and family.
Drawing Conclusions: Students will make connections to the knowledge gained, deduce how different body
systems function and its interdependence. They will reflect on what actions can affect the healthy functioning of
the organs and organ systems.
Reflecting & Taking Action: Students will come up with personal questions related to the LOI. They will
conduct independent inquiry and share the fact with their peers and will be encouraged to make 3D models.
* LOI 3 was addressed during the PE lessons .
What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development of the attributes
of the learner profile?
Learner Profile: Knowledgeable: Students will inquire about different systems of the body and their
functions.Inquirers: Students develop inquiring attitude towards their body and find solution for the open ended
tasks and answers for wonder questions.Balanced: Students will understand how to maintain a healthy body
and mind through life style choices.
ATLs: Self-Management: Students improve self-management skills with respect to their body
system.Research: Students develop their research skills through fact finding and quiz in class.
 Planning 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.
This unit was very relevant to the students because they are becoming more aware of
keeping a healthy bodyand mind. They were amazed to inquire about the complexities
involved in the different functionalities of the organ systems and how they are
interdependent.All students learned various things about their body andminds and how to
take care of them. They were engaged and motivated throughout the unit. Students liked
this unit a lot because of how they can relate it to their lives.
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.
The assessment was appropriate and the students could show their understanding of the
central idea.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and the
transdisciplinary theme?
As students learned more about their anatomy and healthy lifestyle, they took more
ownership of their health. Through the summative assessment, which was done by the
children, one could get an idea that they understood the connection and relationship of
one system with the other. Our theme- Who we are- connected withour central idea very
well, as it was all about body systems and physical wellbeing. To complete the given
tasks the students were able to inquire, think and develop their research skills too.The
models that were produced were an important aspect of the unit. The mind map on
interdependence of the organ systems was a great way to gauge the student’s
understanding of how it relates to the central idea.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
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.
Concepts:
Connection: The students understood the connection between different body systems
and how they are interconnected.
Function: The students had a clear idea about the function of each organ and organ
system.
Form: The students understood the structure and form of different organ systems.
ATLs:
Self-management: Children learnt how to take care of their own body and mind.
Research: The students researched on the various aspects of human body and found
answers to the wonder questions.
Learner profile:
Inquirers: Students inquired into various function of body systems, found answers to
various wonder questions and conducted personal inquiry related to body systems.
Knowledgeable: Students gained a good knowledge on different organ systems of the
body and their functions.
Balanced: The lifestyle chart maintained by students helped them understand the need
to maintain a healthy body and mind through lifestyle choices. They understood that
human body systems are all connected and must maintain proper balance to function
properly.
 Planning 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 This is a very interesting unit. There was scope for the children to learn more about
incorporated into the teaching and learning. human body- health and hygiene. This unit was completely inquiry based and students
Student initiated questions: enjoyed a lot throughout the inquiry. We have used all the resources available to the
maximum extent. The children learnt new words related to body systems. They were
1. Is fat good for you? Don’t we need fat?
able to grasp the concepts as they were in small manageable chunks of information and
2. Do I have to exercise everyday to stay healthy?
they were directly related to them and could identify with what they were inquiring in
3. Why do we say smoking is bad for lungs, when we blow out the air?
to.The best part of the inquiry was children started observing their body and how each
4. What will happen if there is block in one of the arteries/veins?
system is interdependent. It was a pleasure to see students reflect on their actions; how
5. What is a blood clot?
the actions will affect their body and mind.
6. When we get hurt, blood comes from veins/arteries?
7. What is under our skin?
8. How is everything held together inside our body?
9. How much space do the different systems take?
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.

Several students took action by making responsible choices to maintain their health.
There is two students in particular that I want to highlight. After she learned about the
importance of chewing food and that digestion begins in the mouth; she made sure she
never gulped it down and take time to properly chew her food.
Another student made a diet plan for himself, after analyzing the lifestyle chart he had
maintained for 3 weeks. He compared it to the food pyramid and decided to choose
much healthier choices.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007