Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose? To inquire into the following:

Class/grade: Kindergarten Age group: 5-6 School: Oak Forest Elementary School code: 006610

transdisciplinary theme Teacher(s): Winstead, Hampton, Gutierrez, Johnson, Batts, Troxel, Sutton, Jackson Date: January 23 -March 2, 2012 Proposed duration: 30 hours over number of weeks: 6 weeks

Where We Are In Place and Time: An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys;, the discoveries, explorations, and migrations of humankind; the relationships between the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.

PYP planner

central idea Personal and natural events can influence change through experiences. 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: Change, Causation, Perspective Related Concepts: history, order, sequencing

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? Task: Students will create a personal timeline. Students will collect dates and pictures that represent milestones in their lives. Students timelines will represent personal growth, experiences, and development Students will present and compare their timelines with their peers.

What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?

Personal history, human growth, and development Timelines as a representation of history and change How parts make up a whole Sequencing events

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries? Evidence: Students identify four milestones from in sequential order Students present and explain each milestone and describe their growth and development. Students explain, in their own words, how the past influences the future. Provocations Assessment Tools: Teacher observation and differentiated rubric(s) to meet the needs of all learners.
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Questions 1. What are personal histories? 2. What does your personal history look like compared to other people/places? 3. How do the events in your life makeup your timeline?

a. Teacher-made timeline of own self. b. Pictures of timelines slide presentation. c. Teachers will dress in a chosen past decade.

Taught January 23 -March 2, 2012**Revised September 2012

4. How best might we learn?

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? Artifact table- Baby Artifact Table composed of items from infancy. Picture Sequence- Students will be given 4 pictures- baby, child, adult, and elderly person, and sequence them in order from youngest to oldest What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for? Personal history, human growth and development What are personal histories? Explore various timelines of historical figures around the world. Students should be able to compare and contrast timelines. Timelines as a representation of history and change What does your personal history look like compared to other people/places? Students will look at various pictures of how people and their environment change over time. The teacher will show a power point of pictures of various cities around the globe during various times/years. Students will participate in a class discussion comparing the past from the present. The teacher will be looking for evidence of understanding past and present. How parts make up a whole / Sequencing events How do the events in your life makeup your timeline? Students will be able to complete their own personal timeline and compare with their peers. Students should be able to accurately sequence personal milestones in their life.

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: Presentation of the Baby Artifact Table and Picture sequence of growth and development. Brainstorm questions/inquiry wall to be researched throughout the unit. Teachers will dress as their decade. Students will learn about their teachers life story via timeline. Week2: The teacher will revisit last weeks provocations and conduct a whole group discussion. The teacher will discuss how people have different pasts that make up their timeline. Students will journal and share what they want to do/be when they grow. Students will complete their own personal timeline and present/compare with their peers. Students should be able to accurately sequence personal milestones in their life. Week 3: Students will explore various timelines of historical figures of their choice or timelines that spark their curiosity. Students should be able to compare and contrast timelines. Week 4-5: Students will interview members of their home/community and ask them questions about their past events. Students will look at various pictures of how people and their environment change over time. The teacher will show a power point of pictures of various cities around the globe during various times/years. Students will participate in a class discussion comparing the past from the present. The teacher will be looking for evidence of understanding past and present. Students will work on summative of their famous person of choice. Week 6: Students will complete their self-evaluation rubric on their completed summative assessment and their understanding of the central idea. Students will present/share their timelines with their peers. What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development of the attributes of the learner profile?

5. What resources need to be gathered? What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available? Videos: United Streaming Books: When They Were Little Like Me by Molli A. Brown (ISBN-10: 0618481400); See How We Grow by Katacha Diaz (ISBN-10: 0328147087); Aramintas Paint Box byKaren Ackerman (ISBN-10:0689820917); Elmer by David McKee (ISBN-10:0688091717); Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Jan Brett (ISBN-10:0698113586); Abuela by Arthur Dorros (ISBN10:0140562255); The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle (ISBN-10:1416979174); Animal Babies in the Grasslands by Jennifer Schofield (ISBN-10:075945789X); Who Was Abraham Lincoln? By Janet Pascal (ISBN-10:0448448866); My First Biography: Martin Luther King, Jr. by Marion Dane Bauer (ISBN-10:0545142334); If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks by Faith Ringgold (ISBN-10:068985768) Who Was George Washington? By True Kelley and Roberta Edwards (ISBN-10:0448448920) How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry? Students will interview members of their home or community about well-known past events. Students used the classroom environment to interact with an artifact table, share their timelines, and utilize the Parking Lot.

Transdisciplinary skills Thinking Students will be using thinking skills as they sequence events and create their timeline. Communication- Students will be communicating as they are comparing/contrasting timelines, participating in group discussion, and presenting their timelines. Research: Students will be using research skills as they research their own pasts, pasts of famous historical figures, and interviewing a community/family member. Learner Profile: Open-minded: Students are open-minded when learning about the likes and differences of personal stories. Risk Taker- Students are being risk takers when presenting and sharing personal pasts and milestones. Attitudes: Appreciation- Students are showing appreciation of their own pasts and the histories of others. Creativity- Students are showing creativity as they create their timelines.

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. Students were very curious about life stories after seeing teachers timelines and teachers dressed up in decade clothing. Students explored all types of timelines and listened to their peers presentations. Their ability to create and compare personal histories demonstrated their understanding of the central idea.

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. Students creation of personal timelines developed their understanding of exploring different timelines.

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? A rubric needs to be developed to assess the summative assessment. A pre assessment task needs to be developed that is directly related to the lines of inquiry.

Key concepts: Change over time timelines Causation --- Life events create life stories Perspective Life events based on other perspectives

Related Concepts: What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and the transdisciplinary theme? Student presentations and comparing timelines demonstrated student understandings that everyone has a personal history and everyones story is unique/different. Students compared themselves and other famous people to discover how we all have a life story but each person has different experiences. history, order, sequencing

Transdisciplinary skills Students researched famous people and their lofe stories Students communicated their own personal stories. Students inquired about individuals personal experiences

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

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 became very curious about the stories of Famous people . They wanted to explore past and present celebrities and famous people in history,

9. Teacher notes Students became very interested in researching the life stories of numerous famous people. They were especially interested in leaders. Several students did independent research on famous celebrities. When this unit is taught again we want to focus on life events occurring in a sequence. Students also made connections of how people make an impact both presently and in the future during their lives. The next time this unit is taught we want to make stronger connections between peoples actions and their impact on mankind. What can each individual do to impact the world in which we live.

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 personal timelines sparked interest for students, They were very curious about our life stories and were eager to present their own timelines. Students learned to create a timeline using benchmarks in their lives. Through their own creation of theirl timelines they demonstrated an understanding of the Central Idea.

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 began brainstorming ways they could impact the future, They chose individuals to research beyond the ones covered in our classrooms.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

 International Baccalaureate Organization 2007