Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose?

1a) To inquire into the following:
transdisciplinary theme
How the World Works
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural
world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their
understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological
advances on society and on the environment.
central idea
Energy may be converted, transformed and used to support human progress.

Class/grade: 4 Age group: 8-10
School: School code: 7800
Title: Energy
Teacher(s): Alfonso
Date:
Proposed duration: number of hours over number of weeks 5


1b) 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?
G - to explain how energy may be converted, transformed and used to support
human progress during the Science Fair
R- Young Scientist
A- School, Parents, DIS Science Fair
S- In today's vastly changing and developing world, man has constantly changed
his ever growing needs and wants that have severely limited the world's finite
energy resources. As a scientist your task is to come up with different ways or
methods that would help promote sustainable and alternative energy practices to
help curb pollution, conserve and ultimately protect our limited energy resources.
P- Innovations with investigatory board showing findings, methods and
alternative forms of energy resources.
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?
Form, causation and responsibility
Geology, adaptation, weather and energy
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
Different forms of energy (renewable and nonrenewable)
How energy is used (transformation)
Human response to the earths changes
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
What are the different forms of energy sources that are both renewable and
non-renewable?
How is energy used, transformed or conserved?
Why do we need to conserve energy?
What is our role in promoting sustainability?


International Baccalaureate Organization 2011
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?
Students will dissect the central idea by identifying its key concepts and creating
simpler concepts that are related to it.

What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines
of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
See Attachment B for Assessment Opportunities
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?
(Use Attachment C: Learning Engagement Charts)

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

Thinking Skills - the students were able to develop and show these skills during their
planning and organization of their summative assessment. They further developed these skills
by using different strategies to help sort out different information to help in the construction of
their project.
Research skills - the students were able to develop their research skills by analyzing
information that would help drive their inquiry and also come up with information that they
would use for their investigatory board.
Communication skills - the students were able to develop their communication skills when
they presented what they had found out and learned during the Science Fair.

5. What resources need to be gathered?
What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
Video on the energy cycle
Resource persons: geologists
Field trips: Meralco Museum and the Center for Ecozoic Living and Learning (CELL)
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
The classroom will have books related to energy.
There will also be experiments showcasing how energy is used.
International Baccalaureate Organization 2011
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.
a. Relevant
The unit was a relevant experience for the students because it exposed them to how simple things work.
It was even made more relevant when they were able to visit different field trip sites that helped them
understand how energy works and how it supports their needs and wants.
b. Significant
The most significant experience for the students was the opportunity to construct their group and
individual investigatory board. The board contained what they had found out during their research process
and also the project that they had constructed for the unit as part of their summative. Lastly,they were
also given the opportunity to present their findings to the members of the school community.
c. Engaging
The unit was engaging for the students because it gave them hands on experience of how energy works
and how it is transformed. They were able to see firsthand through the different field trips how it works
and also the different types of energy that are renewable and nonrenewable. Likewise, they were also
able to experience how to sustain and protect the environment.
d. Challenging
The unit was challenging because of the time allotted for the unit. It was also challenging because the
students had many misconceptions about the different types of energy that needed to changed. In
connection with the time constraints, most of the engagements were compressed to accommodate the
summative assessment.
e. Resources
The unit was rich in resources because it was widely available. Likewise the places the students visited
and the people who were invited or interviewed were able to share their knowledge that led cleared up the
misconceptions of the students.
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 assessments done by the teachers were designed and suited to measure the students
understanding of the central idea. Likewise the units engagements gave the students the opportunity to
research and work independently in order to come up with their project/innovation. Lastly the summative
assessment also helped the students to think critically and analytically, likewise the summative
assessment helped the students provide their own insights and awareness on the unit.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and
the transdisciplinary theme?
The students were able to show connections when they created their own innovation projects
and sharing what they have learned by presenting it during the school science fair.
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?
Form - the students were able to understand the different forms of energy and how it works.
Causation - the students were able to understand and see how through the use of energy it creates
opportunities for advancement but also a responsibility to sustain and protect the environment.
Responsibility - the students were able to understand that most of the resources used are finite and
must therefore be used responsibly for the use of future generations.
demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?
Thinking - the students were able to show their thinking skills by planning the projects that they would be
presenting during the science fair.
Social - the students were able to show their social skills when they worked with their expert topic
groupmates in researching and investigating on renewable and nonrenewable energy resources.
Self-management - they were able to show their self-management skills when they prioritized and
worked to managed their time in preparing for the science fair. They also showed this skill in making
group decisions.
Communication - the students showed their communication skills when they presented what they had
investigated on during their science fair. They were also to develop this skill by interviewing resource
persons for their unit.
Research - the students were able to show their research skills when they formulated their own
questions, planned and organized the information that they had gathered.
develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?
In each case, explain your selection
Knowledgeable- the students were able to demonstrate this during the science fair
when they shared what they know about their expert topic in energy. They were also
knowledgeable in creating their own innovation for the fair.
Communicators- the students were able to send the message of saving energy
through their innovations and through the jingles that their created. They shared
these during the school assembly and during the science fair
Commitment- the students spent even their free time just to finish their planned
innovation.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2011
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.
How does solar/wind/water/nuclear and etc... energy work?
How do the chemicals inside the battery light up the bulb?
What practices can we adopt in order to sustain and conserve energy?
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.
Students were able to design their own group and individual investigatory boards
that they presented during the Science Fair. Each of them was accountable in
coming up with information that they would gather from various online resources.
The students were also able to plan and build their own projects that would show
innovation. Each of the students were able to share with the teacher how they
planned and went about building their project.


9. Teacher notes
The students were able to show what they understood about energy by
creating new innovations and interesting projects.
The students worked collaboratively to show their understanding of their
expert topics.
The unit was too short for the teachers to effectively execute all of the
engagements in the unit. It should have been better if the unit lasted for 7
weeks.
The bulk of unit was focused in coming up with products to be presented for
the Science Fair.


International Baccalaureate Organization 2011
Attachment...

A. Key Learning Outcomes
Key Understanding
What do we want students to understand by the end of the unit?
Energy comes in different forms each with its own advantages, disadvantages and limitations in supporting human progress
Energy is used to power everyday objects, it is essential in helping current human progress.
As humans we are stewards of the resources found on earth and must sustain and conserve such resources future generations
Knowledge outcomes and Skills outcomes
What do we want students to be able to know by the end of the unit?
What do we want students to be able to do by the end of the unit?
The uses, advantages and disadvantages, and limitations of both renewable and nonrenewable forms of energy
To identify current practices in conserving and sustaining energy
To recognize how energy is transformed through different means
To be familiar with and be able to differentiate between renewable and nonrenewable energy resources.
To be able to identify how energy is created through the natural cycles of the earth

B. Assessment Opportunities
Line of Inquiry What will be assessed? How will evidence be collected? What type of assessment will be
used?
Different forms of energy
(renewable and nonrenewable)
Current energy resources are reliant on
renewable and nonrenewable resources
that can be found in any part of our
planet.
Knowledge product
Observations
Research findings
Rubric
Anecdotes
Performance
How energy is used
(transformed)
The different forms of energy are used in
a variety ways in order to power whole
cities or simple machines/gadgets.
Knowledge product
Observations
Research findings
Rubric
Anecdotes
Performance
Human response to earths
changes
In order to continue with current energy
practices, alternatives and solutions must
be sought that would conserve and
sustain present energy resources.
Knowledge product
Observations
Research findings
Rubric
Anecdotes
Performance

C. Learning Engagements
Tuning in and preparation to find out:
What variety of activities will be used to:
engage all students in the topic? hook?
assess prior knowledge?
refine further planning?
lead into the finding out experiences?
Engagement and gathering prior knowledge, pre-assessment, questions for inquiry, goal setting. Sometimes students will require some immersion in the topic if little is known/ experienced.
Students will read and watch videos on energy. They will also create organizers and charts that would show their current understanding of the different forms of energy and how it is used in
school and at home.

Finding Out
Data collection
Experiences to assist students to gather new information
about the topic
Experiences and texts that add to the knowledge base.
Emphasis on gathering first-hand data in a range of ways
(usually shared experiences)
Teachers & Students Questions
Teacher and student questions that help drive the inquiry
Focus questions to for inquiry
Sorting Out
Gauging, organizing or representing new
information
Activities to assist students to process and work
with the information and ideas they have gathered
about the topic (including exploring values)
Organizing, analyzing and communicating the
information gathered using a range of vehicles (e.g
through Maths, Arts, English, Drama, Music or IT)
Reading and watching videos about the unit

Visiting the Meralco Museum to find out how energy is
used and transformed.
Visiting the Center for Ecozoic Living and Learning
(CELL) to learn about current sustainable energy
practices.
Interviewing resource persons on how energy is used
and the current state of energy resources in the
Philippines.

Doing experiments on energy (i.e. constructing a simple
flashlight using wires, batteries and a small electrical
bulb).

Dividing the class into expert topics that would
investigate on a specific form of energy.
Different forms of energy (renewable and
nonrenewable) (Form)

How energy is used (transformation) (Form and
Causation)

Human response to the earths changes (Causation
and Responsibility)
Students create a group investigatory
board that would show the following:
the definition of their groups
expert topic
the uses of that energy
advantages and disadvantages
ways on how to conserve energy


Going Further
Activities to challenge and extend
Raising new questions, extending experiences, challenging assumptions. May be individually negotiated.
The students realized the importance of saving energy after focusing on it for about six weeks. As a result, during their free time in class, they opt to read books now
instead of opening the computers like what they used to do. It is somehow helpful because aside from saving energy, they were also able to increase our knowledge about
the things around them through the books they read.

Some of the students even tried to make improvised solar panels to save energy and money in creating their innovations.
Drawing conclusions
Raising new questions, extending experiences, challenging assumptions. May be individually negotiated. Students draw conclusions of what they have learnt. This is an
important time to evaluate the success of the unit and the needs and achievements of individuals. This is where students put it all together.
The students came up with their innovations that saves energy. They were able to explain how it works and how it would benefit mankind.
Reflecting and Taking Action
To reflect on what has been learnt and process of learning. It is important that students be given opportunities to act upon what they have learnt. Actions are things that students can themselves and from which they
can see results.
The students are now more aware of switching off the lights in the classroom whenever we dont need them.
As part of their action, they tried to convince the school community to save energy through the jingles that they composed and presented during them during the assembly