Planning the inquiry
1. What is our purpose?
To inquire into the following:
• transdisciplinary theme
How we express ourselves
• central idea
Art is connected to emotions and can be represented in many ways.
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?
For the ESF Film festival, produce a 3-minute film that depicts or provokes emotion
without using speech. Your film will use music, different camera angles and acting
techniques to tell a story. You will collaborate in small groups based on interest and
your audience will be fellow DC students, students from other ESF schools and ESF
Film Festival judges.
Watch each ESF Film Awards entry from all three Year 6 classes. After each film, fill
in a ‘Let’s Critique Rubric’ based on the criteria.
Your teacher will give you one of the films to study in more detail. Watch it several
times and critique it from the perspective of a film critic who is writing for a film
magazine. Use formal language and offer praise for positive attributes and
suggestions for improvement for other aspects (if any).
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Class/grade: Year 6 Age group: 9-10 years
School: Discovery College School code: 300401
Title: Let’s Critique
PYP planner
Teacher(s): Matt Baron, Kim Cassel, Tanya Surawski
Date: 30th November – 29th January
Proposed duration: Approx 60 hours over 7 weeks
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: Perspective, Function, Causation
Related Concepts: Creating, composing,
Learner Profiles: Open-minded, Communicator
Attitudes: Confidence, Creativity, Appreciation
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
• Definition of Art (Perspective)
• Emotions expressed and elicited through art (Function/Causation)
• Strategies used to critique art (Perspective)
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
What are the different definitions of Art? (Perspective)
How do artists communicate their emotions through Art? (Function/Causation)
How do we respond to Art? (Perspective)
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?
Display various pictures/films relating to Art. Ask children to view and critique.
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the
lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
Students will produce scripts that show an orientation, conflict and resolution.
Storyboards reflect the script clearly and include details such as camera angles, camera
movements, intended length of scene, action etc.
Refer to Let’s Critique rubric
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?
Students explore different short films that depict different emotions (Mr. Bean, High Noon,
Charlie Chaplin,)
Inquire into the filmmaking process (pre-production, production, post production).
Inquire into the methods and techniques film makers use to show and provoke emotions
(camera angles, camera movements, sepia, black and white, slow motion, use of music etc.)
Inquire into storyboards and develop own storyboards for a silent film.
Inquire into structures and features of short stories and poetry focusing on how emotions are
expressed. Identify language and strategies used in writing narratives and poetry.
Students produce a short story based on student criteria.

Visual Art – Students inquire into ‘What is art?’, critiquing pieces of art and depicting emotions
in art.
Drama - Film Study focusing on building characters, developing storyline and effect of camera
angles.
Music –inquire into how musicians express emotions; explore musical elements – dynamics,
timbre, texture and tempo,
Students use garage band skills (adding music and sound effects to movies) and compose
music for the summative assess task

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
People: Iain Williamson (Media Studies teacher SIS), Year 12 SIS students, Damien Barry (Y4 teacher – film buff),
Web sites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWPjjoOFIu8, http://kidsvid.4teachers.org/, http://www.firstlightonline.co.uk/make-a-film/,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4cmrMJul1g, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKx6MUH6sEM&feature=fvst
Software: i-Movie, i-Photo, Photobooth, Hardware: Digital video and still cameras, tripods
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
Classroom: Posters, teacher questions, student questions, mind maps,
Community: Discovery College Theatre, SIS students and Media Studies teacher, ESF Film Awards

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

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.
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.
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.

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

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

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.

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.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007