Planning the inquiry

Revised: March, 20, 2013

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

Colegio Bilinge Carson

7165
Class/grade: 1st Age group: 6-7

transdisciplinary theme

How we share the planet: An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities peace and conflict resolution.

Title: Plants and animals everywhere! Teacher(s): Ana Karina Valdez, Ana Gabriela Guevara M., Argelia Quiones, Paulina Salamanca, Laura, Jos Alfredo Date: November-December
Proposed duration: 40hrs over number of weeks 4

central idea

Knowing our biodiversity is essential to conserve our planet.

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?

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?

Each student, will take care of a plant, look at the seeds, look for the earth that will make the plant grow, plant the seeds, water them and give it sunshine. Register the plants growth and see the different parts of the plant as it grows. Register the all information in their science notebooks and with pictures.

RELATAED CONCEPT: Biodiversity CONCEPT: Causation, change

What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea? Parts of plants and how they work. Plants and their importance to earth. Kinds of animals and how they live. Animals and their needs Biodiversity and its importance to mankind.

Students will investigate about an animal and its needs and how it lives, they will also investigate if this animal likes some kind of plant, eats or needs a plant. Use the kwlh chart to register their investigation.

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries? - What is a plant? - Why do we need plants? - How does a plant grow? - How many kinds of plants exist around the world? - What kinds of animals are there? - What do animals need? - How can humans be kind to animals? - What is a biodiversity Turn the classroom into a jungle with plants and animals.
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?

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?

Make a collage using different plants from around our school and classify by color, shape and size. Magic circle, discuss recycling and ask why it is important to do it, what materials do we recycle and why? Pass out animal cards (different for each one of the kids). Imitate the animal assigned and tell the class what you think you eat, need, and live. Draw a picture of your animals habitat and explain why you think it is what you drew. Using the letters from the word biodiversity, draw A4 sized letters on pieces of cardboard. Cut out each letter and mix. Dont let the students know what the word actually is.
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
Observation rubric Use Checklist. Observe and evaluate the process to obtain evidence of the acquired knowledge. Rubrics and register of events Report Rubric. Check content, concepts, and presentation. Assessment among classmates to determine if the material and what they investigated was interesting and adequate (homework). Checklist. Have children make a rubric to grade our investigation as we work on it. Includeing individual participation and team work. Children will tell how interesting and useful this investigation was for them and they will grade the investigation. Use the kwlh to register to their progress.

Make a collage with real plants. Classify by size, color, shape. Magic Circle. Begin with a reading about Nature. Then ask children what they know about plants. Register in KWL chart. The teacher will prepare them to grow a plant. Have them register changes in the plant everyday in science notebook. Look at different materials and talk about how they were made, they discover how many of them depend on plants, ex. Paper, register questions on KWLH chart. Take a trip to look at the cotton fields in our community and understand its need to the world. P.E. Teacher will work running or crawling contest simulating different animals. PE Teacher will play with students to imitate animals sounds. Art- Draw and color w/ different art materials your favorite plant or animal. Music- the kids will listen to different animal sound and identify. Music- the children will play animal bingo. Computer Lab. Children use internet to inquiry animals and their needs. And then they will be able to use the PAINT program to draw their findings and use the WORD program to type all that they found. To inquire about animals life. (Library) they watch some videos about it to register it in PYP reflection notebook.

In small groups students use a dictionary to discover the Meaning of the word 'biodiversity'.
Students create a biodiversity collage and discuss the meaning of biodiversity. Decide on a class definition for biodiversity.

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available? Dictionaries and encyclopedias in Library Science book software (Scott Foresman Science 1) www.sfscience.com, www.kz.com, www.discovery.com Animals and plants posters internet Art and P.E. teacher cotton fields in Delicias. Web of Life for Kids video magazines, newspapers, travel brochures, old calendars How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry? -

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

Profile: caring- reflective. Taking care of a plant and knowing the needs of an animal. Attitude: Appreciation- Respect. How to take care of our animals and plants to preserve our planet. Skills: Investigation. The students will learn to collect information and classify.

Use the classroom to make a greenhouse to present the different kinds of animals and plants and exhibit them.
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.

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?

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.

demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?

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

develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?

In each case, explain your selection.

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.

9. Teacher notes

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.