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: How We Organize Ourselves
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural
Teacher(s): Ms. Jeeva Rajan, Mr. Sanjay Prabhakaran, Ms. Remi Rajan, Mr. Sujith, Ms.
world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their
Brinda, Mr. Abraham, Ms. Uma Sharma, Mr. Rajneesh, Ms. Kumari, Ms. Amritha
understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances
Date: July 15, 2019 to August 23, 2019
on society and on the environment.
Proposed duration: 6 weeks

Central Idea:
Knowledge of materials can help us to design and create new things
2. What do we want to learn?
Summative assessment task(s):
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective,
When given real-world problems, students will design the solutions to the problems using
and responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
their knowledge of properties of matter and use of materials.
Concepts: Form, Causation, Change
Assessment Strategy: Open ended tasks
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
Assessment Tools: Checklists and Anecdotal Records
 States of matter and properties of materials
 Changes in matter

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

Teacher Questions:
1. What is matter?
2. What can you observe about matter?
3. Why does matter matter?
4. What effects matter?
5. What physical properties tell us if an object is a solid, liquid or gas?
6. On what basis do you choose materials?
7. Why do objects float?
8. How can materials be changed?
9. What real world examples of these changes can you think of?

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

 Planning the inquiry
3. How might we know what we have learned? 4. How best might we learn?

This column should be used in conjunction with “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?
What are the possible ways of assessing students’ prior knowledge and skills? What
evidence will we look for?
Prior Knowledge: States of matter investigation. Activity: Solid, Liquid, or Gas? Students will sort samples
of matter and define the properties of 3 states of matter.
STEM Activity: Students need to construct a bridge that will span a distance using limited
materials. The goal will be to design the bridge to hold as much weight as possible Properties of matter. Discuss and list intensive properties (does not change with amounts
without the bridge collapsing. This must be completed in a limited amount of time. such as color, odor, hardness, luster, malleability, etc.) and extensive properties (mass,
Expected Outcome is students understand that materials have certain properties leading weight, volume, length). Activity: write states of matter riddles
to discussion on what materials are made up of.
Changes in matter: Students will engage in experiments changing from one state of
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of matter to another.
inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
Formative:
What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the
1. Students will solve jigsaw puzzles to find states and properties of matter development of the attributes of the learner profile?
2. Students will record findings after experiments
Learner Profile: Thinker, Knowledgeable, Reflective

ATLs: Research Skills, Thinking Skills

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc,
will be available?
Audio- Visual Materials:

Music: Musical forms and how different materials are used to construct musical
instrument
Art: Charcoal Painting and Crayon melting

How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate
the inquiry?

Classroom environment: A bulletin board with space where students can post questions or
comments and Classroom library includes unit related books

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

 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.
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?

This year a lot of resources were used in this activity. A lot of experiments were  Develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes? In each case, explain
your selection.
performed, which helped students understand the central idea. The STEM based Tuning
In proved to be quite engaging and challenged the students to think critically. In ICT and Concepts: Students understand the changes (change) in matter, the form that matter
music, the concept of form and change were addressed. The Art teacher was very much takes, and what causes (causation) matter to change its form.
involved. Transdisciplinary Skills: Throughout the unit, students used their research skills when
they formulated questions about properties of matter and change. They observed what
How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a more accurate
happened during experiments, collected, recorded, and organized their data. Students
picture of each student’s understanding of the central idea.
used their thinking skills to analyze the data and applied it to new situations. They then
We were happy with the assessment. Next year, though students can be asked to identify
own problems and use materials to design solutions. presented their findings.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and the
Learner Profile: Students were thinkers while taking down notes, making observations
transdisciplinary theme?
and inferences. They reflected on their findings were knowledgeable when they shared
Students noticed how matter changed states. The idea of change was evidently
demonstrated in their summative assessment. Students could connect the central idea
solutions to real-world problems.
with the theme.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

 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 was a very interesting unit involving experiments leading to high quotient of student
incorporated into the teaching and learning. engagement. Books were used from the library. The students could understand the
Student initiated questions: molecular composition of matter as well as chemical and physical changes. They
identified the properties of different materials and their uses. This unit was student led
1. What is matter?
and involved most of the teaching faculties. We were happy that we had active parent
2. What are molecules?
involvement also in the unit.
3. What is the molecular structure of solid/liquid/gas?
4. Can we break up molecules?
5. What are physical and chemical changes?
6. Does air have weight?

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 made different models and performed experiments on their own.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007