Planning the inquiry

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

Class/grade: I School: Hillside Academy Title: Transportation

Age group: 5-6 yrs. School code: 300536

transdisciplinary theme How we organize ourselves

An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities ; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment

Teacher(s):Mrs. Habeeba, Mrs.Sarita, Mr. Koteshwar Rao, Mr. Robin, Mr. Ram Mohan, Mr.Sanjeev

Date: June 21st - July 31st Proposed duration: 45 number of hours over number of 6 weeks

central idea

People use different types of vehicles to travel from one place to another. 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? Students demonstrate that they can identify and classify into 3 major modes of
transport i.e. , land, air and water A Train, car, bus, fire engine, truck. B Hot air balloon, helicopter , aeroplane ,rocket.

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 , Function, Connection Related Key Concepts ( Structure, Systems)

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

C boat, sailing boat, rowboat.

Forms of transportation Different kinds of transport. Why people use different kinds of transport.

Activities include : Looking at painting templates of a bus ,rocket, hot air balloon, creating a How have you travelled? and sorting out small transport toys according to purpose and size the vehicles in the groups,

Students demonstrate that they have an awareness of the different functions of

A B. and C.

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

Activities include sorting out vehicles that go on the land, water and air chart.

1. How do we go from one place to another? 2. What are the vehicles by which you have travelled and what difference you feel?

Involvement in Aeroplane, Fire engine, and boat. Play areas in the classroom. Students demonstrate that they know the differences between different forms of transport.

3. Why do we use different means of transport?

Activities include : Sorting transport toys, counting the wheels on different vehicles. Looking at different sizes of wheels.
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? Pre- assessment Students draw and colour the different means of transport that they know. Sending a survey sheet to the parents which is about the forms of transport and rating it based on the modes of transport they have travelled.

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?
What are the different forms of Transport Transport puzzles, looking at books on Transport. building roads with blocks. using a small train set, creating a floor map for vehicles, dramatizing being a fireman, pilot, ambulance driver ,bus driver, sorting small transport toys, creating car, boats aeroplanes from junk materials, collage of transport .Why do we use Transport Activities - Discussion about what a fireman, bus driver, ambulance driver, pirate and pilot do, with leading questions such as Where are you going? How long will it take,? and What do we need? Which is the fastest means of transport ?What are the difference between forms of Transport Encouraging children to identify the difference between the different means of transport. What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development of the attributes of the learner profile? Dramatic play; confidence, co operation, enthusiasm. and communication. floating science; recording, collecting data, acquisition of knowledge- application. Building sets, painting,; Finemotorskills Research Students were interested to find out different means of transport. They collect pictures and information related to it. Thinking Thinking of a destination for the airplane to travel was enjoyed by the students. They were given challenges to think of the time taken by each vehicle if they have travelled by bicycle, auto,car,bus etc. Inquirers The students were good inquirers as they gathered a lot of information by questioning their parents and school transport drivers.

What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for? 1. 2. Showing a power point presentation and discussing childrens responses. Observe and record anecdotal evidence when children are involved in transport activity game, where they inquire about its use and importance.eg. fire engine, ambulance, navy ships etc Ask children to sort out vehicles that go on land, water and air. Making a collage of means of transport and expressing their understanding about the uses of transport.

3. 4.

5. What resources need to be gathered? What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available? The little Red Fire engine High in the sky ,Wheels of the Bus, Picture set of the role of a Fireman, CD The Wheels of a bus, and environmental sounds of a firengine, aeroplane, train and boat. Tonka series of picture book, history of wheel(power point presentation ) and other PPTs from Primary Resources. How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry? This Inquiry will be largely driven by key dramatic play areas in the classroom at different times during the six weeks. The first focus will be on the AIR , the second on the LAND, and the third being on the WATER. Correspondingly there will be a plane, fire engine , and boat dramatic play area created out of large cartons and facilitate them to play and learning. At the end of the U.O.I. the students will visit Railway station and RTA OFFICE to observe different types of transportation and vehicles and traffic signal.. Throughout this Inquiry, students will be encouraged to be aware of surrounding local forms of transport, local cars, school buses, and planes and helicopters that fly regularly overhead..
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. Students enjoyed Train play it was the key form of play covered at the beginning of the year for the counting numbers. Children appeared to have a clear awareness of the purpose of a plane, bus, and fire engine, The use of pictures, toys and activities worked very well. Reference books chosen facilitated learning as did gathering information from parents. 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 students certainly demonstrated their understanding of transport as a way of people travelling from one place to another through their dramatization .Their ability to differentiate forms of transport and Sorting and labeling transport toys was further evidence of their understanding of the Central Idea and the transdisciplinary theme. They were able to make connections between transport and how we depend on it. What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and the trans disciplinary themes With different activities students were able to understand the the ways in which our part, present and future are all connected and the working systems of the society.

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 What is it Like Students have drawn a bus, hot air balloon, rocket , ships, aeroplane and boat . They also built buses and boats from the indoor blocks. Each student created their own boat and rockets made from chart papers. Transport puzzles were used. Function How does it function. Students enjoyed putting people in their bus paintings . Painted their own Rocket and named it. Created an imaginary place with toys where passengers are travelling by bus ,,train , aeroplane and boat from one station . and express how each vehicle travels. Connection : Students became aware that wheeled vehicles have different purposes both through their experience and by looking at books on trucks. Discussion took place concerning the different types of transport and the work they do. Airplane travel had more relevance to the students than did rocket travel. Children were made familiar with submarines and their uses. Internet pictures were used to show submarines, rockets, navy ships etc They are now aware of transport and its impact.

demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills? Research Students were interested to find out different means of transport. They collect pictures and information related to it. Thinking Thinking of a destination for the airplane to travel was enjoyed by the students. They were given challenges to think of the time taken by each vehicle if they have travelled by bicycle, auto,car,bus etc. Social Students co operated well with each other. Develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes? Inquirers The students were good inquirers as they gathered a lot of information by questioning their parents and school transport drivers.

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. What are the different forms of Transport ? Students were able to use the English label. All children were aware of the different forms of transport. Why do we use transport? Students seemed to have awareness that most forms of transport carry people, but were surprised to find out that this was not always the case. Look, Look Here comes a Bus, went a long way to stimulate their thinking that different forms of transport can carry different cargo, Students were familiar with the concept that vehicles take people from place to place. What are the differences between Transport that travels on Land , water and air? Students knew most about the car, bus, trains and airplane, but very little about trucks, rocket, ships and boats. They were all familiar with racing cars, and hot air balloons which was surprising. Finding the location for different forms of transport was an enjoyable activity. All students knew where to put the different forms of transport on an air, water and land worksheet.

9. Teacher notes Cross Curricular links: MATHS: Children enjoyed counting down the numbers for their rockets to blast off. All could count backwards from twenty to zero. Counting the wheels on the trucks had value in helping children learn their numbers. LANGUAGE: Words learnt were airplane, balloon. Rocket fire engine, bus ferryboat, ship, rocket, train and ambulance etc. The children enjoyed sharing their traveling experiences. They learnt the Hindi words for various means of transport. SOCIAL STUDIES: Caring for people i.e. fire engine and ambulance play. Taking people to their homes and far away destinations. OTHER SINGLE SUBJECTS: Art - Collage work and work with blocks, building models of transportation with toys train and signals and boats etc.

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.

1. How do we go from one place to another? 2. What are the vehicles by which you have travelled? And what difference you feel? 3. What are differences between transport that travels on land, air and water? 4. Why do we use different means of transport?
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. Manas reminded his father to wear a helmet while taking him for a park. Hafeefa asked his father to wear a seat belt and also insisted her mother also to wear a seat belt while going out in their car for a picnic.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007