Planning the inquiry
1. What is our purpose?
Class/grade:5th Grade
Age group: 10 or 11 yr olds
1a) To inquire into the following:
School: Kramer Elementary
School code: 051613
● transdisciplinary theme
Teacher(s): Rivera, Canales, Santana
How the World Works
Date:Oct 3, 2016
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; and the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on
the environment.
Proposed duration: 5 weeks; Oct 3-Nov 4
● central idea
Innovations in technology lead to advancements in exploration and scientific
discoveries.
1b) Summative assessment task(s):
2. What do we want to learn?
What are the possible ways of assessing students’ understanding of the central
idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for?
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective,
responsibility, and reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
Change-What are reasons people need to migrate? Why do they need to change?
A new planet is discovered by NASA. You are part of the team that is going to
explore the planet and find out whether or not the planet is inhabitable. What
technology is needed for your team to get to the planet? If the technology is not
invented yet, what would your team need to create in order to get there? When
you arrive, what technology will you need to check the air and land samples?
What technology is needed for you to live there during your experiment? What
are some reasons that humans would need to migrate there? What would be the
benefits of moving a society there? What are the disadvantages of moving
there? What effect would it have on the people of Earth who stay? How would
you communicate with NASA or your family back on Earth?
Causation-What are the effects of moving to a new society?
Function-What is the purpose of migration or exploration?
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
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The effect of exploration on the human race
The reasons people explore and migrate
New technology needed to explore and the effects it has on exploration to today.
Types of energy and force
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
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What effect has exploration had on society?
Why did we begin exploring? Based on the country exploring or the country being
explored, how did exploration/colonization impact those societies?
How has the physical world changed since exploration?
How has technology affected exploration?
What justifies technology?
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2011
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 possible ways of assessing students’ prior knowledge and skills?
What evidence will we look for?
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?
KWL Chart (Individual and class) about technology. What is it? How do you define
technology?
Week 1: IB Elements-Highlight Transdisciplinary Skills (Research, Thinking Skills,
Social and Self-Mgmt), Introduce new theme and unit, generate questions for
Wonder Wall; Reading/LA-Literary non-fiction, figurative language, imagery,
vocabulary, tie to Exploration; Math-Multiplying whole numbers by a decimal;
Science-Energies; SS-Spanish explorers after Columbus, searching for wealth,
analyzing consequences of Columbian exchange, impact on societies.
Writing prompt about how technology has made their lives easier? What have you
seen in your lifetime? How has it made your life better?
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines
of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
Have the KWL Chart up all six weeks and add to our class charts.
Use of the Wonder Wall to add, learn and remove questions once topics are learned
and questions are answered about technological advancements.
Use of the action cycle. Reflect on the use of the technology (Did it help or hurt?) or
the reasons for exploration.
Reflection on Venn Diagram and the reason/effects of exploration.
Week 2: IB Elements-Revisit Action Cycle and connect to content, keep addressing
Wonder Wall and Unit; Reading/LA-Literary, non-fiction text, summarization,
inferencing, asking questions about what they read; Math-Multiplying decimal by a
decimal; Science-Circuits; SS-Analyzing relationships between Spanish and Native
Americans
Week 3: IB Elements-Revisit Key Concepts (Function, Change and Causation);
Reading/LA-Persuasive text (Why would you explore? Going to another planet?),
creating good arguments; Math-Division of decimals; Science-Light; SS-Identify
locations of Sp. settlements, Begin English exploration
Week 4: IB Elements-Review the Theme/Central Idea, Introduce Summative;
Reading/LA-Drama, assessment, Math-Division of decimals, assessment; ScienceForce and review; SS-Religious and economic reasons for settling in New England,
French/Dutch settlements in New England.
Week 5: IB Elements-Complete the summative; Reading/LA-Reteach TEKS that
were lowest on the common assessment, informational text; Math-Personal finance,
adding and subtracting fractions; Science-Designing their own force experiment; SSCompare the colonization efforts of English, French and Dutch, geography of
different colonies (Venn Diagram)
What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the
development of the attributes of the learner profile?
Transdisciplinary-Thinking Skills
Learner Profile-Open-Minded, Risk-taker, Thinker, Knowledgeable (Journal writing,
weekly reflection)
5. What resources need to be gathered?
What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
Mr. Rivera-technology to make instruments (innovation in music)
Innovation in art, music, PE, garden, language. How has technology changed your field?
Library-non-fiction text on exploration, technology books (online resources), World Book Online, COWs for research, app for Kindles
Video clips-space exploration and technological innovation, Brainpop, NASA website
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
Exploration of the school environment (looking for Energies that can’t be created or destroyed), media center for research ideas
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2011
Reflecting on the inquiry
6. To what extent did we achieve our purpose?
7. To what extent did we include the elements of the PYP?
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.
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.
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.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and
the transdisciplinary theme?
Lines of Inquiry
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Students’ Understanding of Central Idea
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Students understand the central idea. The reflection writing that Daisy did
was talking about how technology has helped us in our everyday life, how it
has changed our community or society, and how it has helped them meet
their human needs (what do you need to survive).
● Students made the connection to the Indian tribes (hunting tools,
travel/canoes, homes) to the types of technology we have today.
● Connections were made to exploration and the technology used by Spain,
England, France-ships, compasses, maps (technology of the time). If they
didn’t have these tools, were they able to explore?
● Connection to space travel. Technology today is different, more advanced,
but we are still desiring to explore new places and new worlds.
Improve the Assessment
Students could address the effects of exploration for the human race (societal
growth, cause/effect of indigenous groups) as well as the reason people explore and
migrate.
● Need a stronger base for technology needed to explore the effects it has on
exploration today (compass, GPS, computers in cars)
● Types of energy and force is the most solid, but how is it connected? How does it
align to the central idea? Make it more aligned to what humans need or what would
be needed on the new planet.
Learner Profile
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Open-Minded-Non-examples of explorers engaging with the native people,
products being exchanged on the trade routes.
Risk-taker-Courageous people, stepping out to move to a new world or new
lands
Thinker-Thought process behind the technology and problem solving during
exploration
Knowledgeable-aligned to tools and technology that was needed
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DIfficult to make it connect to all areas of content by one teacher. Social
Studies teachers were more apt to talk about exploration, science teacher
did the scientific advancement.
● Questions may be too broad or too many. Break the assessment into
pieces.
● Can’t answer all of the questions about the scientific parts yet, but can
address pieces that they would need for food, water and shelter.
Connection from Central Idea to the Theme
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Aligns the last descriptor specifically with ‘the impact of scientific and
technological advances on society and on the environment’
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2011
Transdisciplinary Skills
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Thinking Skills-Appropriate to what students were studying. Comparison of
technology of explorers during the 1600-1700s and then technology today. There is a
lack of thinking as the technology gets more and more advanced. We don’t use our
thinking as much. Is that a benefit or detrimental?
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.
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Self-driven cars-How do they work? How do you do that? What are the
pros/cons of having these cars?
What do you need to go to space? Who pays for the space travel? How do
you become an astronaut?
Computer and cell phone-Where will the technology go next? What is the
next big thing?
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.
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HQ wants technology to be placed right in his head!
Questions about ocean exploration. Research what is left to explore.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2011
9. Teacher notes
Maybe move to a different part of the year, closer to a time of the year when we discuss the
environment.
Add a question about the effects of technology on our thinking. The more we use, the less we
think? Do we use our common sense? Our reasoning? Our problem solving skills?
Highlight the key concepts of change, causation and function. Name each one for the student
and use them during the lessons.