2014 Kristin Junior School Programme of Inquiry
Transdisciplinary Themes
Where we are in place and
time
Who we are
An inquiry into the nature of
the self; beliefs and values;
personal, physical, mental,
social and spiritual health;
human relationships including
families, friends, communities,
and cultures; rights and
responsibilities; what it means
to be human.
An inquiry into orientation
in place and time; personal
histories; homes and journeys;
the discoveries, explorations
and migrations of humankind;
the relationships between and
the interconnectedness of
individuals and civilisations,
from local and global
perspectives.
How we express ourselves
How the world works
An inquiry into the ways in
which we discover and express
ideas, feelings, nature, culture,
beliefs and values; the ways
in which we reflect on, extend
and enjoy our creativity; our
appreciation of the aesthetic.
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; the impact
of scientific and technological
advances on society and on the
environment.
Term 1
Junior
Kindergarten
Term 2
An inquiry into the
interconnectedness of
human-made systems and
communities; the structure
and function of organisations;
societal decision-making;
economic activities and their
impact on humankind and the
environment.
Sharing the planet
An inquiry into rights and
responsibilities in the struggle
to share finite resources with
other people and with other
living things; communities
and the relationships within
and between them; access to
equal opportunities; peace and
conflict resolution.
Term 3
Term 4
Sharing the planet
How the world works
Who we are
How we express ourselves
Concept: Responsibility
Concepts: Form, Function
Concept: Form, Connection
Concepts: Form, Function
Related concepts: Habitat
Related concepts: Transportation
Related concepts: Family, Identity
Related concepts: Communication
Central Idea: Living things have certain
requirements in order to grow and stay
healthy
Central Idea: People use different types of
transport vehicles to get from one place to
another
Lines of Inquiry:
Lines of Inquiry:
Central Idea: I am learning about my identity Central Idea: Nursery Rhymes inform and
and the things I can do
provoke us, they give us pleasure and help
our imaginations grow
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
•
Our needs and the needs of other living
things
Our responsibility for the well being of
other living things
How living things can help us
Lines of Inquiry:
•
My physical characteristics - what I
look like
•
The reason we have nursery rhymes
Transport is used for different purposes
•
What makes me unique
•
Our favourite nursery rhymes
•
Rules that keep us safe on roads
•
•
The retelling of nursery rhymes
•
My responsibility and roles
Myself as part of my family and as part
of the wider community
•
Acting out nursery rhymes
•
Different forms of transport
•
Term 1
Transition
Kindergarten
How we organise ourselves
•
My responsibility and roles
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Sharing the planet
How the world works
Who we are
How we express ourselves
Concepts: Causation, Responsibility
Concepts: Change, Connection
Concepts: Form, Change
Concepts: Perspective, Reflection
Related concepts: Conservation,
Sustainability
Related concepts: Systems
Related concepts: Growth, Systems
Central Idea: Change affects our lives and
environment
Central Idea: Every day I learn about how I
am growing
Related concepts: Self expression,
Communication
Lines of Inquiry:
Lines of Inquiry:
Central Idea: People’s actions affect living
and non living environments
Lines of Inquiry:
•
The impact of human behaviour on the
rocky shore
•
Classificatio of living and non living
things
•
Our responsibility of other living things
•
Changes in the seasons
•
How seasonal change affects our lives
•
How seasonal change affects our
environment
•
What does my body look like on the
inside and out
•
How I grow and change
•
What I need to be healthy
Central Idea: People express themselves
in many ways
Lines of Inquiry:
•
The different mediums for expressing
ourselves
•
Creating and presenting in different
ways
•
How a story is made up
Year 0
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
How we express ourselves
How the world works
Sharing the planet
Concepts: Perspective, Reflection
Concepts: Change, Connection, Causation
Concepts: Form
Related concept: Communication, Interpretation
Related concepts: Cycles, Interaction
Related concepts: Classification
Central Idea: We express our thoughts and ideas in many
different ways
Central Idea: Our lives depend on the sun
Central Idea: Key features determine whether a living thing
is classed as an animal
Lines of Inquiry:
• The different ways Myths and Legends are used to
entertain and inform an audience
• How pictures help us predict Myths and Legends
Lines of Inquiry:
•
The sun as the source of energy and light
•
The importance of the sun to life on Earth
•
Night and day cycles
Lines of Inquiry:
• How Myths and Legends differ from other stories
Year 1
Term 1
Who we are
Concepts: Connection,
Function
Related concepts:
Relationships, Behaviour,
Resilience
Central Idea: Understanding
feelings helps us in
relationships
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
Relationships are
important
How friendships are
made and kept
Term 2
Where we are in place
and time
Concepts: Connection,
Function
Related concepts:
Cooperation, Ownership
Central Idea: Public Areas
strengthen communities
and provide people with
opportunities to connect
Lines of Inquiry:
•
Different public areas
and their functions
•
How public areas
develop
•
How these places allow
people to connect
How we express ourselves
Concepts: Perspective,
Reflection
Related concept:
Communication
Central Idea: Cultures
express and tell stories in
different ways
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
The purpose and
dissemination of
traditional stories
The structure of
traditional stories
•
Living things may be classed as animals or plants
•
The differences between animals and plants
•
Animals are classified into sub groups which have
certain key features
Term 3
How we organise
ourselves
Concepts: Function,
Causation
Related concepts:
Networks, Roles
Central Idea: Our school
functions effectively when
roles and responsibilities are
shared
Sharing the planet
Concepts: Change,
Function
Concepts: Responsibility,
Causation
Related concept: Form
Related concepts:
Adaptations, Habitat
Central Idea: Heat energy
affects the state of matter
Lines of Inquiry:
•
The properties that
characterise solids,
liquids, gases (related
to particle behaviour)
•
Temperature is a
measure of the heat of
an object and is related
to how fast the particles
that make up the
object are moving and
vibrating
Lines of Inquiry:
•
The people who help us
in our school
•
The roles and
responsibilities of
people in our school
•
Systems that are in
place to maintain the
order of our school
Term 4
How the world works
•
Changes of state
always involve a
transfer of energy
Central Idea: The world is
for living things to share
Lines of Inquiry:
•
Animals structures and
their functions
•
The way animals
structures differ to suit
their environments
•
Our responsibility
for the well-being
of animals in our
communities
Year 2
Term 1
Term 2
Where we are in place
and time
Concept: Change
Related concepts: History,
Identity
Central Idea: Knowing our
family histories helps us
learn about our culture and
traditions
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
•
How our family
traditions have changed
over time
Artifacts, heirlooms
or rituals that have
meaning in a family
Who we are
How we express ourselves
Sharing the planet
Concept: Connection
Concept: Perspective
Related concepts:
Relationships, Consequence
Related concepts: Self
expression, Communication
Concepts: Responsibility,
Form
Central Idea: Life is adapted
to suit weather changes
Central Idea: A balance in
life contributes to well-being
Central Idea: Through
the arts people express
themselves in a variety of
ways
Lines of Inquiry:
•
Weather changes and
its affects
•
Instruments used to
measure and record
weather
•
Standard and nonstandard measurement
systems
•
Probability - forecasting
different weather
Related concepts:
Networks, Roles
Central Idea: In communities
there are special people to
keep us safe
Lines of Inquiry:
•
Effective
communication with
emergency services
•
Responsible actions to
take in an emergency
Concepts: Perspective,
Reflection
Concepts: Form,
Connection, Responsibility
Related concepts:
Communication, Empathy,
Open-mindedness
Related concepts:
Conservation,
Interdependence, Habitat
Central Idea: Relationships
are enhanced by learning
about other people’s
perspectives
Central Idea: People
interact with, use and value
the natural environment in
different ways
•
Social interactions
Acknowledging others
perspectives
Managing and resolving
conflict
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
•
Lines of Inquiry:
•
What it means to be
a friend
•
Balanced choices that
contribute to well being
•
Ways to solve conflict
•
Term 2
Sharing the planet
•
•
The different roles of
people who help us in
the community
•
Term 1
Who we are
Lines of Inquiry:
Term 4
How we organise
Concepts: Change, Causation ourselves
Concepts: Function,
Related concepts:
Connection
Adaptation, Patterns
Similarities and
differences between
generations
Year 3
Term 3
How the world works
Local ocean
environment
Actions that benefit or
harm the local ocean
environment
Interdependence of
ocean life
The consequence of
choice
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
•
Term 2 and 3
What inspires cultural
forms of art
Exploration of different
styles of art
Personal expression
through art How we express ourselves
How the world works
Concepts: Causation,
Reflection
Concepts: Form, Function
Related concepts:
Movement, Body Forms
Concepts: Causation,
Connection, Change
Central Idea: Exploration
helps us learn more about
our place in the universe
Lines of Inquiry:
•
Past and present
explorations
•
•
The features of space
Knowledge gained from
space exploration and
technology
Central Idea: Movement is a
way to express ourselves
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
•
Different forms of
movement
Moving and responding
to music
How other cultures
express their identity
through dance
Central Idea: All living things
need each other to exist
Lines of Inquiry:
•
Our responsibility to
look after plants in our
natural environment
•
Relationships within the
natural environment
•
The role of living things
Term 3
Where we are in place
and time
Related concepts: Space,
Exploration
Related concept:
Reflection, Biology
Related concepts: Impact,
Geology, Natural disasters
Central Idea: Human
response is connected to
understanding the continual
changing nature of the Earth
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
•
How the different
components of the
Earth are interrelated
How the Earth has
changed and has
continued to change
Human response to the
Earth’s changes
Term 4
How we organise
ourselves
Concepts: Function,
Responsibility
Related concepts:
Supply and demand,
interdependence
Central Idea: Marketplaces
depend on the ability to
produce goods and supply
services that can be
exchanged
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
•
Medium of exchange in
various marketplaces
Ethics of the
marketplace
How and in what ways
we depend on other
people
Year 4
Term 1
Term 2
Who we are
Sharing the planet
Concepts: Responsibility,
Reflection
Concepts: Responsibility,
Perspective
Related concept: Choice
Related concept:
Conservation
Related concepts:
Community, Connection
Central Idea: Water is a
finite resource that gives life
to our planet
Central Idea: All regions
have special features that
distinguish themselves from
others
Central Idea: Being
informed enables us to make
better choices
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
•
Year 5
What it means to have
a balanced lifestyle
Social, emotional and
physical factors that
influence our choices
Possible consequences
of our choices
Lines of Inquiry:
•
Sources of water
•
How water is used
•
Responsibilities
regarding water
•
Distribution and
availability of useable
water
Term 1
Where we are in place
and time
Term 3
How the world works
How we organise
ourselves
Concepts: Form,
Concepts: Form, Connection Connection, Function
Lines of Inquiry:
•
•
•
Term 1 and 2
Concepts: Change,
Causation
Related concept:
Conservation,
Transformation
Related concept:
Technological advances
Central Idea: Energy may
be converted from one form
to another and stored in
various ways
The regions of Auckland Lines of Inquiry:
• Forms of energy
The different play
spaces in the regions of
Auckland
The special features of
these play spaces
•
The storage and
transformation of
energy
•
Conservation of energy
•
Renewable and
sustainable energy
Term 2
Sharing the planet
How the world works
Who we are
Concepts: Perspective,
Function
Concepts: Responsibility,
Reflection
Concept: Change
Concept: Connection
Related concepts:
Creativity, Uniqueness
Related concept:
Conservation
Related concept: Chemical
and physical transformations
Related concept: Systems
Central Idea: Through The
Arts, people use different
forms of expression to
convey their uniqueness
Central Idea: Conservation
of living things contributes to
the continuation of species
Central Idea: Scientific
study is necessary to
understand changes in the
world around us
Lines of Inquiry:
Lines of Inquiry:
•
The diverse ways in
which people express
themselves
•
The need for artistic
expression
•
The role of ‘The Arts’ in
society
The endangerment of
species
•
•
The role of conservation
organisations
•
The processes that lead
to changes of state
•
Our responsibilities
towards conservation of
different species
•
How scientific
processes relate to
everyday use
•
The characteristics of
matter
Concepts: Connection,
Reflection
Related concepts:
Celebration, Culture
Central Idea: Celebrations
Central Idea: Technological
create an awareness and
developments affect our lives appreciation of culture
Lines of Inquiry:
Lines of Inquiry:
•
The history of
inventions
•
What different cultures
celebrate
•
The impact of change
•
•
Reasons people select
the products they use
Why and how
celebrations occur
•
Connections between
culture and celebrations
Term 3
How we express ourselves
Lines of Inquiry:
Term 4
How we express ourselves
Central Idea: Systems rely
on different parts working
together to function
Lines of Inquiry:
•
Different body systems
•
Connections between
the body systems
•
Keeping our bodies
healthy
Term 4
How we organise
ourselves
Where we are in place
and time
Concepts: Form, Function
Concepts: Causation,
Change
Related concept:
Persuasion, Choice
Central Idea: Advertising
influences what we think and
the choices we make
Lines of Inquiry:
Related concepts:
Migration, Settlement
Central Idea: Human
migration is a response
to challenges, risks and
opportunities
•
The purpose of
advertising
•
The language used
to make advertising
effective and to
influence our choices
•
The reasons people
migrate
•
Migration throughout
history
The different types
of media used in
advertising
•
Effects of migration on
communities
•
Lines of Inquiry:
Year 6
Term 1
Who we are
Concepts: Form, Function
Related concept:
Citizenship
Central Idea: Communities
are strengthened by their
individuals
Lines of Inquiry:
•
Teams we belong to
•
Roles that strengthen
a team
•
The ways I can
strengthen the teams I
belong to
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
How we organise
ourselves
Where we are in place
and time
Concepts: Function,
Responsibility
Concepts: Causation,
Change
Related concept: Roles
Related concepts: Initiative
Related concept:
Communication
Central Idea: Systems are
developed to help us and
keep us safe.
Central Idea: People shape
the future through their
actions
Central idea: A variety of
media facilitates local and
global communication
Central Idea: The scientific
study of evidence promotes
understanding
Lines of Inquiry:
Lines of Inquiry:
Lines of Inquiry:
Lines of Inquiry:
•
The need for personal
and community
preparedness
•
Systems that help
us in our homes and
communities
•
Our responsibilities to
prepare for and respond
to situations that
endanger us
How we express ourselves
Sharing the planet
How the World Works
Concepts: Perspective,
Connection
Exhibition Theme
Central Idea and Lines of
Inquiry will be decided by the
students during 2014
Concepts: Function,
Reflection, Perspective
Related concept: Genetics,
Artifacts
•
Reasons people take
action
•
What communication
media is
•
The study of human
characteristics
•
Actions people take can
make a difference
•
•
•
Changes as a result
of action
How media can be
used to communicate
messages
The collection and
presentation of scientific
evidence
•
How different media
connects with different
audiences
•
The interpretation of
events and findings