Planning the inquiry

Revised: March, 20, 2013

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

Colegio Bilinge Carson

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Class/grade: 3rd Age group: 7-8

transdisciplinary theme

How we share the planet: 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.

Title: The five Rs Teacher(s): Marisela Martinez/ Rita Fong/ Argelia Quinonez/ Paulina Salamanca/ Jose Alfredo/ Yessi Carnero/ Laura Date: May- June Proposed duration: 50 hrs. over number of weeks 7

central idea

In the natural environment exists infinite materials that need to be shared and taken care of by human beings. 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, and responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?

Students create an advertising campaign to encourage people to be conscious about the natural resources in our region, and how to make the best use of them. A pamphlet will be created by students and deliver it among children and parents, motivating them to reduce unnecessary waste, reuse by donating items they no longer need or use , and recycle objects such as aluminum, paper, carton, etc. This project is used as a tool of evaluation of the students understanding of the unit.

Key concept: Connection and reflection. Related concept: Recyclable What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
Natural resources from the community and the region. Products that come from natural resources. Reusable materials and their use. How selecting products can reduce the amount of waste.

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

What are some materials that we find in the natural environment? What is the role of the materials that we find in the natural environment? Why is it important to take care and share natural materials? What are some things you can do to take care of natural materials? What do the 5 Rs represent and why?

Provocation: Teacher walks into classroom drinking a pop and eating chips out of a small one-serving, pre-packaged container, and throws the waste on the floor. Students are then asked if they know any ways that they personally can help protect the environment

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? Brainstorm about the materials we use in our daily lives. Wonder where they come from, if they are natural or non-natural resources, and discuss if they have a positive or negative effect on the environment. KWL, Class discussion, teacher assessment, peer assessment, observation. What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for? 1 line of inquiry The teacher will use a map web for each group to use as an activity of what they know about materials, from where they come from, and how waste generated can be reduced and reused. Then the teacher will gather the information into one chart and review together with them. KWL chart. Observation, participation, and works. 2nd line of inquiry Magic circle: Discuss with them the importance of sharing and taking care of natural resources. KWL chart, participation, self-assessment. 3 line of inquiry Make a comparison table in their reflection notebooks about those materials that might be reusable and those which might not. Checklist, notebook, observation. 4th line of inquiry Reflect on the plastic bags and the recycling bags; how using recycling bags contributes the planet. Participation, portfolio assessment.
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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? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. In a magic circle, we will discuss the objects students use at home and school, and the materials they are made of. The students will go outside and look for examples of natural materials writing them down in their journals and drawing a picture. Look, cut, and paste items that come from the nature. Reflect on how these objects are different from the ones the human make, and the effect they have on the planet is. A chart will be made in classroom, where students classify materials into man-made and natural. A guest speaker will come to class to talk about the natural resources and how to make a good use of them. In their reflection notebook, write about the proper usage of our natural resources, and what actions we can take to preserve them. The teacher will read a book about recycling to the class and discuss its importance the students will then reflect with their partner what we read. Divide the class into three groups. Assign each group to one of the following categories: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. Have each student in the group present one item. Each student says the name of the item they have, and how it reduces waste. The art teacher will make the activity of a recycled bottle representing the ocean. The music teacher will teach the song the 3 Rs by jack Johnson. To the students. The students will bring recycled or reusable items from their home and create a product with their group then write about in their journal. The students will brainstorm to create a graphic web about what things can be reused and recycled. Students create a campaign where people will be encouraged to acquire eco-friendly items instead of the regular articles they get when going to the store. The students will pick up the recycling paper from the school and then write in their journal how recycling helps the world. Students research the material we can recycle and their characteristics. The students will create a useful object that can be wear or use in the daily life. It has to be made of recycled materials or reusable materials. Students invite classmates from other grades and explain them the steps they used to create it and talk about how reusing or recycling contributes to a cleaner Earth. Thus, they are encouraging others to be aware and responsible with the Earth.

9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available? Dictionaries, books, videos Downloadable coloring and reading books from The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences web pages. Online resources and internet Field trip to recycling company How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry? With a KWL bulletin board, students illustrations and daily activities made by the students. Set up different bins for different types of recyclables. Put a big reuse reduce recycle sign in the classroom. International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 -

What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development of the attributes of the learner profile? Transdicipline skill Social: students will be interacting and working with other people and classmates. Targeted profile well balanced: students are encouraged to make good decisions to preserve the planet. Targeted attitude Cooperation: there will be times to work with peers and through the unit they learn how to cooperate with the environment. Integrity: they will show respect, and awareness toward the planet. They will learn how to be a responsible. Multiple intelligences: Visual, interpersonal, naturalistic, and auditive.

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? demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills? develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?

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

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.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007