Planning the inquiry

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

Class/grade: 4th grade School: Oak Forest Elementary

Age group: 9 - 10 School code: 006610

transdisciplinary theme (Unit 6) Sharing the planet

Teacher(s): Harwell, Dhillan, Pettit, Ward, Thorne, Forman, Date: April 1- May 22, 2013 Proposed duration: 30 hours over 6 weeks PYP planner

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.
central idea Communities adapt in order to survive.

- 1 -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?
Key Concepts: Function, Causation, Connection Related Concepts: Adaptation, Evolution, Competition, Cooperation

Summative assessment task(s): Ecosystem Assessment Short Answer Questions Utilizing teacher directions and response sheets, students will demonstrate their understanding: 1. 2. 3. that organisms within an ecosystem are categorized. (producers, consumers, or decomposers; carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores) of the dependency and interdependency of organisms with an ecosystem. about the effects that natural events and human activities can have on an ecosystem.

What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea? How organisms compete to survive How living things adapt and respond to environmental conditions The relationships between communities

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries? Provocation

A rubric addressing the evidence will be used to measure the assessment.

Create an imaginary river by marking two river banks with rope or masking tape. Make it wide enough (20-25) to be a challenge for your group to get from one side to the other. Distribute squares of cardboard (1x1 squares) to half of the group. Alternatively, you can use sheets of standard letter sized paper. The aim is to get all of the group (or team) safely across the river. However, they cannot touch the water and must use the rafts (cardboard squares) to cross. Rafts must be in contact with a human at all times or they will be swept away with the current. Once the crossing has begun, the leader must remove any cardboard squares that are swept away by the current. Unfortunately the river is also filled with crocodiles and if any team member touches the water they incur a crocodile penalty i.e. lose a leg and they must complete the river crossing hopping on one foot. The first attempt at crossing is usually hilarious to watch. Let the teams go a second time to build on lessons learned from the first crossing.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Taught: Oct. 24- Dec. 19 2011 Revised: Sept. 20, 2012

Teacher Questions What is necessary for survival? How do organisms adapt to different environments? In what ways are communities related to each other?

3. How might we know what we have learned?

Planning the inquiry

4. How best might we learn?

Teachers can use the following activities to engage students with the lines of inquiries. The Flow of Energy Students will simulate the flow of energy through a food chain by acting as grasshoppers, shrews, hawks, or corn plants. The teacher needs to secure an area for the activity. Ask students the following questions: How would you make a food chain using a shrew, hawk, grasshopper, and corn plant. 1. Once the students have agreed on the food chain, divide the class into three categories. Give each student an index card with their animals name on it. (Have lots of corn plants but fewer grasshoppers. There should be less shrews than grasshoppers but more shrews than hawks.) Scatter pictures or scraps of construction for the corn plants on the ground. Give the grasshoppers 15 seconds to collect as much corn plant as they can in their stomach (Ziploc bag or paper bag). After 15 seconds, have the shrews hunt the grasshoppers. Each time a shrew tags a grasshopper, the grasshopper will place their index card inside the stomach, give their stomachs to the shrew, and go sit down. After another 15 seconds, have the hawks hunt the shrews. Each time a hawk tags a shrew, the shrew will place their index card inside the stomach, give their stomachs to the hawk, and go sit down. Whoever is left alive after 15 seconds, will come to the front of the class and dump the contents of their stomachs. The students will discuss the findings of the stomachs.

What are the possible ways of assessing students prior knowledge and skills? What evidence will we look for?
The students prior knowledge and skills will be assessed by utilizing a bubble map in order to determine the students knowledge of a community and its needs.

2.

What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
The Flow of Energy Student will answer the following questions by writing their responses in their Science journal: 1. Why are there only a few hawks? 2. Which level of the energy pyramid is the grasshopper? 3. Which level of the energy pyramid supports the most organisms? 4. Which organisms use only a small amount of energy? 5. Is it possible to have an upside-down energy pyramid? Energy Needs in the Ecosystem Student will submit a poster demonstrating their understanding of the three common organisms: producer, consumer, and decomposer. Students will also display an understanding of a prey and predator within the poster. Student will be assessed by a rubric. Food Chain Student will be assessed by a rubric to demonstrate their understanding of how energy is passed from one organism to another.

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5. 6.

Energy Needs in the Ecosystem Inquiry activity: the teacher will present a piece of meat, vegetables, and fruit to generate inquiry. The goal is to get the students to make a connection with the food items presented and the three common organisms. Eventually, ask the students how many eat meat? How many eat vegetables and fruit? How many eat both meat and plants? Also, make note of those who may be vegetarians. 1. The students will be given a Thinking Map (graphic organizer) to assist them with classifying three common organisms. The students will research organisms that eat only meat (carnivores), organisms that eat only plants (herbivores), and organisms that eat both plants and other organisms (omnivores). The student will use the Internet, books and/or magazines to collect pictures of animals/organisms. The student will use a poster and strategically categorize their pictures by carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. In additions, students will spotlight those organisms that are producers, consumers, decomposers, prey, and predator.

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Animal Adaptations for Survival Student will demonstrate understanding by completing and submitting an Adaptation Activity Sheet.
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Taught: Oct. 24- Dec. 19 2011 Revised: Sept. 20, 2012

5. What resources need to be gathered? What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
Resources will be used to broaden and develop the understanding of the unit activities.

4. How best might we learn?

Teachers can use the following activities to engage students with the lines of inquiries. Food Chain 1. Using strips of construction paper, students will create a food chain to demonstrate their understanding of how energy is passed from one organism to another. (Green for producer; light blue for level 1 consumer; orange for level 2 consumer; red for level 3 consumer; brown for humans)

Computer Lab and library for research.

Reading stories from Pearson Reading Street textbook: Adelinas Whales, Encantado, Sailing Home, Far Side of the Moon (ISBN: 0-328-22121-x) McMillan/McGraw-Hill Science-A Closer Look-Grade 4 Chapter 1: Lesson 2 and 3 (ISBN:978-002-287753-8) Houghton Mifflin Social Studies Grade 4 Chapter 12 (ISBN: 978-0-618-93906-0)

Inquiry activity: Does the shape of a birds beak affect what it eats? Students will learn how birds are adapted to different kinds of food based on the shapes of their beaks. (McMillan McGraw-Hill 2010 science textbook pg. 103) Animal Adaptations for Survival 1. Students will define and explain the terms hibernations, migration, camouflage, mimicry, instinct, and learned behavior. Students will use the Internet to find 3 examples of an animals adaptation. It can be behavior or physical. Student will complete Adaptation Activity Sheet to list the name of the animal, the animals adaptation, and a brief explanation of how the adaptation helps the animals to live in a specific habitat. Students will provide pictures to create and display a class collage about animal adaptations.

How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry? class discussion, cooperative grouping, learning centers, library, the Internet, SMARTboard,

2. 3.

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Transdisciplinary Skills Thinking Skills Acquistion of knowledge obtain facts and knowledge Social Skills Cooperating working with others productively and positively Group decision-making listening and working with others to complete to complete a task. Accepting responsibility Complete an individual task to benefit entire group Communication Skills Listening listening and following directions, sharing ideas Reading a variety of sources to obtain information Self-Management Skills Time Management complete individual assignments in a timely manner Organization and Time Management complete individual assignments to benefit the entire group Research Skills Formulating Questions formulate questions as to what they want to learn Collecting Data Gather information for class project Learner Profiles: Inquirers: Student will ask questions and research information. Thinkers: Students will analyze the relationships between organisms and how they share the planet.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007 Taught: Oct. 24- Dec. 19 2011 Revised: Sept. 20, 2012

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? What were the learning experiences that enabled students to: Venn-Diagram students were able to compare animals regarding physical and behavioral adaptations. Energy Pyramid and/or Food Chain students were able to understand how animals obtain energy in order to survive.

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. 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? This particular unit was overwhelming do to the number of SPIs planned for this unit. It was too much information to teach in such a short amount of time. The activities and projects were appropriate; however all of the content and skills that were required could not be taught within this unit. This was proven by the written postassessment. In addition, it was concluded that more hands-on activities would be need in order to possibly reach the goal of teaching all of the SPIs. On the other hand, students were able to achieve an understanding of the SPIs that were covered. They were able to connect to their learning and understanding to the central idea. This was proven on the quality of the projects presented. .

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Taught: Oct. 24- Dec. 19 2011 Revised: Sept. 20, 2012

Reflecting on the inquiry

8.

What student-initiated inquiries arose from the 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 are some of the animals In Tennessee? How does global warming affect eh ecosystem?

What student-initiated actions arose from the learning? Students were able to research the Internet to answer their questions; which, gave them a deeper understanding about how animals survive in different parts of the word and the extinction of animals. Also, the students were very engaged in the research and finding the answers to their questions.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Taught: Oct. 24- Dec. 19 2011 Revised: Sept. 20, 2012