Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose?

Class/grade: PYP 5

To inquire into the following:

transdisciplinary theme

Sharing the Planet

An exploration of our rights and responsibilities as we try to
share finite resources with other people; with other living
things; of communities and of the relationships within and
between them.

central idea

Age group: 10-11 year olds

School: IS of Helsingborg

Title:

School code: 7033

Exhibition

Teacher(s): Cecilia Kristoffersson

PYP planner

Date: April 2011

Proposed duration: 5 hours/week for 8 weeks

Umbrella CI: Individuals and groups connect and organize to solve

problems and take action.
Group CIs:
1. We must all take responsibility to stop animal abuse.
2. No child should ever walk the cancer journey alone.
3. Endangered animals can be saved from extinction if we act
now.
4. People have responsibilities to prevent pollution and stop
Global warming.
5. Every homeless person has a right to feel like they belong
somewhere.
6. Loneliness is a challenge that many elderly face.
7. Plastic recycling can have an effect on the whole world.
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?

1. Student will celebrate their learning through a final

presentation including the following elements: music, art, ICT
components, completed essays and informative display
boards.
2. Students will take appropriate action closely connected to
their issues.
3. Students will self-assess their learning process.
4. Parents, teachers, mentors and PYP students will assess the
exhibition presentations and final essays.
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

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 What is it like?

Function How does it work?
Causation Why is it like this?
Change How is it changing?
Connection How is it connected to other things?
Perspective What are the points of view?
Responsibility What is our responsibility?
Reflection How do we know?
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?

Umbrella LOI: (See attachments for group LOI):

1. Our responsibilities to our community
2. Our group relationships
3. Our global citizenship
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
1. What is your issue?
2. Why is your issue important?
3. How will you take action to try to make a difference?
4. How will you share what you have learnt with your peers,
families and school?

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 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 possible ways of assessing students prior knowledge and skills?
What evidence will we look for?

Completion of the proposal task where students are asked to

write about a topic they would like to inquire into. A clear
link to the transdisciplinary theme must be evident.

Whole class discussions and mind maps.

Organizers e.g. I think, I see, I wonder..

What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the
lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?

Essays that answer the lines of inquiry.

Display boards that include important topic information
including answers to the inquiries into and all the elements of
the PYP.
Actions that are clearly connected to the issue and central
idea.

The group mentors will play an important part in helping to

organize opportunities to interview experts in each topic
area.
The class teacher will help each team to find suitable
resources online as well as from the school library.
The class teacher will provide reading booklets in each topic
area.

What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the
development of the attributes of the learner profile?

Students will continuously reflect over attitudes and profiles

required and displayed during different exhibition related
activities e.g. during group work, individual essay writing,
conducting interviews, planning actions, mentor meeting etc.
Students will also write individual journal reflections weekly
where they will state how and when these profiles and
attitudes were used.

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?

Mentors: Elizabeth Nilsson PYP 1 Class teacher, Jonas Henriksson After School Care Teacher, Magdalena Simmons PYP Prep. Class
teacher, Carla Johansson PYP 4 Class teacher, Lill Lomothey Swedish teacher, Karin strm Swedish teacher & Michelle Hortle Learning
support teacher.
School library & laptops: The library resources will be used frequently and the ICT labs will be available to the students.
Music: The class teacher will facilitate the composition of the groups music components.
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?

Groups will contact: Dagverksamhet Gustav (Old age centre), Djurskyddet (Animal Rights Org.), Hemlsas Hus (local Homeless shelter), Nordens
Ark (Swedish zoo for endangered Nordic animals), Lekterapin (Play therapy unit at local hospital), Miljbyrn (Climate change office at city
library) and Nordvstra Sknes Renhllnings AB (local recycling station).
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.

All components were well executed and I am truly grateful for the
support and active involvement from all the PYP teachers. The ICT
component was led by Mrs. Falkman and Mr. Van der Gragt stepped
in to help a group create a website. One thing that could be
improved would be to have English subtitles on the ICT components
that were done in Swedish.
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.

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?

In each case, explain your selection.

All key concepts, learner profiles, attitudes and skills were

reflected upon during the whole exhibition process as well as shown
on each display board.

I believe that the students had a good understanding of the

umbrella central idea as they all could connect their own CIs to this
one as well as to the TDT.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea
and the transdisciplinary theme?
Umbrella CI: Individuals and groups connect and organize to solve
problems and take action.
Group CIs:
1. We must all take responsibility to stop animal abuse.
2. No child should ever walk the cancer journey alone.
3. Endangered animals can be saved from extinction if we act
now.
4. People have responsibilities to prevent pollution and stop
Global warming.
5. Every homeless person has a right to feel like they belong
somewhere.
6. Loneliness is a challenge that many elderly face.
7. Plastic recycling can have an effect on the whole world.
TDT: Sharing the Planet - An exploration of our rights and
responsibilities as we try to share finite resources with other
people; with other living things; of communities and of the
relationships within and between them.
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Art out of plastic created by PYP 3.

Reflecting on the
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 is the cause of Global warming and how can we stop it?
How is plastic recycled?
How do different cultures treat their elderly?
Who becomes homeless and why?
Which Nordic animals are endangered and why?
What is it like to have cancer?
Which organizations help stop animal abuse?

These questions, and others, became the lines of inquiry.

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.
2.
3.
4.

What is your issue?

Why is your issue important?
How will you take action to try to make a difference?
How will you share what you have learnt with your peers,
families and school?

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.

Group actions:
Plastic recycling organized a competition for PYP 3 to make art out of
plastic bottles.
Childhood cancer made colorful clay hearts to sell and donated the
money (1700:-) to the Play therapy unit at the local hospital.
Old age and loneliness organized a concert at the local old age home
which included the whole class and a couple of PYP teachers as
performing musicians.
Animal abuse made a news broadcast about animal abuse and included
commercials encouraging adoption of local animals in need.
Endangered Nordic animals made a website with a blog to educate
people in this issue at http://www.pyp5exhibition.blogspot.com/
Homelessness wrote and illustrated a childrens book about what its
like to be homeless.
Global warming organized a carbon footprint pledge for people to
sign. People who signed the pledge also received a sticker made by the
group.
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

9. Teacher notes
Im on my way (Original song from Brother Bear)
Tell MYP that Im on my way,
New friends and new teachers to meet.
Exhibition all over, Im on my way,
but first dance to a hot summer beat.
Tell MYP that Im on my way,
Goodbye, PYP well miss you.
Weve worked really hard and weve made you so proud,
And weve smiled every step of the way.
Cause theres nothing like feeling weve done so well,
Weve proved it this year, yes youll see.
And the things that we know will make you really smile,
Oh it really lifts our hearts.
Tell MYP that were on our way
New friends and new teachers to meet.
A new IB program, we know well succeed
For well come so prepared, yes indeed.
Not my mum, not my teacher,
Can change my course,
Its time to move on, jump aboard.
And this feeling of excitement for new things to come my way,
Oh, this is where I want to be.

Cause Im on my way now,

Well and truly,
Im on my way now.
Tell MYP that Im on my way,
New friends and new teachers to meet.
Exhibition all over, Im on my way,
but first dance to a hot summer beat.
Tell MYP that Im on my way,
Goodbye, PYP well miss you.
Weve worked really hard and weve made you so proud,
And weve smiled every step of the way.
Were on our way. Yes, were on our way!

Attachment 1

HOW WE SHARE THE PLANET

Plastic Recycling
Central Idea: Plastic recycling can have an effect on the whole world
world.

Lines of inquiry:
1. The process of plastic recycling
2. Why we need to recycle plastic
3. Alternatives to plastic

Attachment 2

HOW WE SHARE THE PLANET

Central Idea:: Loneliness is a challenge that many elderly face.

Lines of inquiry:
1.

What changes does the body go through as we grow old.

2.
What challenges come from retirement.
3.
How do different cultures treat their elderly.

Attachment 3

HOW WE SHARE THE PLANET

Central Idea: Every homeless person has a right to feel like
they belong somewhere.

Lines of inquiry:
1. Who becomes homeless and why?
2. Many organizations help the homeless.
3. Homeless in Helsingborg.

Attachment 4

HOW WE SHARE THE PLANET

Central idea: People have responsibilities to prevent pollution and stop Global
warming.

Lines of inquiry:
1. What is Global warming? (causes)
2. Evidence of Global warming. (climate change)
3. What we can do? (responsibility)

Attachment 5

HOW WE SHARE THE PLANET

Central Idea: Endangered animals can be saved from extinction if we act
now.

1.
2.
3.

Lines of inquiry:
Nordic endangered animals
Causes of endangerment

Ways to protect endangered animals

Attachment 6

HOW WE SHARE THE PLANET

Central Idea: No child should ever walk the cancer journey alone.

Lines of Inquiry:
1.About cancer
2. Coping with cancer
3. Treatment of cancer

Attachment 7

HOW WE SHARE THE PLANET

Central Idea: We must all take responsibility to stop animal abuse.

3.

Lines of Inquiry:
1.
Animal Rights
2. Animal Cruelty
Organizations that protect Animals