Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose?

To inquire into the following:

Class/grade: 5-6s, Grupa mare (Bees/Dragonflies)

School: IOANID

Age group:

School code:

transdisciplinary theme
Title: Healthy body, healthy mind
Teacher(s):Ema Ionescu

central idea

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?

Identifying internal organs(pair game/individual)

Discussions in big and small groups about what children like or

dislike, about what they can do and what they need help with.

Drawings somebody who is similar & somebody who is different

Graphs with favorite sports/fruit etc

A booklet: All about me

Cristina Melintescu

Diana Calin

Nicoleta Haras

Gina Talos

Oana Trandafir

PYP planner

Date: 28.09.2015

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?
Responsibility, reflection, perspective
Central idea: Awareness of our characteristics, abilities and interests informs
our learning in development
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?

Physical, social and emotional characteristics

Similarities and differences between ourselves and others

Personal abilities and interests

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

What is our responsibility in school or/and at home?
How do we get to know ourselves (physical, social and emotional
characteristics)?
What are the points of view of different people regarding interests
(hobbies) and abilities?

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

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?
-observing and talking about what happens to our bodies while we jump, run,
etc.
-discussions about healthy food and keeping clean
-guessing game about likes and dislikes

-physical activities which led us to different sports that we liked (Sports Day)
-games that helped children to understand the importance of healthy eating,
keeping clean, support and tolerate their colleagues
-pair and team games that involved cooperation
-gym, doctor and stage role play
-a day with my favorite (colour, fruit, instrument, etc.)

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

What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the
development of the attributes of the learner profile?
Inquirers -children made experiments to understand how their organs function,
which made them determined to find out more about their own bodies.

-discussions among themselves regarding their likes and dislikes, about their
body, abilities, hobbies, etc.
-drawing attention to others on respecting hygiene rules
-playing in the role-play area, pretending to be doctors and using specific
vocabulary
-making the difference between healthy and unhealthy food (games and cooking
activities)

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
-Meeting with Marina, the school`s nurse; joc Scheletul de asamblat
-Sites : http://www.ftk.ro/programe-educationale/fastrackids-camps/corpul-uman;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGXJdhBdzEM;
http://edituraedu.ro/index.php?page=povesti_aventuri; http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2013/04/body-science-for-preschoolers-using-our-brains-tolearn-about-our-bodies/; http://www.brighthubeducation.com/preschool-lesson-plans/60161-teaching-about-the-human-body-and-the-five-senseslesson/
-Books: Descoperim corpul omenesc; Me and my body; Corpul uman, o aventura incredibila, Enciclopedie generala pentru copii, Atlasul
corpului omenesc epntru cei mici; Tigrul si toleranta
-Videos about internal organs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jbSskqD75A&list=PLD9BCCBD95EA743F3
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

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?

Discussion among children about what happens to their bodies when they run,
eat sweets or veggies.

demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?

Sharing opinions about each others` likes and dislikes which showed tolerance

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.

In each case, explain your selection.

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

Communication skills (listening and speaking): games that involve listening to

other children while talking about their interests, abilities, preferences,
likes/dislikes, etc. games and graphs that involve formulating questions and
answers (eg. Can you? Yes I can/ No I can`t)

The children realized that they have things in common with their friends, but also
differences (drawings); some of them started to accept that different doesn`t mean
bad
The children concluded that we must eat healthy, practice different sports and follow
the hygiene rules on a daily basis

Social skills: (accept responsibilities and respect others): discussions and

games in order to notice similarities and differences (physical, likes/dislikes
regarding food, clothes, sports, etc.); tolerance (Tigrul si toleranta story) in our
social group.

Thinking Skills: comparing similarities and differences during different activities

Self-management skills: (special awareness, healthy life style): positional
language activities, hygiene (glitter activity, fruit salad, discussions about
coughing and sneezing, food pyramid, sport)
Research skills: (formulating questions, observation, collecting and recording
data): graphs, questionnaire, observing and listening to other children
Responsibility: discussions that emphasized the importance of having a
healthy life style (healthy food, sports, going to the doctor); short videos with
what they do at home to help their parents
Reflection: stories to reflect upon (Rainbow Fish, Tigrul si Toleranta, Ursul si
prietenia), sharing with the others their strengths and the areas they need help
with, drawings with similarities and differences between themselves and others,
analyzing own life style comparing with what they have learned.
Perspective: becoming aware that friends might have different likes, dislikes,
interests, hobbies, etc. and accepting them during games and group
discussions.
Balanced: by the end of this unit, children to draw the conclusion that health
involves a healthy body, but also a healthy mind

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Reflecting on the inquiry

8. What student-initiated inquiries arose from the learning?

9. Teacher notes

Record a range of student-initiated inquiries and student questions and highlight any
that were incorporated into the teaching and learning.

It was a very successful project. The children enjoyed most the science
experiments and finding out more about own bodies. They also liked
talking about their hobbies, likes and dislikes and started to listen more to
their friends. They started to show a little bit more tolerance towards their
classmates.

Record a range of student-initiated inquiries and student questions and highlight any
that were incorporated
-Where different internal organs are placed inside the body?
-Why do you like this? (color, sport, instrument, etc.)
-Why sugar is not healthy?
-What does healthy mind mean?
-Why do we need to drink lots of water?
-Why do we have to cover our mouths while sneezing/coughing?
-Why do we have to wash our hands?

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.

-Pretend play when the teacher-child was asking questions and the studentchildren were coming with answers (What is your favorite sports? Tell me some
healthy food?, etc.)
-Role-play area (Gym, Doctor, Stage)
-Discussions about food during meal times and outdoor play
-Free drawing

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

The children realized it`s for their own good to eat healthy food and
practice different sports, but they didn`t understand the connection
between having a healthy life style and disposition for learning.