Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose?

Class/grade: Year 2

1a) To inquire into the following:

Age group: 6-7 year old

Transdisciplinary theme
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.
Central idea
Knowing about our families and cultures enables us to develop personal
identity.

School: Luanda International School

School code: N/A
Title: Cultural Identity
Teacher(s): Kerisse Lewis
Date: 2015
Proposed duration: 5 weeks

1b) Summative assessment task(s):

2.

What are the possible ways of assessing students understanding of the

What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection,

central idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we

perspective, responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?

look for?
Students will create a portfolio representing some aspect of their personal
identity and culture. They will write a poem or short narrative about him
or her and additionally chose two ways of expressing their personal
identity. This will be teacher assessed and student assessed using a rubric.

What do we want to learn?

Connection

Perspective

Reflection

What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central
idea?

Our family culture

How family cultures are different or alike

How culture shapes personal identity

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

Provocations:

International Baccalaureate Organization 2011

Planning the inquiry

We should all speak the same language.

Look at lots of pictures of cultures and traditions around the world and

do See/Think/Wonder and making connections

If the world were a village

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 What are the learning experiences suggested by the teacher and/or students
learn?

to encourage the students to engage with the inquiries and address the

What are the possible ways of assessing students prior knowledge and driving questions?
skills? What evidence will we look for?
Mind map or round robin with key words, culture, diversity, tradition, family.
**Round robin- place blank pieces of paper on the table with the word
on it and have students write down all they know about it.**

Visual Art - Students learn about an Angolan cultural element - the Pwo
Chokwe Mask, denoting the importance of the ancestral female. They learn
about the artistic, symbolic and material elements used on the mask, its
significance, its traditional family remembrance role and respond with their
own Chokwe mask design. They then go on to look at a range of other

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

Interview/hot seat- interview students on their own family tradition, for the development of the attributes of the learner profile?
history and culture. Students as well as the teacher will be able to ask

What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and

the student questions.

Venn diagrams comparing cultures- note the similarities and the
differences.

Open-minded: We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal

histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and
evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from
the experience.
Reflective: We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and
experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in
order to support our learning and personal development.

Attitudes- Enthusiasm, Respect, Tolerance

Transdisciplinary skills
Research skills: formulating questions, organizing data.
Thinking skills: Acquisition of knowledge, comprehension