Planning the inquiry
1. What is our purpose?
To inquire into the following:
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5
3rd grade
School: Roberts Elementary
Age group: 8-9
School code: 02254
transdisciplinary theme
Sharing the Planet: 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.

Class/grade:
central idea
Title: Sharing the Planet
Teacher(s): 3rd grade
PYP planner
Date: 8-7-2015 revised
Proposed duration: 10 hours over 4 weeks
Communities adjust according to their needs and environmental
changes.
2. What do we want to learn?
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?
The students will brainstorm a problem that exists in our community (school,
city or state, nation, world). Each student will answer a list of questions
provided in the summative document.
After answering the questions, students will have the option to draw a
picture of problem and solution, write a song or poem or act out an
infomercial.
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection,
perspective, responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
function, change, reflection
related concepts:
survival, expansion, communities
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
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
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Reasons for change
Relationships within environments
Effects of human actions
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
 How do communities change?
 Why do communities change?
 How have people helped shape, expand, or create communities?
 How are communities supported by their environments?
 How can changes in the environment affect the people and animals that live
there?
© 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?
The class will dissect the Central Idea and write questions for the Wonder Wall.
The class will complete a KWL chart about people who’ve shaped, expanded, or created
communities.
The class will complete a KWL chart about ecosystems and animal adaptations.
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the
lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
TSW complete a four-square (foldable) that names and illustrates one individual, the
problem they faced, their solution, and how they shaped, expanded, or created their
community.
TSW create an animal and describe its habitat, diet, and adaptations.
Given scenarios, TSW create a cause and effect book that demonstrates the effects
of human actions on the environment.
Over the course of a week and a half, the students will be given the problems that Pierre L’Enfant,
Benjamin Banneker, Benjamin Franklin, Daniel Boone, Christopher Columbus, the Founding Fathers,
and Juan de Onate faced in their communities, and the students will propose solutions. After the
students have proposed their solutions, they will compare their own solutions to what the person
actually did. (SS TEKS 1A-C)
TSW read about terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and explain how the physical characteristics of
the environments support life. TSW compare and contrast the two ecosystems. (Sci TEKS 9A)
TSW create a food chain and explain what will happen if a piece of the food chain is removed
(Interdependence of Plants and Animals activity). (Sci TEKS 9B)
Given a food chain, habitat, or biome, the students will explain through writing and illustrations which
organisms would thrive, perish, or move to a new location if there were a flood or drought. (Sci TEKS
9C)
TSW learn about camouflage and how it helps survival through a yarn activity. (Sci TEKS 10A-B)
TSW sort physical and behavioral animal adaptations. (Sci TEKS 10A-B)
TSW listen to Ape and then compare how the different apes learn behaviors to survive and use tools
to get food. (Sci TEKS 10A-B)
After reading The Lorax, the class will discuss effects on the community after the Truffala trees were
cut down.
TSW look at a picture of a problem and come up with a way to solve (water pollution, noise pollution,
air pollution, trash, traffic).T, RF, K
TSW read The Little House and discuss before and after (how the community changed). R, SM, C, T;
RF
What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development of
the attributes of the learner profile?
Skills: R-research, T-thinking, Cm-communication, SM-self-management
Learner Profile: B- balanced, P-principled, C-caring, RF-reflective, OM-open-minded,
K-knowledgeable
5. What resources need to be gathered?
What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
BrainPop.com (Benjamin Franklin, air pollution, Christopher Columbus, camouflage, conserving energy, ecosystems, everglades, floods, food chains, fossil fuels, hibernation, honey bees, humans and
the environment, migration, natural resources, natural selection, water pollution)
BrainPopJr.com (Columbus Day, food chains, hibernation, camouflage, plant adaptations, forests, freshwater habitats, migration)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss; 50 things Kids Can Do; Great Kapok Tree, Ape
United Streaming (Daniel Boone: Legends of Daniel Boone; Trash in the Environment)
You Tube video: Trash Island
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
© 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:
How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a
more accurate picture of each student’s understanding of the central idea.

develop an understanding of the concepts identified in “What do we want to
learn?”
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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.
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?
9. Teacher notes
Record a range of student-initiated inquiries and student questions and highlight any
that were incorporated into the teaching and learning.
Human effects are pollution, trash, scarcity, waste, conservation.
What is currently in place for laws and policies

How many trees do we kill with the paper we waste?
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Which state uses the most water?
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Why do we have factories if they cause so much pollution?
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Why doesn’t everyone care about the earth?
Plug up your shower and measure water usage. Take a bath and compare the
results. You should use less with a quick shower.

What will happen when we run out of natural resources?
Do a water usage survey at school.

What kinds of future energy sources will there be?
Influence family/friends/school/teachers community to make changes.
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How do my choices affect others?
Announcements with Stephanie at end of day.
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Where does the trash go?
Introduce the environmental labels, recycling symbols, Hunt for the Green,
Trash game. See Louisa if you need information.
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.
Every student took action during this unit. The changes they made in their lives
varied from conserving water to stopping the use of plastic grocery bags to recycling
more at home and to recycling old electronics.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Class action project-pick up trash, posters, maybe during lunchtime.
Create a mural of action ideas for making our world a better place.