Planning the inquiry
1. What is our purpose?
To inquire into the following:

Class/grade:
4
Age group: 9, 10
School: Tates Creek Elementary
School code: 923483
transdisciplinary theme
How the world works?
Title: Energy Transfer
PYP planner
Teacher(s): Weiss, Faulkner, Paul, Stech, Wells, Ames

Central Idea
Energy can be seen in various forms and changed in different
ways.
Date: 1-16-15
Proposed duration: number of hours 5 hours/week over number of weeks 6
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.
Students will design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one
form to another. They will have to create a buzzer for a new board game that is
going to be released. They will have materials provided by the teacher and
have to choose an economically.
Strategies: Scientific planning worksheet, Product and Process assessment….. Tool:
Rubric
Evidence: Students’ projects, presentation pictures.
2.
A write-up explaining the working of the model/ information about energy
source; connection between the project and the central idea
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, Change, Connection
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
 Different forms of energy (form)
 Energy’s relation to speed (connection)
 Energy can be transferred from place to place (change)
 Energy changes when objects collide (change)
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
Strategies:
Tool: Anecdotal records
Evidence: Write-ups; pictures
3.
Multiple-choice test paper
Strategies: Selected-response
Tool:
Evidence: Test-paper
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
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How does energy relate to ______ (sound, light, heat, motion electricity)
How can you change electrical energy into other forms?
Where does energy come from?
What are the different forms of energy?
How can energy be stored and transferred into electricity?
How does the speed of an object relate to the energy of that object?
Musical instruments display what kind of transfer of energy?
How does a device convert energy?
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?
Pre-Assessment: Given many examples of objects that can transfer energy,
students will be asked to make a connection between them. (flashlight, musical
instrument, candle, fan, remote control car, piece of food). They will then
participate in an open discussion within their group to brainstorm “What is
energy?” Each student will write individual definitions. Class recorder will record
students’ responses on the chart paper.
Volume IV “Where does oil come from?” page 151 Uncovering student ideas
Evidence: Chart paper, students’ individual definitions
Assessment: creating a buzzer
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the
lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Observations
Discussions
Reflections
Continuous recording in inquiry book
Exit Slips
Responses to provocations
 Students will brainstorm on various sources of energy and will make a mind-map.
 Research though books on different types of energy and how can these be
classified into KE and PE (group activity)
 Watching Video on transfer of energy (Bill Nye).
 Figuring out the transformation of energy in the musical instruments.
 Conducting experiments to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy
from one form to another.
 Recording the steps of an experiment in a journal.
 Hands-on building of circuits to convert electrical energy into other forms.
 Build roller coasters to demonstrate how speed relates to energy
 Experiment with marble collisions to explore changes in energy that occur when
objects collide
 Batteries Included lesson page 325 in Picture Perfect Science Book
 Everyday Science Mysteries “The Neighborhood Telephone System” page 159
What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the
development of the attributes of the learner profile?
Skills: Self-management skills (planning for the project); communication skills
(visual or oral presentation of the work);
Research Skills (while doing background research for friction and force; and for
their own project as well)
Attributes: Inquirer (during experiments), Knowledgeable (through research and
reading books),
5. What resources need to be gathered?
What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
Videos on forms of energy; power point; musical instruments and energy transformation; using clip-art to insert pictures in ppt and use of custom animation to show flow
of energy; national geographic explorer magazine (Exploring Energy – Call of the Wild Flowers); see notes below; batteries, circuits, wires, lightbulbs; readworks.org
articles on energy; science court energy; teachengineering.org
Foss books: Physics of Sound; Sound; Solar Energy; Even More everyday science mysteries: Warm Clothes? Page 137
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
Ky Science Center in Louisville-energy in motion program; observing energy sources in/around the classroom; talk to family about conserving energy
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:
This unit was majorly driven by the students. From deriving the central idea to the
summative assessment, students took immense interest in each and every activity that
happened to be part of this unit.
1.
2.
3.
4.
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.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea
and the transdisciplinary theme?

develop an understanding of the concepts identified in “What do we want to
learn?” (Form, Change, Connection)
Our first line of inquiry, ‘Forms of energy’ focused on the concept ‘form’ where
students first identified the things kept in front of them and analyzed them
through 5 senses. Then they tried to describe the ‘form’ of various types of
energy.
Change:.
Responsibility:

demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?
Self management:
Communication skills:
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develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?
Central Idea: Energy exists in many forms and can be transformed in different ways.
Inquirer and Knowledgeable:
Theme: How the world works?
Risk-taker:
Independent and Confident:.
© 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.
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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.
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What student-initiated actions arose from the learning?
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Record student-initiated actions taken by individuals or groups showing their ability to
reflect, to choose and to act.
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4-PS3-1. Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an
object to the energy of that object.
4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be
transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
4-PS3-3. Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy
that occur when objects collide.
4-PS3-4. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that
converts energy from one form to another.
4-PS4-2. Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and
entering the eye allows objects to be seen.
4-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and
fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the
environment.
4-PS4-1. Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of
amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move.
P.E.
Music/Theater
Art
STEM- Implementing the same NGSS standards from above
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Rube Goldberg Machines
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Roller Coaster Unit
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EnergyQuest and Clean Energy Research
Media
Compilation of Resources in library and TRC for unit
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Instruction on Recommended Research/Inquiry Sites as well as utilization of
library catalog to find needed materials.
Chinese
Guidance
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Notes:
Vol. 1 Uncovering Student Ideas in Science pg. 43 Making Sound (pink book)
Colliding marbles lesson on betterlesson.com
Types of Energy Lessonhttp://betterlesson.com/lesson/632504/types-of-energy (SCREAM acronym for forms of energy) doesn’t include gravitational
or thermal energy
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
http://mskuksclass.weebly.com/lesson-2-forms-of-energy.html
Ways energy moves flip book http://copelandsgotclass.blogspot.com/2014/05/its-getting-hot-in-here-heat-activities.html
Lesson about making an alarm, related to Dear Mr. Henshaw
https://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/wpi_/activities/wpi_make_an_alarm/make_an_alarm.xml
Online Reading Material
How a Toaster Works (explains how electricity is changed to heat) http://energyquest.ca.gov/how_it_works/toaster.html
Definition of Energy, explanation about changing energy, electricity http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter01.html
National Geographic Explorer Magazine
http://content.yudu.com/A3844t/NGXPathfinJanFeb2015/resources/index.htm (online edition)
http://ngexplorer.cengage.com/pathfinder/1501/pdf/path_teachersguide_1501.pdf (teacher guide)
Bill Nye the Science Guy video “Energy” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qim3549doqk
http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm
Energy in KY timeline
http://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline/latest/embed/index.html?source=0AhIUP85yEsRMdGRBVlVfSFktMTN0UGVUN2gxdmpDeEE&font=BevanPotanoSans&maptype=toner&lang=en&height=650
Watch sound extinguish fire
http://nymag.com/next/2015/03/watch-sound-extinguish-fire.html
Make a toilet paper tube light bulb with pencil graphite and batteries
http://www.teachertube.com/video/toilet-paper-tube-light-bulb-392486