International School of Modena – MYP 4&5 Curriculum overview – Grade 10&11
Identities and relationships
Students will explore identity;
beliefs and values; personal,
physical, mental, social and
spiritual
health;
human
relationships including families,
friends, communities and cultures;
what it means to be human.
Autobiography
Orientation in space and
time
Personal and cultural
expression
Scientific and Technical
innovation
Students will explore personal
histories; homes and journeys;
turning points in humankind;
discoveries; explorations and
migrations of humankind; the
relationships between, and the
interconnectedness of, individuals
and civilizations, from personal,
local and global perspectives.
Students will explore the ways in
which we discover and express
ideas, feelings, nature, culture,
beliefs and values; the ways in
which we reflect on, extend and
enjoy
our
creativity;
our
appreciation of the aesthetic.
Students will explore the natural
world and its laws; the interaction
between people and the natural
world; how humans use their
understanding
of
scientific
principles; the impact of scientific
and technological advances on
communities and environments;
the impact of environments on
human activity; how humans
adapt environments to their
needs.
The Power of Documentary
Statement of Inquiry: Directors create
films to position audiences to respond
in a particular way
Students form their own statement of
inquiry (as an essay question) and
inquiry questions.
Inquiry questions:
 (F) What are the key features of
autobiographical writing? What are
the similarities & differences between
“The Diving Bell” and “My Left Foot”?
 (C) Why is recording significant
experiences of our lives important?
What do we learn about ourselves
when writing about our personal
experiences? How can writing give
people a voice?
 (D) How does writing help the human
spirit triumph over adversity?

Key concepts: Identity
Inquiry questions:
 (F) What is the purpose of a
documentary? What are the common
features of a documentary text? What
are the similarities & differences of the
2 texts studied?
 (C) What cinematic techniques can a
director manipulate in order to
promote a particular message? How
does the purpose of a documentary
text affect the stylistic choices the
director makes?
 (D) Are documentaries more effective
than other modes of media in
conveying a message?
Key concepts: Creativity
Related concepts: Genres, Selfexpression, Purpose, Intertextuality,
Key concepts: Connections
Related concepts: Purpose, Audience
imperatives, Style, Intertextuality,
English Language and Literature
Personal Novel Study
Statement of Inquiry: Writing can be
a means of allowing humans to
understand who they really are.
Related concepts: Setting, Character,
Theme, Structure, Style
________________________
Thematic Poetry
Statement of Inquiry: Poetry can be a
powerful vehicle for addressing and
reflecting on a particular theme.
Inquiry questions:
 (F) What are some of the most
common themes expressed through
poetry? What are the different
techniques a poet has available to
them? What can poets address &
reflect on within the world around
them?
 (C) How can different poets address
the same theme differently? How
does the form of a poem affect the
way a theme is conveyed? Is there a
particular form that suits a particular
theme?
 (D) How can poetry be a vehicle for
reflection? How can poetry raise our
awareness of a particular subject
matter or issue?
Globalization and
sustainability
Students
will
explore
the
interconnectedness of humanmade systems and communities;
the relationship between local and
global processes; how local
experiences mediate the global;
the opportunities and tensions
provided
by
worldinterconnectedness; the impact of
decision-making on humankind
and the environment.
Fairness and development
Students will explore rights and
responsibilities; the relationship
between communities; sharing
finite resources with other people
and with other living things;
access to equal opportunities;
peace and conflict resolution.
The Crucible
Statement of Inquiry: Pressure to
conform within a community can greatly
influence our perspective of
responsibilities.
Inquiry questions:
 (F) What inspired Arthur Miller to
write the crucible? Why is the
historical context of the play such an
important element to this literary
work? What are the sources of
conflict & tension within a
community that result from our
responsibilities? What real-life
examples are there of an individual
coming into conflict with the
community?
 (C) What is an individual’s role in &
responsibility to a
community/society? What are the
pressures to conform within a
community/society? How can
intolerance & hysteria affect a
community & how do certain
characters of the play use it to their
advantage?
 (D) How & why does an individual
come into conflict with the
community? What lengths are we
willing to go to in order to protect the
things we value most? How
important is our reputation within a
community? To what extent is John
Proctor the play’s tragic hero?
Key concepts: Creativity
Key concepts: Perspective
Related concepts: Theme, Genres,
Self expression, Style, Structure
Related concepts: Context, Character,
Audience Imperatives, Point of View
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International School of Modena – MYP 4&5 Curriculum overview – Grade 10&11
Italian Language and Literature
Verga – I Malavoglia
Goldoni – La locandiera
Statement of Inquiry: Characters in a
story are influenced by historical
events.
Statement of Inquiry: Great authors
communicate their ideas and opinions
and explore problems in society,
Inquiry questions:

(F) What the impact of the new
Regno d’Italia in the South?
Which decisions characters had
to make due to the Unification of
Italy?

(C) And how does the context
can change? How can
characters develop throughout
the novel?

(D) To what extend the
characters in stories can be
influenced by historical events?
Inquiry questions:

(F) How does a dramatic piece
differ from a novel?

(C)What are the different roles in
society? How can the use of
dialogue make a literary work
more or less effective? How can
we use communication
techniques for informing one’s
community about important
issues?

(D)To what extend a play can
communicate problems in
society?
Key concepts: connection
Key concepts: communication
Related concepts: theme, Character,
context
Analisi poesia
Promessi Sposi&Gattopardo
Statement of Inquiry:
Poetry is a very sophisticated means of
expression, in which every detail within
the text expresses nuances of
meaning.
Statement of Inquiry:
Authors of historical fiction reveal their
perspective and/or engage the reader
through their selection of places, people
and events from history.
Inquiry questions:

(F) How is a poem different from
other pieces of writing?

(C) How do poetic devices make
a given poem more effective?
How is language structured in
poetry?

(D)What are the techniques and
thoughts behind the creative
process of poetry?
Inquiry questions:

(F)Which Historical events have
the authors chosen to describe?
Which are the setting of the
novels

(C) What the role of the
environment?

(D) How do the authors of
historical novel can change in
the reader’s perception of the
world around us?
Key concepts: form
Key concepts: perspective
Related concepts: structure, style
Related concepts: characters, context,
setting
Related concepts: context
Le temps du plasir!
S’exprimer
Statement of Inquiry: People’s own
creativity can be showed through music
and sport.
Media and technology
La marche pour l égalité
Fraternité égalité liberté
De l école au travail
Sciences
French Language Acquisition
Statement of Inquiry:
Through learning we can better prepare
for our future, developing skills in
school.
Inquiry questions:

(F) Am I a sporty and musical
person? To practice a sport is
only a physical thing or also an
attitude?

(C) How can I express my
creativity through sports and
music?

(D) To what extent sport and
music can help me to express
my creative and become a
different person?
Inquiry questions:

(F) What do I know about the
work life (contracts, working
hours, rules)? Do I know what a
Cv is? What kind of requirements
do I need to meet before
applying for job? How knowledge
does acquired at school help me
to face the world?

(C) How can skills develop?

(D) To what extent do schools
help me to develop the skills that
I will need in the future?

Key concepts: development
Statement of Inquiry:
Empathizing and connecting with
people lead to a more tolerant society.
Statement of Inquiry: Technology
encourages further participating and
communication in multilingual
communities.
Inquiry questions:

(F) What is a right? What s the
difference between rights and
responsibilities?

(C) How can connecting with
other people prevent the
widespread of racism?

(D) To what extent empathizing
and connecting with people lead
to a more tolerant society?
Inquiry questions:

(F) Is technology important in
my life? Are there many ways of
communicating?

(C) What s is an effective way to
communicate?

(D) To what extent are we
influenced by media and new
technologies?
Key concepts: connections
Key concepts: communication
Key concepts: creativity
Related concepts:
Message, purpose, word choice
Related concepts:
empathy, context , message
Related concepts:
Convection, audience, idiom, function,
Message
Related concepts: phase 3/4
Structure, point of view, sense, culture,
Message, Purpose
Applying Biology
Components of Life
Universal Physics
Chemistry in Our
World
Influences on Life
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International School of Modena – MYP 4&5 Curriculum overview – Grade 10&11
Che Guevara-hero or Villain?
USA in 1920s and 1930s.
Statement of Inquiry: Reactions to
significant individuals depend on
perspective.
Statement of Inquiry: Economic
systems and government choices
impact on society.
Statement of Inquiry: Technical
innovation changes other aspects of
life.
Inquiry questions:

(F) Why were the 1920s a period
of boom in USA? Why did the
Wall Street Crash happen? How
did governments try to deal with
the economic and social
problems of 1930s?

(C) Did all Americans benefit
from the boom years? How
should we judge success of the
New Deal?

(D) Should governments
intervene in people’s lives?
Inquiry questions:

(F) What was the Industrial
Revolution? Why did it begin in
Britain? How did the industrial
revolution change
manufacturing?
Inquiry questions:

(F)Who was Che Guevara?
What were his political beliefs?
What role did he play in the
Cuban revolution? What other
revolutionary activity was Che
involved in and where?

(C)Why is Che Guevara so well
known? Why does Che Guevara
inspire such strong feelings both
for and against him? How did
Che Guevara’s beliefs and
values lead to a concept of
identity that took him beyond his
own country.

(D)How should history remember
Che Guevara: Hero or Villain?
Key concept: Systems, Time, place
and Space.
Related concepts: Poverty.
Governance. Ideology.
The Industrial Revolution


(C)How did the impact of the
industrial revolution change
society, the economy and
political systems and foreign
policy of C.19th and early C.20th
Europe? To what extent what
the changes brought about by
the industrial revolution positive?
(D) Is technical innovation and
progress always a good thing?
Key concepts: Change
Key concept: -Global interactions
Related concepts: Identity.
Significance. Perspective.
----------------------------------------China 1900-1936: the end of
Imperialism
Individuals and Societies
Statement of Inquiry: Significant
change can cause conflict and
turbulence.
Inquiry questions:

(F) What were the characteristics
of Imperial China? Why did the
Qing dynasty fall? How did
Chiang Kai Shek remove the
warlords?

(C) Why did conflict increase
after the fall of the Qing dynasty?
Why is the Long March
important?

(D) Does change inevitably
cause conflict?
Key concepts: Change.
Related concepts: Conflict. Culture,
Ideology.
Related concepts: Innovation and
revolution. Perspective.
The Three Gorges Dam
Statement of Inquiry: Human systems
and needs impact on natural processes.
Inquiry questions:

(F) How do humans manage
freshwater systems? What are
the aims of the Three Gorges
Dam? Why is the dam
controversial?

(C) Can the Three Gorges Dam
project be considered a success?

(D) Should humans interfere with
the natural environment?
Key concepts: Systems
Related concepts: Sustainability.
Management and intervention.
Processes.
Development
Statement of Inquiry: Human and
economic development is affected by
global trends and location.
Inquiry questions:

(F)What is the Brandt line? Is the
Brandt line still valid? What are
development indicators? What
factors cause disparity?

(C) Is development more than
economic growth? Can
development be measured? In
terms of development, how can
the world best be described
today?

(D) Should reducing
development disparities be a
global aim?
Key concepts: Time, place and Space,
Global interactions
Related concepts: Globalisation.
Disparity and equity. Patterns and
trends.
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International School of Modena – MYP 4&5 Curriculum overview – Grade 10&11
East meets West
Arts for Action
Statement of Inquiry: Visual culture
represents visual signs of wealth.
Statement of Inquiry: Any location can
become a canvas for art, where we can
communicate the human experience.
Inquiry questions:

What artists can be considered
influential in modern time?(F)

In what ways can the arts
influence or even change a
society?(C)

When does art become labelled
as provocative?(D)
Inquiry questions:

What are the key characteristics
of Bollywood costume?(F)

How can an item of aesthetically
pleasing clothing also represent
identity and visual culture? (C)

To what extent can media
represent a country’s visual
culture? (D)
Key concepts: Communication
Key concepts: Aesthetics
Arts
Health
Statement of Inquiry: Our bodies are
healthy, when physical needs are met
Physical and health education
Related concepts: Expression,
Representation
Related concepts: Visual culture,
style
Inquiry questions:
● (F) What is a healthy lifestyle?;
● (C) How can small changes impact on
your health?;
● (D) Does knowing physical
requirements make you know about
your own body’s level of health?
Key Concept: Change
Related concepts: balance, choice
Leadership
Statement of Inquiry: The style in
which others are led determines the
outcome
Inquiry questions:
● (F) What is leadership?;
● (C) How do leaders communicate to
followers?;
● (D) To what extent do outcomes
define leaders?
Key Concept: Communication
Related concepts: interaction,
perspective
Learning2dance
Statement of Inquiry: Communicating
what we know helps others’ learn
Inquiry questions:
● (F) What defines a style of dance?;
● (C) What tools can be used to
communicate all aspects of a dance
style?;
● (D) Is there a specific process that
allows dancers to learn?
Key Concept: Communication
Related concepts: adaptation
Strategic thinking
Statement of Inquiry: “Finding good
players is easy. Getting them to play as
a team is another story.” Casey
Stengel
Inquiry questions:
● (F) What are the set plays?;
● (C) How can people adapt their
thinking to suit the needs of the team?,
● (D) What are the most efficient
strategies’ for building a team?
Key Concept: Relationships
Related concepts: systems, function,
movement
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International School of Modena – MYP 4&5 Curriculum overview – Grade 10&11
Expressions, Quadratic Equations,
Functions, and their Graphs
Statement of Inquiry: Discoveries of
relationships in patterns throughout
human history are obtained through
observations of change, simplifying
what has been seen, and through
modeling the various aspects of human
civilization.
Inquiry questions:

(F) Can I simplify, factor, expand,
and use the quadratic equation
to derive reasonable solutions to
quadratic situations?

(C) How does the Golden Ratio
relate to quadratics, art,
architecture, music, and
genetics?

(D) Is the Golden Ratio as
mysterious as it sounds?
Transformational Geometry
Statement of Inquiry: Changing form
can alter how we see and use space,
which can reveal secrets within the
heart of culture.
Inquiry questions:

(F) How can we recognize types
of transformations, describe
them, and create symmetric
designs with them?

(C) How can symmetry be used
to reveal culture?

(D) Will there ever be a limit to
the variety of patterns in our
world?
Key concepts: Form
Linear, Quadratic, and Inverse
Relationships
Statement of Inquiry: Modeling
relationships and change allows
humans to interact with the natural
world to justify patterns, and use that
information to adapt the ways in which
we live in it.
Inquiry questions:

(F) Can I recognize linear,
quadratic, and inverse
relationships based on the data
and use it to create graphs and
equations?

(C) What does it mean to have a
linear, quadratic, or inverse
relationship?

(D) Are there limits to the
reasonability of a graph?
Related concepts: Space,
measurement, pattern, change
Key concepts: Relationships
Related concepts: Change,
Generalization, Model, Pattern,
Quantity, Representation, Space,
Justification
Solving Equations and Inequalities
Statement of Inquiry: Creativity
allows us to simplify appearances so
that we can adapt to situations,
generalize and justify the necessity of
scientific and technical innovation.
Inquiry questions:

(F) Can I solve systems of
equations and inequalities
through algebra and graphical
representation?

(C) What does it mean to be a
solution?

(D) Is the real number system
real?
Key concepts: Logic
Related concepts: Justification,
Quantity, System, Generalization,
Simplification, Representation
Math
Statement of Inquiry: Growth and
decay rates of various quantities or
populations can influence decisions
relating to humankind, environmental
factors and sustainability.
Inquiry questions:

(F) How can I calculate positive
and negative exponents?

(C) How can exponents be
applied to represent growth and
decay?

(D) Is there a limit to how large or
small a number can become?
Key concepts: Relationships
Related concepts: Change, Pattern,
Quantity, Model, Representation
Key concepts: Relationships
Related concepts: Change,
equivalence, Generalization, Pattern,
Simplification, Systems,
Representation, Model, Measurement
Exponents, Exponential Variation,
and Radicals
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International School of Modena – MYP 4&5 Curriculum overview – Grade 10&11
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