Planning the inquiry
CONCEPTS:
1. What is our purpose?
Class/grade: Year 4A/ 4B
To inquire into the following:

School: Westwood International School School code: WW
Transdisciplinary theme
Title: Planet Earth
How the world works

Age group: 9-10 years
Central idea
Teacher(s): Claasssen/ Mutepfa
PYP planner
The Earth is a unique planet in the solar system; perhaps the only one with
elements that support and sustain life.
Date: 18 January – 29 February 2009
Summative assessment task(s):
Proposed duration:
over number of weeks: 6
What are the possible ways of assessing students’ understanding of the central
idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for?
What is our responsibility towards maintaining a healthy me?
Plan a day where you include all the elements of “A healthy me is a happy me”.
ELEMENTS

Goal: Design a model comparing earth to another planet. Focus on the
elements that sustain life. Write an explanatory/information report to go with
your model.
2. What do we want to learn?
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection,
perspective, and responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
CONCEPTS:
ATTITUDES:
LEARNER PROFILE:

Connection

Appreciation

Open-minded

Role: Scientist at NASA

Form

Curiosity

inquirer

Audience Parents/ School community


Respect


Situation: Groups of 2/3
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?

Product: Model
TRANSDISCIPLINARY SKILLS

The earth as part of the solar system

Features that make up the earth

Elements that support life.

Research skills: organizing data/ Planning

Thinking skills: Application.

Communication: Presenting
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

Social skills: Cooperation

What is the solar system?

Self-management: Organization, Time management.

What are the characteristics of the components of the solar system?

What are the unique physical features that make up the earth?

Which elements support life on earth and how?
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?

Watch Magic School Bus video- Discussion

KWL Chart

Reflection Journal

Wonder Box/ Wall(ongoing)
Inquiry point 1: Group activity- Moving from table to table students use research materials provided
to gather as much information about the solar system as possible. (Focus on writing short notes).
Present all research findings on a big planet earth chart displayed in class.
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the
lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
Inquiry point 1: Write Postcards from different planets describing the
surroundings and climate.
Inquiry point 2: Short report about Planet Earth/ Tic Tac Toe
Inquiry point 3: Students to write 2 experiments using the correct Scientific
Method.
List all the components of the Solar system on a big chart in the class. After doing research
complete the chart. Headings could include- Distance from sun, Average temperature, description of
surface, ex. Complete pocket book about planets
In groups-Design an advertisement about any planet.
Planet weather forecasts
Do Venn-diagram comparing two planets
Inquiry point 2 – Group activity- Moving from table to table students use research materials provided
to gather as much information about Planet Earth as possible. (Focus on writing short notes).
Present all research findings on a big planet earth chart displayed in class.
-Write acrostic poem using information acquired about planet earth.
- Group activity- Use De Bono`s white hat – write as much info about planet earth.
- List all the components of the Planet Earth on a big chart in the class. After doing research
complete the chart.
Inquiry point 3 - Introduction to the Scientific method- Teacher models using gravity experiment.

Whole class experiments about plants needing air and water (compare in controlled
situation)
What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development
of the attributes of the learner profile

Group decision making-Advertisement

Communication skills- presenting- Weather forecast, summative assessment

Research skills- inquiry point 1, 2, summative assessment

5. What resources need to be gathered?
What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?

Magic School bus video

Library books

charts
Communication
presentingWeather forecast, summative assessment
 skillsMicrosoft
Word, Power
Point,
3-D
modeling
Research skills- inquiry point 1, 2, summative assessment
software.

Websites/ CSRIO,
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?

Big globe chart up in classroom,
© 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?

. Inquiry point 1- After completing the pocket books learners knew
all the components of the solar system. They showed wider
knowledge of the specific planets they wrote post cards and
advertisements about.

Develop an understanding of the concepts identified in “What do we want to
learn?”

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.
Concepts



Inquiry point 2 – Short report about planet earth shows learners
understanding of the uniqueness of planet earth.
Inquiry point 3- After doing the experiments about the elements
that sustain life learners understood why earth is the only planet
that supports life.
Summative assessment- There was clear evidence that all learners
understood the uniqueness of planet earth and the elements that
makes earth different from any other planet in the solar system.
Doing research to write a descriptive report gave them extra
confidence in their knowledge about planet earth and the planet
they chose to present.
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.
Inquiry point 3 needs to be done.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea
and the transdisciplinary theme?
Summative assessment showed clear evidence of understanding of the
central idea and transdisciplinary theme. Learners explained their
understandings of both during their presentation and also in their written
reports where they had to write a conclusion.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Connection

Writing reports about planet earth, investigating elements that
sustain life.

While doing the experiments in Inquiry point 3 the learners made
the connection that earth has the unique elements that sustain
life.
Form

Completing the chart about planet earth and planets.

Completing the booklet about the planets.

Designing an advert for a planet.
Transdisiplinary skills
See summative assessment
Student profile
Inquirer- Especially during Inquiry point 1

Open-minded-Could there be life on other planets???
Attitudes
Appreciation-for planet earth and the element that sustain life.

Curiosity-Finding information about the solar system.

Respect- for our Planet Earth.
Reflecting on the inquiry
8. What student-initiated inquiries arose from the learning?
Record a range of student-initiated inquiries and student questions and highlight any
that were incorporated into the teaching and learning.
9. Teacher notes

Think about places to visit/ or guest speakers to invite.

Would be a lovely first unit.

Descriptive report could be to challenging for learners in the
beginning of the year.

Why can`t we live in space?

Are there other planets we haven`t discovered?

What is dark matter?

Look at the geography focus for inquiry 1

Why isn`t there any air on other planets?

Inquiry point 3 should be done in more detail- experiments about
elements that sustain life.-This could give opportunity to introduce
the Scientific method.

Choose any two components of the solar system to present at the
fair. It doesn`t have to be planet earth and a planet.

Too many activities for Inquiry point 1 leave weather report.
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.

How does the food that we eat affect our bodies?

This was excelled to make connection,
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.
Learners raised funds to buy recycling bins. There was a new appreciation for
planet earth and the elements that sustain life.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007