Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose?

To inquire into the following:

Class/grade: K-5

Age group: 5-11

School: Domuschola Intl School School code: 7800

transdisciplinary theme
Title: Listening and Appreciation

central idea

Peoples choice of music reflects identity

Summative assessment task(s):

Teacher(s): Carmina Gutierrez

PYP planner

Date: August October 2014

Proposed duration: 24 x 50-minute sessions over 12 weeks

What are the possible ways of assessing students understanding of the central
idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for?

Goal:

To be able to show their understanding that the music people listen

to reflects something about who they are

Role:

Creative musicians

Audience:

Various audiences

Scenario:

Presentation of a song/music chosen creatively:

o You are tasked to present the song/music you chose (from a
list, after learning them or a song/music that they really like).
Let the people listen to it (perform it live or recorded). Tell
and explain the reason why you like the song/music, where
did it come from, what the song expresses, the story behind
the song, how the music elements were used to express its
message

Product:

A written output of their inquiry and reflection. A video of their

presentation.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

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?

Key Concepts: connection between the students and their favourite song,
their reflection about the song/s, how different perspectives help them
appreciate different kinds of music
Related Concepts: choice, influence, culture, identity
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?

Influences of music
How music reflects identity
Genres of music and their background

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

Why do people listen to music?

How do people choose what to listen to?
What makes music good?
Why is music perceived by people differently?

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?

Reflection: students will show (write, draw, etc) their realizations from the task I
Gotta Feeling
Make Connections: students will connect music in their life, how it made them feel

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

Influences of music

Table of their interview

Group synthesis and
understanding pyramid

How music reflects

identity

Table
Chart

Genres of music and

their background

Synthesis
Understanding pyramid

Tuning in: I Gotta Feeling: How does this music make you feel? Students will listen to the
following music and describe how the music made them feel through a continuum posted on
the wall/raising faces/shading faces. They will support their answers with reasons. Whats the
matter? Does it matter? Students think and share about times in their lives when music played
a major role (eg, wedding day, favorite trip, etc). Talk about how that music affected them and
how it made them feel.
Finding out: (1) Students will explore about the influences of music by: interviewing people
about their interest in music (why they listen to music, when do they listen to music) (2)
Students will explore about how music reflects identity by: interviewing people about their
interests, who influenced them in their music taste (3) Students will explore about different
genres of music and their background by: reading stories and articles about different genres,
listening to different genres, watching videos about different genres.
Sorting out: While continuing their research, students reflect and exchange information and
see how they are the same and different. They look at similar ideas and encourage one another
on the different ones.
Going further: Students create their own presentation of their own genre and present it in class
Taking action: Student will present and convince other students that the genre that they
worked on is interesting

What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the
development of the attributes of the learner profile?
Thinking Skills: Comprehension - students will grasp the meaning of songs discussed.
Analysis - students will find unique characteristics in music styles and how it helped people
express messages, ideas and impact to issues
Research Skills: Formulating questions - students will identify something they want or need to
know and ask relevant questions that can be researched. Organizing data - students will sort
and categorize information they gathered into understandable forms
Open-minded: students understand their own culture and are open to different perspectives
Reflective: students will give thoughtful consideration, assess and understand how people
express themselves through music

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?

Teacher improvised music, recorded music, Dalcroze and Kodaly songs/activities, A3 and A4 papers, genre research booklet
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?

Variety of musical instruments and objects will be available for exploration of sound. Works and terms will be posted on the wall to constantly remind them about
the things we will be learning. Ample space will be used for movements activities.
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:

develop an understanding of the concepts identified in What do we want to

learn?

Students concluded to be open-minded in terms of music that people listen

to as shown in their genre synthesis

o Listening tasks where they identified the message of songs, describe

Students were able to relate themselves with the music they listened to
(summative assessment)

o Interviewing people

How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a
more accurate picture of each students understanding of the central idea.

There should be more variety in assessment. Most assessments done were

by the teacher. It would be better is there were more self and peer
assessments.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea
and the transdisciplinary theme?

Students were able to connect themselves, who they are, to their favorite
song

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

basic music elements

o Researching a specific genre

demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?

o

The students had a research booklet about a specific genre.

They were asked to come up with their own questions and thought of
a way how they can inquire and answer their questions.

develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?

o

The students were open minded as they discovered the different

genres of music and what it reflects

The students were reflective as they thought about the songs they
listen to and their connection to it

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.

If this unit will be done again, it would be better if the interview part was done
during the tuning in. In this way, we can go more further in the inquiry.

Why is music good to hear?

Why people have their own favourite music to listen to?
What is the influence of instruments to songs?

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.

For their summative, some students changed their choice of song because
they thought of a better song that reflects them better.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007