Class/grade: 5 Age group: 9-11
Planning the inquiry
1. What is our purpose?
engaged, and challenged?
To inquire
room into the following:
for student-initiated inquiry?
 transdisciplinary theme: Who we are
 Central idea
People have a responsibility to care for living things
Summative assessment task (s):
Scenario: Explain what your responsibility is in taking care of
animals and their habitats. What does your animal need to
survive? How can people make sure the animal has/keeps their
resources? Why do we need to care for animals and their
habitats? What happens if you don’t take care of the animals
and their habitats? What is the biggest threat to your animal? If
your animal is endangered, what can you do to help it? Sample
output: Child is the conservationist. They have to protect the
animal and its habitat. ● PSA Commercial ●
Diorama/Poster/PowerPoint ● Give the perspective of the
endangered animal
School: Kingston School code:
Title: How do we protect animals
Teacher(s): Asima Raffad
Date:
Proposed duration: 2 weeks
2. What do we want to learn?
PYP planner
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective, responsibility,
reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
Responsibility-What is our responsibility to take care of living things? Why is this our responsibility?
Connection-What is our connection to other living things? How do we affect other living things?
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
● The need to care for natural resources including water, food, air, sunlight ● Knowing what to do
to care for the environment (educating) ● Animal habitats and ecosystems providing needs for
animals ● Problems and solutions concerning endangered animals ● Ways animals are resources
for other living things
What teacher questions / provocations will drive these inquiries?
● What do animals need to survive? ● How do we provide for animals? How do animals
provide for us and other living things? ● Why is it our responsibility to take care of other
living things? ● How can humans create a balance for all living things in an ecosystem? ●
What could happen if we did not take care of the living things in our environment?
 Analyse the tone and structure of the text. Which words suggest the information is
valid and how does punctuation help in creating the interest?
 3. How might we know what we have learned?
Planning the inquiry
This column should be used in conjunction with "How best might we learn?"
What are the possible ways of assessing students' prior knowledge and skills? What
evidence will we look for?
What are you responsible for when caring for animals or their
habitats? (KWL or graphic organizer) DO NOT FEED THE
ANIMALS sign on the board. Why do you think the zoo posts this
sign? What does it mean? Choose an animal you saw at the zoo. Draw
a picture of the animal. How are the animal’s needs met? How do
humans meet those needs? Animal scavenger hunt based on the zoo
visit. Write in the name of the animal in that biome or ecosystem.
Formative Assessment
Class discussion, anchor charts, graphic organizers, writing prompts,
act out scenarios about habitats, animals, the needs of living things,
and our responsibility to take care of the needs of living things Revisit
animal scavenger hunt based on the zoo visit. Any new learning or
understanding? Add to the class KWL throughout the unit
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
4.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?
Reading/LA-Research about each animal (K.20B); listen and speaking with presentations,
working in teams (K.23A); Animal read alouds; Story writing about animals and habitats,
Journaling reflections about their learning. Through story writing review the tenses being
used.
Science-Study habitats (including videos, stories, poems, songs, artwork) to understand the
components of the habitat and the resources included that provide for the animals’ needs,
benefits of the habitat (why do specific animals live there); Study animals and the body parts
they have in order to survive and meet their needs; Food chains, food webs, life cycles
Social Studies-Geography and regions connected to their ecosystems and biomes (physical
characteristics, natural resources - K.5AB); jobs and careers that affect animals; problem
solving process to address how humans affect animals and their habitats (K.16A); researching
animals (collecting and organizing data) Create a poster to convince your classmates that
your animal is the best, the fastest, the strongest, etc. Use persuasive language. Create the
diorama that showcases your animal’s habitat. Why did you put those certain things in your
habitat? Write a poem about your animal using descriptive language. Share songs about
animals (Bunny Hop, What Does the Fox Say, etc) Physical movement with animals (dances,
yoga) Animals in movies, tv shows and literature-How are they personified? Readers Theater
examples?
What opportunities will occur for trans-disciplinary skills development of the attributes
of the learner profile?
Transdisciplinary Skills: Self-Management, Social Skills and Research Skills Learner Profile:
Caring, Balanced, Reflective, Knowledgeable
Reflecting on the inquiry

6.5.To
What
whatresources need
extend did to be gathered?
we achieve our purpose? 7. To what extent did include the elements of the PYP?
What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
What were the learning experiences that enabled students to:
Assess the outcome of the inquiry by providing evidence of students’
 develop an understanding of the concepts identified in "What do we
understanding of the central idea. The reflections of all teachers involved in
want to learn?"
the planning and teaching of the inquiry should be included.
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/ or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
 demonstrate the learning and application of particular
transdisciplinary skills?

 develop particular attributes of the learner profile attitudes?

How you could improve on the assessment task (s) so that you would have a In each case, explain your selection.
more accurate picture of each students’ understanding of the central idea.

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.

At this point teachers should go back to box 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.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007