Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose? Class/grade: Year 6/7

To inquire into the following:
School: Waikerie Lutheran Primary School
 transdisciplinary themes
How We Express Ourselves Title: Express Yourself
PYP planner
An inquiry into the ways which we discover and express ideas, feelings,
nature, culture, beliefs & values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and Teacher(s): Cheryl Burgemeister
enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
 central idea
Date: 2014
Writers use different methods to communicate and express their ideas, Proposed duration: 50 minutes per week Term 3 & 4
thoughts and emotions

Summative assessment task(s): 2. What do we want to learn?

1. Write a verse to our class item “If I were not stuck at school…” and
create actions to perform in time with the lyrics.
2. Create an epub in Book Creator expressing what they believe their
favourite Artist is singing about.
3. Create, arrange, play and record a rap song in Garage Band as an
overall sum up of their exhibition UOI, using a template provided.
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection,
perspective, responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this
inquiry? What are the related concept?
Form: patterns, structure
Function: pattern, role

ACARA Music Outcomes 5-6 ACARA Music Outcomes 7-8 Perspective: truth, beliefs, opinions

ACAMUM088 ACAMUM092
ACAMUM089 ACAMUM093 What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central
idea?
ACAMUM090 ACAMUM094
ACAMUR091 ACAMUM095
1. Music as a form of literature
ACAMUM096
2. How individuals can communicate through written languages
ACAMUR097
☐ACAMUR098 (lyrics)
ACARA General Capabilities 3. The ways of connecting with an audience

Literacy
Numeracy What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
Information and communication technology (ICT) capability
Critical and creative thinking  How is Music a form of literature?
Personal and social capability  Why do people use music to communicate?
☐Ethical understanding  How do you connect with an audience?
☐Intercultural understanding.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

Planning the inquiry
3. How might we know
what we have learned?
What are the possible
ways of assessing
students’ prior knowledge
and skills? What
evidence will we look for?
Discussion on topic.
What are the possible
ways of assessing
student learning in the
context of the lines of
inquiry? What evidence
will we look for?
Lyric and rhythm writing
Concert Performance
Book Creator ePub
Arranging Garage Band
Rap Song
5. What resources need to be gathered?
 Fairbairn, Leehy & O’Mara, 2011, Music Room: A developmental classroom music program, Book 7 –Upper Primary, Bushfire Press (printed resource &
accompanying music CD & CD ROM)
 You Tube videos
 Ipad Apps Pages, Garage Band, Book Creator, Explain Everything
4. How best might we learn?
Concert Item Artist Project Exhibition Song
Tuning in Watching You Tube videos of ‘If I Were Listen to songs and watch music Look at background of Rap and Hip Hop
Not Upon This Stage’ performances videos, discussing what the artist culture, why it was created and the
Reading through the verses created by may be trying to communicate history. Listen to/watch rap songs.
Year 6/7 students at Loxton Lutheran through their lyrics
Finding Adapt to own performance of ‘If I were Students choose their favourite Lesson 1-3 of Music Room Book 7
Out/Sorting not stuck at school’ song/artist and answer questions to Learn and play along with the song
Out Write own verse and create own unpack what the message is in the ‘Putting it out there’
actions song.
Going Put it together as a class and practice Present their work in Book creator Re-write own version of ‘Putting It Out
Further copying in lyrics, importing the There’ to share a message about their
song from iTunes and either Exhibition findings on Natural Disasters.
writing, audio or video recording Record and arrange Drums, Guitar
their answers to the questions. Turnaround and their lyrics into Garage
band.
Drawing Record Dress rehearsal performance, Present to Class Combine all elements into Explain
Conclusions watch, perform at Concert Everything, import lyrics from Pages,
/Reflecting screenshot of Garage Band Project and
song file from Garage Band. Have this file
open on their iPad for parents and
students to play at their exhibition station.
Transdisciplinary Skills
Social: cooperating, weekly group leader Self Management: Gross motor, fine motor, spatial awareness
Thinking: Acquisition of knowledge, comprehension, application Communication: listening, speaking, reading, viewing
Learner Profile
Inquirers Thinkers Communicators Knowledgable Risk taker
☐Principled ☐Caring Open minded ☐Balanced Reflective
Attitudes
Appreciation Commitment Confidence Cooperation Creativity
Curious ☐Empathy Enthusiasm ☐Independence ☐Integrity
☐Respect ☐Tolerance
Reflecting on the inquiry

6. To what extent did we achieve our purpose?
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.
Students were able to write lyrics to
communicate a message. They presented this
message through live and recorded
performances.
Students were able to analyse an artist lyrics to
draw out what they thought the communicated
message was intended to be.
7. To what extent did we include the elements of the PYP?
What were the learning experiences that enabled students to:
 develop an understanding of the concepts identified in “What do we want to
learn?”
Students could identify artist beliefs and
opinions, Students wrote their own lyrics based
on truth, beliefs and opinions
 demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?

How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a Communication: students communicated ideas
more accurate picture of each student’s understanding of the central idea.
through performance and presentations
Happy with Assessment tasks
 develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea
and the transdisciplinary theme? Students were risk takers in performing and
attempting projects they thought too hard for
Students were able to identify how artists
them to achieve.
express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs
& values
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.

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