Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose? Class/grade: 6 Age group: 11-12

To inquire into the following:
School: IIS School code: 7429
 transdisciplinary theme
Title: Unit out of Unit Planner
PYP planner
 central idea Teacher(s): Ayo Talabi
Patterns can be represented, analyzed and generalized using tables,
Date: 11/04/2016
graphs, words and when possible symbolic rules (π).
Summative assessment task(s):
Proposed duration: 20 hours over 2 weeks
What are the possible ways of assessing students’ understanding of the central
idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for?

Students could work in pairs to generate sequences from simple geometric 2. What do we want to learn?
patterns using, for example, lines or dots or squares. Working in pairs, one
student generates a sequence, the other works out the rule. What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection,
perspective, responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
Process focused/ continuum FORM, FUNCTION, CONNECTION
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
 Pattern and rules
 Linear algebraic expressions
 Term-to-Term Rules

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

 Are there any connection between patterns and rules?

 How can we simplify linear algebraic expressions
 What are Term-to-Term rules and how does it work?

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

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
What are the possible ways of assessing students’ prior knowledge and skills? students to encourage the students to engage with the inquiries and
What evidence will we look for? address the driving questions?
Students can skip count in 2’s or 3,s sequence and brainstorm strategies to use What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and
to get the 20th term. for the development of the attributes of the learner profile?
1. Students could use words as the variables when simplifying
algebraic expressions. E.g. a shopping basket contains 6 apples
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the
and 2 bananas and 2 apples. This leads to 6a + 2b + 2a. (inquirer,
lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
thinker, communicator).
1. Students will be given various number patterns. They will have to 2. Students could use “think of a number” games to construct simple
select appropriate methods to analyse patterns and identify rules. equations. (inquirer, thinker).
Selected response/Checklist 3. Students could find out what formulae are being used by students
2. Students will simplify linear algebraic expressions by collecting like- and make use of them. (open-minded, thinker; social and
terms. Checklist communication skills).
3. Students will find simple Term-to-Term rules. Checklist 4. Students could use a calculator to generate sequences with simple
rules such as “add three each time”. Predict, for example, the 10th
term and check using a calculator. (inquirer, thinker).
5. Students could represent the rule of a pattern by using a function.
(inquirer, thinker).
6. Students could construct and solve simple linear equations with
integer coefficients; evaluate simple formulae. (inquirer, thinker).
7. Students could generate and describe simple integer sequences.
(inquirer, thinker, communicator).

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
Library: Math Textbooks
PowerPoint Presentations
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
The students could explore patterns in the Art class and find out how the Term-to-Term rules can be applied in everyday life.

© 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’ What were the learning experiences that enabled students to:
understanding of the central idea. The reflections of all teachers involved in the
planning and teaching of the inquiry should be included.  develop an understanding of the concepts identified in “What do we want to
learn?”
It is possible that the concept of “responsibility” should be highlighted in this unit.
The POI should reflect this!
How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a  demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?
more accurate picture of each student’s understanding of the central idea.
 develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?
In each case, explain your selection.

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 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