Planning the inquiry

1. What is our purpose?

To inquire into the following:

transdisciplinary theme

Sharing the planet: An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share
finite resources with other people and other living things; communities and the
relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and
conflict resolution.

Class/grade: Grade 5

Age group: 10-11

School: Bandung International School

School code: 7158

Title: Unlocking Equal Opportunities

PYP planner
Teacher(s): Ms Cathy, Ms Vici, Mr T, Ms Mary, Ibu Any, Mr Ashworth, Mr Hector Ms Glenda
Date1st April - 1st June 2011

Curriculum focus: Social Studies

Proposed duration: number of weeks 8

central idea

Access to Opportunities Affects Equality

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?
All key concepts.

Summative assessment task(s):

What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
What are the possible ways of assessing students understanding of the central
idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.

Student displays at the Exhibition different ways of presenting information

Musical production writing scenes to convey the understandings formed during
the inquiry
Personal weekly reflections and goal setting
Action documented / completed or planned for
Logo formation of a logo representative of the central idea
Unit title reflecting central idea
Student questions related to concepts
Double entry journal highlighting transdisciplinary skills

How and why groups of people are treated differently

Circumstances that affect peoples access to opportunities

The ways in which people respond to opportunities.

Human rights and the action that can be taken to ensure they are being met.

What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

What are Human Rights?
Why dont all people have the same opportunities?
What is and can be done to change this?

Learner profile attributes: all attributes

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 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?
Discussion / reflection on previous units and exhibitions which might be related
What is an exhibition? Written responses and discussion
Video record of prior understandings eg I think equal opportunity is. I think
Human rights are..
Sticky note collection where have you seen a lack of Equal Opportunity?
Student definitions of LP and attitudes
Large laminated attitude posters to record actual incidences.
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines
of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?

Writing and publishing a picture story book with a discrimination or access to

equal opportunities moral.
Discrimination presentations can groups answer questions, do they empathise
with those suffering this type of discrimination, what action can they put
forward to fix the problem.
Guiding and presenting skills at Exhibition. Can students answer pertinent
questions, or advise how to find the information if they dont know.
Reflections in Exhibition Journals.
Musical production scripts

Equal Opportunities: Groups read chapters from book by Fiona Macdonald to get a clear picture of
what Equal opportunities are. Small groups then researched discrimination and prepared
presentations to teach each other about the types of discrimination. School Survey using Survey
Monkey to determination discrimination within our own school environment.
Human Rights: - Pre discussion, what each child thinks they are. Used website
www.youthforhumanrights.org to watch videos explaining the HR in childrens language. Use of the
Real Lives online program was instrumental in helping the students to understand what life is like for
people all over the world.Students selected local groups of people most at risk of not having access
to equal opportunity for their inquiries. Excursions to SOS Kinderdorf, Surya Kanti, Ibu Ritas Home
Library, Orphanages, Hospitals, Street Kids, Bubble Man. Guest speakers: Golf Caddies, Edward
Forrer, Debby SandersonPE Assist students with choreography of disabilities dance for
performanceMathsIf the World were a village. Take data and graph it, then use computer program
to make it into an online quizzMusic Writing a song (Equal Opportunities) to accompany musical
performance. Altering lyrics in Wonderful World song to suit Ibu Rita scene.Learning harmony for
Hearts in harmony song.Art Creating Equal Opportunity felt picture story books.PSE assisting with
action for projects such as SekolahBisa, and the Fiji Family fund. Indonesian Culture / PSE visiting
blind school, orphanage, deaf school, street kids

What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the
development of the attributes of the learner profile?
Focus onsocial (accepting responsibility, resolving conflict, group decision-making); thinking
(acquisition of knowledge, analysis, synthesis, evaluation);self-management (organisation, time
management, codes of behaviour); research (planning, recording and organising data);
communication.Inquirers planning and implementing the exhibition.Principled on field trips
acting with integrity and respect for people in difficult situations or with
disorders/disabilitiesReflective appreciating our personal situations in order to understand the
importance of taking action to help others; understanding more our strengths and limitations
through the process of working on the exhibition. Looking out for examples of attitudes and
recording them on large laminated sheets displayed around the room. Recording TD skills used each
week in Exhibition journals.

5. What resources need to be gathered?

What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?Websites,e.g.www.realives.comwww.youthforhumanrights.org
Australian Story: Gemma Sissia (School of St Jude) Moodle Exhibition page. Green meadow DVD of the Red River Children in Vietnam.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/;www.bbc.co.org; www.savethechildrenfund.org ; www.un.org ; www.unicef.org/infobycountry ; www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/;
www.dosomething.org/tipsheets/the_8_millenium_goals; www.worldbank.orgIndonesia Development Information Services on World bank site! Mortenson, G. Three Cups of Tea.
Penguin..Oxfam. Heinemann; Duckworth, K. 2004. Childrens Rights Education. Evans Brothers; Harrison, J. 2004. Childrens Rights Home. Evans Brothers.) Edwards, N. 2004. Childrens
Rights Voice. Evans Brothers; Watson, S. 2003. Understanding Human Rights. A+).Schooling and literacy chapter of Smith, D. 2008. If the World Were a Village. Allen
andUnwin;Wood, R. 19Pearson, J. 2004; .United Nations. World Almanac Library.Equal opportunities by Fiona Macdonald.
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?Posters from Human Rights and Rights of the child. Sticky note
board for thoughts and ideas. Field trips toorphanage,YayasanSurya Kanti. Ibu Ritas Home Library The Bubble man, Santosa hospital to view Operation Smile in action. Guest
speakers Edward Forrer, Golf caddies. Interview with director of SOS Kinderdorf. Interviews with people suffering infectious diseases. Local community surveys.
International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

6.Reflecting
To what
did we achieve our purpose?
onextent
the inquiry

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:

On the exhibition day, all students were able to guide guests around the Exhibition, explaining
the connection between the Central Idea and each display board. Clear connections were
given between the concepts and the lines of inquiry. Students were able to refer guests to
people with more knowledge if they couldnt directly answer a question. The scenes written
by the students for the musical performance, clearly demonstrated their understanding of the
Central Idea and the frustrations associated with taking action, especially in developing
countries where corruption is an issue.
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.
More work could have been done on helping the students to explain the Central Idea and the
inquiry to the younger students. Most found this the most difficult aspect of presenting and
EC teachers felt that the students werent able to explain very well in kid talk. Working on
this would also have helped the Grade 5s refine their understandings.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and the
transdisciplinary theme?
Clear links were made in the students explanations of their inquiries. All questions were
concept driven and ensuing discussions raised bigger picture issues such as types of
government and corruption. The idea that access to opportunities was directly related to
poverty was a key understanding, but not limited to just it. In the musical performance the
students covered so many issues relating to access to opportunities, clear evidence that they
understood the connections. The students now have a much clearer understanding of the
global problem and recognised that everyone can play a part in the solution, not just people
with money to spare. An important emotional connection that the students made was that
the people who are working hard to even up the inequality in the world, are good people
with morals and values. Some of them even questioned the business ethics and practices of
their families, e.g. how much do you give a golf caddy for hours of work? What benefits (if
any) do we pay/provide to our workers?

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

Discussion and questions emanated from discussion about Equal Opportunity and
where the students have seen a lack of it in action. Student questions recorded
and communicated with the class. Questions were sorted into concepts and these
decisions discussed. All students included questions from each of the concepts in
their inquiry if possible.

demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?

Evidenced in their Exhibition Journals, reflected on each week. Class discussion
and recording of TD skills weekly when completing the Double Entry Journal.
Students became very familiar with the TD skills working with them weekly/daily

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

Learner profile and attitudes were dealt with in Exhibition journals in weekly
reflecting and were embedded in final assessment. Recording of instances of
demonstration particular attitudes which remained on public display was
successful and a positive recognition for the students.

In each case, explain your selection.

Seriously?? Come on I would need 10 pages!!

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. (Marked with *)
Inquiries into: Access to opportunities for: Orphans in Bandung, Children with learning
disorders, people with disabilities, Children born with cleft palates, lives of people with
low paying jobs, deaf and blind people, Important questions: Why are so many people
living in poverty? How have humans let the world get into this state? What are
governments doing to change the imbalance? What can we do?
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.

Action was a huge component of this unit. The students realised very early in
the inquiry that they could make a difference in so many ways, and that to
make a difference doesnt always involve throwing money at causes. They
could make a difference by just being a friend, a playmate or someone who
would listen e.g. Playing with the children at SOS and BayiSehat, collecting
books and reading to children at Ibu Ritas library, giving toys and cuddles
to children recovering from cleft palate operations, donating clothes to street
kids and offering them a meal at Exhibition, responding with a smile to
students at Surya Kanti rather than turning away. They also realised that you
need to talk to people first and find out what it is that they need, not just
assume that giving them money will fix their problems.
The students did also raise money, for a cause very close to my own heart.
They held a bake sale and a community breakfast and raised 14,000,000rp to
send to a family in Fiji who had lost their financial support due to a tragic
accident.
Different groups collected for different causes e.g. books and stationery for
SekolahBisa, Clothes and toys for the orphans, Stuffed toys for the op smile
kids, books for Ibu Rita.
Two students started their own cloth bag business and sewed cloth bags to
sell at Summer Fair and donated the money to Fiji.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

9. Teacher notes
Grade 5 Exhibition Student Reflection June 6 2011
Yes we achieved our purpose because now we know a lot about Access to Equal Opportunities.
What did we learn?
We learnt that not many get the access to opportunities that we have and that we are very lucky. We found out that
there are many organisations in Bandung working to help people who dont have as much as us. We found out about
Operation Smile, SOS Kinderdorf, The UN declaration of Human Rights, Surya Kanti, RumahCemara,
RumahSingga, The Bubble Man, Lives of Golf Caddies, SLB Cicendo, The lives of Blind people in Bandung, Ibu
Ritas home library, Sembilan Mutiara, MutiaraBunda, Edward Forrers life, BayiSehat, SLB Padjadjaran,
Yes lots of things were challenging for example: touring/guiding different age groups through the exhibition;
interviewing local people; cooperating with older students; speaking to people we would normally not talk to; seeing
children who had just had operations; phoning people we didnt know; knowing when it was appropriate to ask
particular questions; knowing how to react in a scary situation, knowing how to react when people with mental
disabilities come up to you; getting the display boards made on time; getting the performance ready on time;
organizing field trips; learning lines; remembering lyrics; composing;
Did we demonstrate the Five Essential elements of the PYP?
(knowledge, concepts, transdisciplinary skills, attitudes & action)
We demonstrated transdisciplinary skills in our weekly reflections and exhibition journals. We also documented our
skills each week in the Double Entry Journal and through photographs and videos.
We showed our understanding of the concepts on our display boards, and in our discrimination presentations. All our
questions were under a particular concept.
We documented our use of attitudes by writing on the large laminated sheets whenever we saw someone
demonstrating that particular attitude.
We showed our action through the Spring Fair, Community Breakfast, Action board, donations, and our musical
performance.
We demonstrated our knowledge when we were guiding groups around the displays. When we wrote our scenes for
the musical performance, when we wrote questions to ask on field trips, when we were researching, when we played
real lives we had to develop our knowledge to make wise decisions. Also in our weekly reflections, we reflected on
our understandings.
Exhibition was highly successful. All children participated to the very best of their ability and the degree of learning
and enthusiasm was obvious. One challenge for the students was to understand the concept of connection and I felt
this was not dealt with as well as it could have been. To fully understand the big picture they needed to understand the
connection between everyones inquiries and to previous units. The timing of Exhibition presented many challenges,
as the end of the year is extremely busy, staff have commitments and are tired and it was difficult to get some
specialist staff fully involved. The contribution from Music was brilliant and an integral part of the performance. Art
projects were related but not all finished and it was disappointing that the topic for the inquiry was dismissed as being
boring by the teacher. PE was busy with school sports day, so only became involved in the last week. Foreign
language was not involved at all. Ibu Vini was great helping to organise field trips, but also continued with her regular
Indo Culture program. Library was fantastic; we worked together during library skills classes and Ibu Any took two
students on a field trip. Next year there will be less people to coordinate with so hopefully less problems with
involvement. It also caused problems clashing with summer fair, and in getting the DVD finished before the end of
the year. I would recommend changing the timing of the unit to make it the penultimate rather than the last one.
We also felt under pressure to take the Exhibition down in order for others to use the display boards. This was really
disappointing and I would like to see an agreement reached that Exhibition can stay on display for at least one week
after the event. The students were also disappointed that not all teachers/students visited the exhibition, but were
thrilled with the comments and support of those who did. The parents were so supportive of everything the students
did and very involved in the whole process. Guiding groups through the exhibition was a new concept this year and
seemed to work well. All ages for quite well catered for and the box houses for the EC children produced the hoped
for understandings.