Planning the inquiry

Class/grade: 2nd Age group:7 and 8 year olds

School: Semper
Theme: Where We Are In Place and Time
Title: History affects the present and the future
Teacher(s): Lay/Gutierrez
Date: 4-16-2018
Proposed duration: 6 weeks 40 Minutes per day
School Code: 060135

1.​ What is our purpose? 2. ​ What do we want to learn?

To inquire into the following:
● transdisciplinary theme:Where we are in place and time: ​An inquiry
into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and
journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of
humankind; the r​ elationship between and the interconnectedness of
individuals​ and civilizations​, from local and global perspectives.
● central idea: ​The decisions of the past affect the present and the
future.
For students and teachers to demonstrate the LP attributes within
the classroom, school, community and the world.
Summative assessment task(s):
What are the possible ways of assessing students’ understanding of the
central idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we
look for?
History Pre/Post Assessment
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection,
perspective, responsibility and reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
Key Concepts​: change, connection
Related Concepts: growth, transformation, relationships
Approaches to Learning: Thinking Skills and Communication Skills
Communication Skills-Viewing-interpreting and analyzing visuals and multimedia;
understanding the ways in which images and language interact to convey ideas,
values, and beliefs making informed choices about personal viewing experiences
Thinking Skills - Dialectical Thought-Thinking about two or more different points of
view at the same time; understanding those points of view; being able to construct
an argument for each point of view based on knowledge of the other(s); realizing that
other people can also take one’s own point of view
Ie. Would it be better to have lived 100 years ago? Why? Or is it better to be alive
today? Why?
Learner Profile Attributes: open-minded, risk-taker
Attitudes:appreciation, commitment
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?

Observations, anecdotal notes,
Student actions in/out of the classroom
When shown photos and videos of historical artifacts and events
students will be able to infer past, present or future timeline placement.
● How technology continues to change things over time.
● How the past has affected where we are today.
● How the migration of people (and their cultures) causes
communities/neighborhoods to change over time.
● How important people, events, and developments leave a lasting
impact on communities
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?

Students will be able to make specific statements and generalizations

about how something has changed over time.
YouTube Videos:
Timeline of education
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp5lxkSEv10
The Past, Present and Future of EDUCATION video
● How does history connect to the past and help us
understand the present?
● What do we learn from studying history?
● How do historians construct stories of the past?
● What makes a person or event historical?

Schools in the past

One- room schools of the past
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z-K-HCBQ6s

Transportation timeline
An animated history of transportation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaLCQo8NJFA
An animated history of transportation

Housing Through The Centuries

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoCZnboThfk
3. ​ How might we know what we have learned?
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? (Pre-Assessment)
Pre/Post Assessment-
History Pre/Post Assessment
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the lines of
inquiry? What evidence will we look for? (Formative)
Concept: Connection-How is it connected to other things?
Definition: The understanding that change is the process of movement from one state
to another. It is universal and inevitable.
Examples: adaptation, growth, cycles, sequences, transformation
Concept: Change-How is it changing?
Definition: The understanding that change is the process of movement from one state
to another. It is universal and inevitable.
Examples: adaptation, growth, cycles, sequences, transformation
Anecdotal observations and notes.
History Vocabulary
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dPcrXjPcPpY-1FsgVFcZG3s0cKfR
7Lox9BlFz9jYLhQ/edit?usp=sharing
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?
Tuning In:Unpack the Unit of Inquiry Wall;Activate background knowledge;Develop
initial I Wonder questions.
Definitions of Past and Present
Bring in artifacts for kids to explore. Ie. Walkman, rotary phone, 8-track tape,
typewriter
Finding Out:​ ​Students will explore the history of schools, homes, stores, and
transportation through Google and YouTube sites. Students will present their
findings to classmates.
Sorting Out: Students will develop ideas and understanding around what has
changed over time and how have things changed over time.
Going Further: Students will choose an area of interest within our identified areas
of inquiry to investigate further and share their perspective of how this area has
changed over time.
Making Conclusions: Revisit and clarify “I wonder questions”; Organize content to
be shared in verbal presentation.
Taking Action: Students will respond by inquiring further and independently into
other areas of historical interest.
 What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the
development of the attributes of the learner profile?
·
Students will have the opportunity to engage in inquiry through utilizing
research skills to investigate change over time in school, homes, stores
and transportation. The attributes of risk-taker and open-mindedness
related to change over-time will be elevated.

5. What resources need to be gathered?

Book titles: The Little House, The Pioneer Sampler, How People Lived in America series (travel, toys, games, and fun, clothing, food and cooking, keeping in touch) I Didn’t
Know that Some Cars Can Swim, About 100 Years Ago; I-pads, Chromebooks, Epic Books,. Smart Notebook lessons. specific materials IE: books, videos etc.related to
history. .Assigned articles related to history via Achieve 3000.

​How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community to be used to facilitate the inquiry?

Various aspects of history will be studied in depth (schools, homes, stores, and transportation). Nonfiction books will be accessed and utilized to develop deeper
understanding of change over time. Kids will use and see historical artifacts and experience through literature and role playing antiquated teaching techniques, As a grade
level, we will culminate our unit with a walking field trip to the Semper Farm, from whom Semper received its land grant and name.

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 appear to have developed deeper understanding of the effects of change
over time on a community.
How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a more
accurate picture of each student’s understanding of the central idea.
Give students more diversity in terms of summative assessment opportunities.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea and
the transdisciplinary theme?
Literature connections and subsequent classroom discussions clearly
indicated that students understood concepts being developed.
By referring to dates and connecting to timelines students have more
of a concrete understanding of the abstract concept of the passage of
time. When in time things have happened and why many things
have and needed to change.
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?”
● Demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary
skills?
● Develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?
In each case, explain your selection.
The attributes of open-minded and risk taker were active elements of all
lesson structures.
These attributes were chosen because of the nature of the program of
inquiry. Students were tasked with thinking about and appreciating their
own place in time as it relates to their ancestors who immigrated to this
country to find a better life. This perspective was difficult to understand
for many, so it necessitated their open-mindedness to try to make sense
of it. Additionally, those who immigrated had to be risk takers to take a
chance on a better life. Also, all historical change is the result of
risk-taking and open minded behavior. Students were exposed to notable
people and events in history that modeled change over time and thus the
need for risk-taking and open mindedness. The exposure to the concept
of change over time gave our students multiple opportunities to observe
and relate to change being equal to risk taking and open mindedness.
​The attitudes of commitment and appreciation were active elements of all
lesson structures.
Students came to understand that change over time requires much
commitment and that most of us appreciate and benefit from the change
that has happened.
 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. Need to allocate adequate time for lesson implementation.

More fluid integration of technology is needed.

● I wonder what school was like 100-200 years ago.
● I wonder if they had pencils in schools 100 years ago. Post-assessment options development needed.
● I wonder how kids got to school in the past.
● I wonder what homes looked like 100 years ago.
● I wonder how many people were homeless 50 years ago.
● I wonder if they had TV 100 years ago.
● I wonder what all technology was like 100 years ago.
● I wonder how we dressed 100 years ago.
● I wonder how many people lived on earth 100 years ago.

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.

● How does history connect to the past and help us

understand the present?
● What do we learn from studying history?
● How do historians construct stories of the past?
● What makes a person or event historical?

What student-initiated actions arose from the learning?

Student initiated action included selecting high interest topics to further
inquire about. EX. A particular student might want to learn more about how
the telephone has changed over time. That student could have
independently or with a partner who has similar interest done independent
research about the history of the telephone.