IB Planner designed to plan the Introductory PYP workshop for new teachers.

1. Class/grade: Second grade Age group:
School: CAC School code:
Title: What a concept!
Teacher(s): Jennie Devine and Christianne Cowie
Date: September 19th
2008
Proposed duration: 2 hours
PYP planner
1. What is our purpose?
To inquire into the following:
• transdisciplinary theme
HOW WE ORGANISE OURSELVES
An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure
and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on
humankind and the environment.
• central idea
The written curriculum
The 5 essential elements of the PYP – concepts, skills, attitudes,
knowledge and action are interrelated components of a balanced
curriculum.
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?
• At the end of the workshop Miss Sarah will ask all participants to create an
action plan.
• Self assessment for this session: write a reflection of what they learned using a
set of guiding questions.
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?
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
• Concept driven curriculum
• Trasdiciplinary themes
• 5 essencial elements
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
• What is the PYP perspective of curriculum? (Form)
• How does a transdiciplinary curriculum work? (Function)
• How are the 5 essential elements connected? (Connection)
Planning the inquiry
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

2. Planning the inquiry
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?
They will be given a reading (The futility of trying to teach everything of
importance”
We already had interviews with the teachers in which we identified the prior
knowledge they have about the programme and some questions and needs they
have.
What are the possible ways of assessing student learning in the context of the
lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
• Evaluate a central idea they create + some lines of inquiry (they will have a set
of guiding questions)
• Place different central ideas under the correct transdiciplinary theme.
• Generate questions and classify under concepts
• Use the skills continuum and highlight which skills they could develop with
the central idea they created.
4. How best might we learn?
As they go in they will receive a piece of a 3 piece puzzle. They have to locate the other 2 people with the same puzzle
and sit with them.
• Welcome and Agenda of the day. Story “A school in the forest”
• After the story share a bit of PYP’ s History and general philosophy .Link to the story.
• Show and discuss the PYP Perspective of curriculum (Virtuose circle) (Knowledgeable)
• Explore the difference Between Transdiciplinary vs topic work. Share a Power Point slide and ask them to
compare and contrast. (group discussion) Share some ideas. Link with last week’s work on internationalism
and the need to explore big ideas of global relevance. (Inquirer and research skills)
Re grouping find 2 more people as different from you as you can (Social and thinking skills)
• Groups to read the “Sustain to Maintain” article and create a BIG IDEA from it. It should be a statement.
Using the questions on a Power Point “evaluate” that central idea, design some lines of inquiry. Place them
under the correct transdiciplinary theme on a wall. Give out all the central ideas of our POI and ask them to
sort them out first on their tables. To do that they will have to place them in silence, using only body and sign
language. Then 2 minutes to discuss. Explain how our POI is organized and that we also have aspects
outside the POI but that are taught the same approach; Inquiry based. For those we have scope and
sequence documents.(Inquirer, thinker and Communicator)
• Write questions to develop the understanding of the Central Ideas they wrote. Sort them according to
concepts, silently first and then discuss and then paste on the wall. (Similar to previous exercise) Group
discussion on the outcome. (Thinker)
Regroup find in 1 minute 2 people you have not worked with today. (Social Skills and time management)
• Ask them to highlight using the skills continuum the skills they will develop through that unit. Clarify that this
continuum was created by the Anglo. Refer to Making the PYP happen for the IBO explanation on the skills.
• Using the MPYP happen and the attitudes decide which attitudes as well. (Thinker)
• On a big piece of paper with the word ACTION written in the middle ask them to write all the possible actions
that could come from the unit. What does this article inspire you to do?
• PYP hexagon and explain how all elements are integrated.
• Reflection time. Ask them to make a line in alphabetical order. 11 go to one group and 11 to another.
Outside make 2 circles. People to stand facing each other. In one share one enduring understanding or
even maybe a question with the person in front of you. Participants rotate. They then go back and write their
individual reflection on the given paper. (Reflective)
• Homework to read from page 56 to 62 MPYP happen. (Commitment and Independence)
5. What resources need to be gathered?
What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
7 illustrations cut in 3 pieces for first grouping, Power Point presentation, “Sustain to Maintain” magazine article, Transdiciplinary themes on a piece of paper in every table. Also have a sheet of paper with the Concepts and the guiding questions
for every concept.. Strips of paper with all the central ideas in our POI. Skills Continuum.
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
Transdisicplinary themes with the descriptors on the wall and Flip chart with the Concepts + the guiding questions. Big roll of paper with the word ACTION in middle.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

3. 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.
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.
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea
and the transdisciplinary theme?
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.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007

4. 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.
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.
9. Teacher notes
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007