As a way of getting students to connect with the driving concept (the heart) of our units of inquiry, teachers provide students with an experience (provocation) that gets them thinking about where the unit is going. First grade teachers are starting their Sharing the Planet unit where they will focus on how we use our natural resources and the impact of our actions on the planet. They purchased many books to support this unit. They all came in many different boxes from Amazon. To get students to start to reflect, they brought all of the packaging onto the center of their carpet and asked the students what they should do with it. It invited a variety of responses from recycling to repurposing. The kids were so enthusiastic in one class that they insisted on writing their ideas on post-it notes and attached them to the objects. The teachers will refer back to their tangible experience throughout the unit. More importantly, it brought up some "tension" that will drive the unit forward: What do we do with all the "stuff" we don't want anymore?
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As part of every unit of inquiry, teacher give students time in the beginning to immerse in the concept of their unit. As part of their Where We Are in Place and Time unit, fourth grade teachers put out photos and charts that are connected with migrations from different cultures and different points in time. Their goal is to have students observe the challenges and opportunities that arise as a result of migration. This idea is central to their unit. Instead of telling students this idea, through the inquiry approach, teachers want to provide students with chances to discover these ideas for themselves. This picture walk is once example of how teachers do this during immersion.
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AuthorThis blog is written by Amber McLandrich, the school's PYP Coordinator. Archives
September 2018
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