PYP of the IB:  Template for Program of Inquiry

       

School:  Roberts Elementary        for 2006-2007                                                                                                                        updated as of     June 1, 2006

 

An  inquiry into:                                                                                                                                                       

 

Age 

An inquiry into  

 Who we are

 

An exploration of the nature of the self; of our beliefs and values; of personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; of our families, friends, communities and cultures; of our rights and responsibilities; of what it means to be human. 

An inquiry into  

Where we are in time and place 

 

An exploration of our orientation in place and time; of our personal histories; of history and geography from local and global perspectives; of our homes and journeys; of the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; of the contributions of individuals and civilisations. 

An inquiry into  

How we express ourselves 

 

An exploration of the ways in which we discover and express our nature, ideas, feelings, beliefs and values through language and the arts. 

 

An inquiry into 

How the world works 

 

An exploration of the physical and material world; of natural and human-made phenomena; of the world of science and technology. 

An inquiry into 

How we organise ourselves 

 

An exploration of human systems and communities; of the world of work, its nature and its value; of employment and unemployment and their impact. 

An inquiry into 

How we share the planet 

 

An exploration of our rights and responsibilities as we try to share finite resources with other people, with other living things; of communities and of the relationships within and between them. 

10-11 

 

5th 

YOU GOTTA FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT 

 

Central Idea: 

People have rights and responsibilities in a community. 

 

An inquiry into:

*rights and responsibilities 

*how personal beliefs influence attitudes towards rights and responsibilities 

*establishment of the rights of individuals 

*biases and prejudices across the globe  

 

January - February 

MOVERS AND SHAKERS 

 

 

Central Idea: 

People migrate for a variety of reasons.

 

 

An inquiry into: 

*why people migrate

*effects on people and places after settlement 

*reasons for choosing a settlement location 

*patterns in settlement 

 

 

 

March – April

READING BETWEEN THE LINES 

 

Central Idea:

People express their beliefs, values, and feelings through their words.

 

An inquiry into: 

* the techniques poets use 

* how poets portray feelings through writing 

* how messages are communicated through poetry 

* influences impacting the poets’ work 

 

 

May 

EARTH AND ITS NEIGHBORS

 

Central Idea: 

Our solar system is interdependent and ever-changing. 

 

An inquiry into: 

*physical characteristics of the solar system 

*the forces that keep planets in orbit 

*changes that occur over time within the solar system 

 

 

 

August- September 

ROAD TO REVOLUTION 

 

 

Central Idea: 

At the end of political conflict people seek resolution.  

 

An inquiry into: 

*events that lead to unrest 

*consequences of conflict 

*results of revolution 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September - October

EXHIBITION 

 

 

Central Idea: 

 

 

 

 

An inquiry into: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November - December 

9 – 10 

 

4th

A CULTURAL TOSSED SALAD 

 

Central Idea: 

The cultures of the world are becoming more integrated.

 

An inquiry into: 

*definitions of culture

*our daily lives are impacted by global influences

*customs, symbols, and celebrations 

*relationship between geography and culture

 

 

 

October 

GOING PLACES 

 

 

Central Idea: 

People explore and make discoveries for a variety of reasons.

 

An inquiry into: 

*the possible reasons for exploration

*the effects on individuals, groups, and nations

*forms of exploration – past, present, future

 

 

 

 

 

November-December 

ART HISTORY 101 

 

 

Central Idea: 

We express our ideas, feelings and beliefs through art. 

 

 

An inquiry into: 

*reasons behind expression 

*different mediums of art 

*the impact of the piece of art on others 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April-May 

ROCK, RATTLE, AND ROLL 

 

Central Idea: 

Earth experiences changes caused by geological forces.

 

 

An inquiry into: 

*how rocks and minerals are formed

*the causes behind Earth’s physical changes 

* how earth’s physical events impact humans 

 

 

 

 

 

August-September 

THE DECIDERS 

 

 

Central Idea: 

Government structures impact the way we live.

 

 

An inquiry into:

*government structure 

*the election process 

*how governments make financial decisions  

 

 

Government Comparison with Cuba 

 

 

 

January-February 

CONFLICT HAPPENS 

 

 

Central Idea: 

Throughout time, human conflict has influenced society. 

 

An inquiry into: 

*the factors and consequences of change

*how individuals and groups promote or prevent conflict 

*how one country’s actions or conflicts affect others 

 

Case Study – The Alamo 

 

February-April

8 – 9 

 

3rd

TRADITIONS 

 

 

Central Idea: 

Cultures form traditions to define who they are. 

 

 

 

An inquiry into:

* the use and needs of traditions

* rites of passage  

 

 

 

 

 

November - December

THE AMAZING RACE 

 

 

Central Idea: 

All places on Earth have special features that distinguish them from other places. 

 

An inquiry into:

*the physical characteristics of Earth

  • *human affects on the geography

    *how geography affects lifestyles

 

 

August –September 

FACTUALLY SPEAKING? 

 

 

Central Idea:

People write to express their interests and passions. 

 

 

 

An inquiry into: 

*types of non-fiction

*literary non-fiction 

*how writers incorporate voice in their writing

 

 

 

 

March - April 

LIFT IT, PUSH IT, PULL IT 

 

Central Idea: 

Technology has changed over time.

 

 

 

An inquiry into: 

* technology affects everyday life

* machines  

*relationships between machines and technology

*meeting cultural needs 

 

 

October - November 

COME TOGETHER 

 

 

Central Idea: 

People create systems to ensure structure and order within their society. 

 

 

An inquiry into: 

* structures and roles are created within groups

*different kinds of leadership structures 

*the responsibility of  individuals within groups

 

 

April - May 

I WILL SURVIVE 

 

 

Central Idea: 

Organisms are essential to survival on Earth.

 

 

 

An inquiry into: 

*needs of living things

*the interrelationship of organisms 

*human responsibility to protect organisms

*significant events which affect the balance 

 

May 

 

7 – 8 

 

2nd

 

HEALTHY BODIES-HEALTHY MINDS 

 

Central Idea: 

Healthy human bodies require maintenance to survive.

 

An inquiry into: 

*the structure and function of body systems

*the requirements to maintain a body

*the relationship between emotional well-being and health

 

 

January - February 

THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES 

 

Central Idea:  

A history tells a story.

 

 

 

An inquiry into: 

*what makes a history 

*discovering a history 

*methods of determining a history 

*interpreting a history 

 

 

 

 

August - September 

ADVERTISING 

 

 

Central Idea:

Advertising can influence our choices. 

 

 

An inquiry into: 

* how advertisers influence people through words, sounds, and images to convey a message

* advertising- past, present, and future (internet) 

* the effect of advertising on consumers’ decisions

 

April- May

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? 

 

Central Idea: 

Plants have needs in order to grow and stay healthy.

 

 

An inquiry into: 

*parts of plants

*characteristics and needs of viable plants  

*different types of plants  

 

 

 

 

 

October - November 

MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND 

 

Central Idea: 

Economics affects the way people live. 

 

 

An inquiry into:

*the advantages and disadvantages of different types of  economic systems(barter, trade, currency, bargain)

*the relationship between supply and demand 

*history of money 

 

February - March

HOME SWEET HOME 

 

 

Central Idea: 

Living things are dependent upon their habitat. 

 

An inquiry into: 

*components of  habitats

*roles of living things in the food chain 

*our responsibility to preserve habitats

 

 

 

 

November - December 

6 - 7 

 

1st

WE ARE A SCHOOL COMMUNITY

 

Central Idea: 

The responsibilities of people affect their community.

 

An inquiry into:

*community systems 

*the nature of multiple roles of people within a community

*communities in other countries

 

 

 

 

August - September 

WHAT WAS IT LIKE? 

 

 

Central Idea: 

Discoveries in technology affect our lives.

 

 

An inquiry into: 

*how human connections have changed 

*the similarities and differences in technology 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January - February 

IT’S A SMALL WORLD 

 

 

Central Idea: 

Humans express themselves and their ideas through folklore. 

 

An inquiry into:

*origins of folklore 

*the customs and values that are handed down by cultures through folklore 

*the elements and structures of folklore genres 

*the commonalities between folklore of different cultures 

*the language used in folklore 

 

April - May

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE 

 

 

Central Idea: 

There are naturally occurring cycles all around us. 

 

 

An inquiry into:

*cycles of living things

*cycles of non-living things 

*similarities and differences of natural cycles  

 

 

 

 

 

 

October - November 

THE WORLD OF WORK 

 

 

Central Idea: 

Goods are produced and services are provided to meet the needs of people. 

 

An inquiry into:

*the roles of producers and consumers 

*how goods are produced 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE 

 

Central Idea: 

Water is a finite resource. 

 

 

 

An inquiry into:

*the affects of humans on the world’s water

*the affects of water on the ecosystem

*the affects of water on humans 

 

 

 

 

March-April 

 

5 - 6 

 

 

I AM 

 

 

Central Idea: 

People throughout the world have many similarities. 

 

An inquiry into:

*self awareness of one’s physical characteristics and emotions

*being a part of a family and a group 

*people’s uniqueness

 

August - September 

FOLLOW THE LEADER 

 

 

Central Idea: 

Individuals have impacted communities throughout time.

 

 

An inquiry into:

*leadership

*contributions of individuals that affect our world 

*ways influential people are publicly recognized 

 

 

February - March 

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY 

 

Central Idea:  

People express their ideas and feelings through the visual arts.

 

An inquiry into:

artists express similar ideas through their paintings 

* the effects of personal experiences on works of art 

*artists masterpieces 

 

 

May 

SEASONS IN THE SUN 

 

 

Central Idea:  

Climate affects our lives.

 

 

 

An  inquiry into:

*relationship between climate and weather

*how the weather impacts our lives 

*different kinds of weather 

 

 

January 

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR

 

Central Idea: 

Jobs are essential for the well being of a community.

 

 

An inquiry into:

*types of jobs

*what work provides people 

*needs of community 

 

 

 

 

October - December 

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND 

 

Central Idea:  

Humans have an impact on the planet.

 

 

An inquiry into:

*forms of human impact on the planet 

*choices and decisions 

*earth’s resources 

 

 

 

March - April