Third grade is beginning a PYP unit of inquiry under How We Express Ourselves, regarding beauty in the arts. The central idea is: Through the arts people learn to appreciate the
many faces of beauty.
As a provocation for this exploration students are bringing in art objects from home and sharing their criteria for why they think it is beautiful. They will then share with classmates, and then with other classes and teachers.
In order to enhance and expand our students' understanding of beauty and the our unique interpretations and perspective on it, we want to hear from others at Spicewood, in our community, and around the world.
We would like for you to share what you think beauty is. In the comments can you tell us what your criteria for beauty is-what makes something beautiful to you?
We appreciate your contributions and look forward to learning from you!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
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Using the PYP Learner Profile and Attitudes to Explore Artists
The arts are not mere diversions from the important business of education; they are essential resources. -Elliot Eisner, "The Role of the Arts in Cognition and Curriculum"
Spicewood has wonderful volunteers that organize and run an art appreciation program where they use art prints to introduce and expose students to a diverse groups of artists and their work.
Funded through the PTA, the volunteers purchase prints they want to expose students to, show the pieces, talk about the artist, and lead the students through discussions and observations. Reflecting on and evaluating the work of these great artists allow students to make connections to their lives through the PYP Learner Profile and attitudes. They see when an art demonstrated commitment, took risks, showed empathy or creativity. They can reflect on these traits and see how developing them in themselves could lead to realizing their goals, or learning something new.
Image courtesy The J. Paul Getty Museum: http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=937
To explore the theme Where We Are in Place and Time, 4th grade examines the reasons people migrate. They specifically look into where people migrate from and where they choose to go and why. They also study the effect that migration has on a community, as well as the effect on the immigrants.
To begin this inquiry they would love to hear YOUR stories. Over the course of time most people have migrated to the United States from another place. Please share your family's migration story with us. Where did you family come from and when? What factors did they consider when they chose a new place to live? How did the journey and the location they chose affect them? Tell us in the comments!
Thanks so much for helping support our inquiry!
Thanks so much for helping support our inquiry!
Next Saturday, November 3rd, Spicewood will host PYP teachers from all over the state of Texas for a roundtable discussion and workshop on the PYP transdisiplinary skills. Spicewood partnered with Round Rock elementary schools Anderson Mill, Caldwell Heights and Chandler Oaks, as well as with LISD elementaries CC Mason and Grandview Hills, to apply for a grant through Texas IB Schools (TIBS).
We chose to explore the transdisciplinary skills because we believe that the construction of meaning is complimented by the development of skills in authentic learning situations. Within their learning in the Primary Years Program, students acquire and learn to apply transdisciplinary skills. These skills are applicable not only within the classroom, but in their lives outside of the school setting. These skills are not relevant to just one content area, but rather transcend all of them to fully support the our development as a lifelong learner.
We chose to explore the transdisciplinary skills because we believe that the construction of meaning is complimented by the development of skills in authentic learning situations. Within their learning in the Primary Years Program, students acquire and learn to apply transdisciplinary skills. These skills are applicable not only within the classroom, but in their lives outside of the school setting. These skills are not relevant to just one content area, but rather transcend all of them to fully support the our development as a lifelong learner.
The development and application of these skills is relevant and applicable to all areas of curriculum because of their broad and diverse nature. They often act as a link across subject areas and are used as a guide for behavior and communication at Spicewood. The upcoming roundtable will give us the opportunity to explore more deeply how and when we explicitly teach these skills, and where we provide students the opportunities to practice and apply this knowledge.
You can find information regarding the transdisciplinary skills and other PYP components on our website!
Monday, October 22, 2012
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5th Grade Examines the Relationship Between Government and Citizens
Central idea: Systems of government organize societies.
Under the transdisciplinary theme How We Organize Ourselves, students explore the roles and responsibilities within different government systems, how citizens impact government and the way in which government impacts society.
During this unit students engage in elections in their classrooms and as a grade level. They create a student led government that then involves students from other grade levels. As school leaders students set agendas, attend meetings, and carry out action in response to feedback from the students they represent.
They undergo a media literacy study that assists them in analyzing and comparing citizen's roles in governments around the world.
Through this unit students use the thinking skill of application to establish government structures in their classroom and write a personal bill of rights. They also apply the social skills of group decision making and resolving conflict when they campaign, come to consensus and create classroom laws.
While exploring the concepts of responsibility, function, and perspective, students work to synthesize all the learning from previous units, and exemplify this knowledge. Throughout the unit sudents will enagage in language, math, social studies, media literacy and other subject areas to uncover this single big idea related to the relationship between society and government.
In this type of transdisciplinary approach curriculum and instruction are moved beyond single content-area focuses towards cross-curricular connections. This approach involves the organization of curriculum and instruction around authentic student questions where concepts and skills are developed through real-world contexts. Inquiry is at the heart of the transdisciplinary approach as students seek answers to the questions raised by the curriculum and themselves.
This is a powerful unit that has our 5th graders examining the way societies are organized and what that means for them and the world around them! Come check out our student elections on Friday, November 2nd!
In this type of transdisciplinary approach curriculum and instruction are moved beyond single content-area focuses towards cross-curricular connections. This approach involves the organization of curriculum and instruction around authentic student questions where concepts and skills are developed through real-world contexts. Inquiry is at the heart of the transdisciplinary approach as students seek answers to the questions raised by the curriculum and themselves.
This is a powerful unit that has our 5th graders examining the way societies are organized and what that means for them and the world around them! Come check out our student elections on Friday, November 2nd!
Over 3,000 schools and 141 countries now offer IB programs. Here are some of the reasons the IB is growing in popularity around the world:
The IB Mission Statement
"The IB aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect." The goals outlined by the IB for its schools really speak to the changing face of our globe and emphasize our need to become respectful, responsible citizens of our world. These ideals stand out as being relevant to our students and their families, we want our students to take their knowledge and use it to make a better, more peaceful world.
High Academic Standards
By centering our learning and exploration around things that are relevant, challenging and engaging-we can inspire our students to take responsibility for their own inquiries and learning. The PYP framework allows us to access the diverse prior knowledge and experience of all our students, we expose our students to different perspectives and questions while building off of what they already know. Using the transdisciplinary themes to organize our learning experiences, we place ideas and concepts into context for learning. These things all provide for a dynamic, interactive learning environment that helps students succeed and excel.
International Minded-ness
The IB provides a framework that allows students to explore concepts on both a local and global level. When we explore traditional topics such as water cycles we instead explore the availability of water as a resource around the world. Who has access? What affects this access? Who owns water? We take content outlined by our state and district standards and extend it to a wide exploration of concepts and big ideas.
Spicewood is proud to be an IB school! If you would like more information, please contact our PYP coordinator at doriane_marvel@roundrockisd..org
(2012). Welcome to the world of ib. IB World, (66), 1.
The IB Mission Statement
"The IB aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect." The goals outlined by the IB for its schools really speak to the changing face of our globe and emphasize our need to become respectful, responsible citizens of our world. These ideals stand out as being relevant to our students and their families, we want our students to take their knowledge and use it to make a better, more peaceful world.
High Academic Standards
By centering our learning and exploration around things that are relevant, challenging and engaging-we can inspire our students to take responsibility for their own inquiries and learning. The PYP framework allows us to access the diverse prior knowledge and experience of all our students, we expose our students to different perspectives and questions while building off of what they already know. Using the transdisciplinary themes to organize our learning experiences, we place ideas and concepts into context for learning. These things all provide for a dynamic, interactive learning environment that helps students succeed and excel.
International Minded-ness
The IB provides a framework that allows students to explore concepts on both a local and global level. When we explore traditional topics such as water cycles we instead explore the availability of water as a resource around the world. Who has access? What affects this access? Who owns water? We take content outlined by our state and district standards and extend it to a wide exploration of concepts and big ideas.
Spicewood is proud to be an IB school! If you would like more information, please contact our PYP coordinator at doriane_marvel@roundrockisd..org
(2012). Welcome to the world of ib. IB World, (66), 1.
One was we do this is by observing the hatching of chickens. Please enjoy these videos from our latest batch of eggs! Come and visit them in the library today!
This week Spicewood hosted its Spring Conferences in order to share and celebrate the progress of our students. This is an exciting time for both teachers and students as we have the opportunity to share some of the learning that has taken place over the last several months.
We especially love the format of having students involved because it allows them to take responsibility for what they have achieved and also begin to think about what they still want to know and be able to do. They have the opportunity to share with their families assessments and reflections from their Units of Inquiry as well as books they have been reading, writing pieces, math problem solving and art. Another exciting aspect of the process is seeing the learning environment and imagining what it looks like when teachers are conducting class meetings, problems solving, science experiments, role playing, historical reenactments and all the other things that happen at Spicewood throughout a normal school day.
We want to thank all the families who joined us for these very special celebrations and take our hats off to you for being a partner with us in the education of your child!
We especially love the format of having students involved because it allows them to take responsibility for what they have achieved and also begin to think about what they still want to know and be able to do. They have the opportunity to share with their families assessments and reflections from their Units of Inquiry as well as books they have been reading, writing pieces, math problem solving and art. Another exciting aspect of the process is seeing the learning environment and imagining what it looks like when teachers are conducting class meetings, problems solving, science experiments, role playing, historical reenactments and all the other things that happen at Spicewood throughout a normal school day.
We want to thank all the families who joined us for these very special celebrations and take our hats off to you for being a partner with us in the education of your child!
This past Wednesday, our 5th grade students hosted their Exhibition as the summative project representing their experience in the PYP. The purpose of the project is for the students to demonstrate their cumulative learning while mirroring the process of a PYP Unit of Inquiry. While at Spicewood over 6 years students participate in 36 units of inquiry. Each year grade levels complete one Unit under each transdisciplinary theme, and do 6 of each theme between Kindergarten and 5th grade.
The Exhibition allows students to synthesize their learning of the five Essential Elements of the PYP: knowledge, skills, attitudes, action, and concepts. They do this in groups while conducting inquiry and research on an issue facing our world right now. Groups are mentored by Spicewood teachers and staff, and then presented to the community.
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Our students, teachers, and mentors did a wonderful job working together to celebrate this AMAZING achievement.
The Exhibition allows students to synthesize their learning of the five Essential Elements of the PYP: knowledge, skills, attitudes, action, and concepts. They do this in groups while conducting inquiry and research on an issue facing our world right now. Groups are mentored by Spicewood teachers and staff, and then presented to the community.
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At the heart of PYP's philosophy is a commitment to structured, purposeful inquiry as a vehicle for learning. This exploration and study is done through the transdisciplinary themes.
One of the Themes each grade level explore is: How We Organize Ourselves. This unit delves into systems, cycles, decision-making, the function of organizations and communities, and economic activity.
Here are the central ideas to some of these units:
- There are systems in place help that help us meet our needs and wants-Kindergarten
- People work to meet personal, financial and societal needs-2nd grade
- The development of human-made systems impacts our communities-4th Grade
- Systems of government organize societies-5th Grade
At the end of the Primary Years Program, 5th grade students work in groups on a project that outlines all they have learned on their journey through the PYP. This project, called The Exhibition, acts as an evaluation for both Spicewood, and our 5th grade students. We use it as a tool to reflect on how we, as a campus, are doing at implementing the PYP, and as a way to gauge how individuals have grown over time.
Working with a Spiceood faculty mentor students must write a central idea, inquiries into and questions that will outline what they hope to learn.
This is a powerful process for students as they have to use all the essential elements of the PYP: concepts, attitudes, knowledge, transdisciplinary skills and action.
Some of this year's topics include world hunger, poaching, immigration, the national debt and addiction.
Join us on May 2nd as our students share their work with the community!
Working with a Spiceood faculty mentor students must write a central idea, inquiries into and questions that will outline what they hope to learn.
This is a powerful process for students as they have to use all the essential elements of the PYP: concepts, attitudes, knowledge, transdisciplinary skills and action.
Some of this year's topics include world hunger, poaching, immigration, the national debt and addiction.
Join us on May 2nd as our students share their work with the community!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
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Perspective is a Powerful Tool in Learning about the World Around Us
Throughout the exploration of our units of inquiry, we ask students to consider what they are learning from multiple perspectives. This is a powerful tool for learning about other people and cultures. Our 5th grade is currently working on their Exhibition, which is the culmination of their PYP experience. They are exploring issues such as obesity, child abuse, pollution, immigration, world hunger and the national debt. Throughout the study of these intense topics students encounter passionate opinions and deep feelings. An important and valuable part of this culminating project is to explore all sides of these issues, and make a plan to take action for what they believe.
This something that we must do as teachers as well, constantly reflect and expand our own understandings. This is a video that explores the limitations of a single perspective.Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or we risk a critical misunderstanding.
Today our 1st grade was fortunate to have a guest speaker from our community, Ellen Tuthill, speak to them about a unit of inquiry they are exploring under Sharing the Planet. The central idea is: water is a limited and essential resource shared among all living things.
In this unit 1st grade investigates why water is essential before discussing access to fresh water, and who owns water. This is a powerful unit for students who believe that water flows from the tap everywhere in the world. They begin to comprehend the differences between fresh and salt water and how limited sources of fresh water are.
In her presentation today, Mrs. Tuthill shares photos and video clips from her trip to Jido, Ethiopia. Jiddo is a community that suffers from lack of water, as well as lack of potable water. Although the town has a well, it is contaminated with unhealthy levels of flouride. The next closest source of water is 16 KM away. Mrs. Tuthill shared the difficulties that families deal with while trying to obtain water to drink, feed their animals, water their crops...even wash their hands to ward off disease.
Throughout the Program of Inquiry here at Spicewood we incorporate many perspectives on the topics and issues we explore. Seeing the photos of kids from Jido, and hearing Mrs. Tuthill's first hand experiences broadens the world for our students.
Earlier in the year 1st grade students explored how nonprofit organizations help meets the needs of others. This built off that knowledge as students saw how organizations are working to bring fresh, clean water to the people of Jido.
In this unit 1st grade investigates why water is essential before discussing access to fresh water, and who owns water. This is a powerful unit for students who believe that water flows from the tap everywhere in the world. They begin to comprehend the differences between fresh and salt water and how limited sources of fresh water are.
In her presentation today, Mrs. Tuthill shares photos and video clips from her trip to Jido, Ethiopia. Jiddo is a community that suffers from lack of water, as well as lack of potable water. Although the town has a well, it is contaminated with unhealthy levels of flouride. The next closest source of water is 16 KM away. Mrs. Tuthill shared the difficulties that families deal with while trying to obtain water to drink, feed their animals, water their crops...even wash their hands to ward off disease.
Friday, February 3, 2012
units of inquiry
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Exploring Current Events Through Units of Inquiry
One of the benefits of teaching and learning in the PYP is how it strives to provide students with a way to connect to their learning. It does this by making that learning relevant. One way we do this is to bring in the world around us and support students as they make connections. This is a powerful way for students to process current and historical events in context.
Right now at Spicewood 2nd grade is exploring the causes and affects of natural disasters. They bring in local events such as the recent central Texas Fires and the ongoing drought; as well as global events such as the flooding in Thailand. This provides students with theopportunity to expand their awareness of the world around them and investigate the social and scientific factors involved. This unit also provides students with the background knowledge, or schema, they will need when as 3rd graders they look at how economic factors are affected by interruptions to the supply and demand chain. One of the disruptions being a natural disaster, or weather event.
Other current events and topics being explored at Spicewood right now are: alternative energy sources in 5th grade and conflict resolution in 4th grade. In the 4th grade unit the conflicts being examined are those related to economic, social, cultural, political and religious differences.
Stop in any Spicewood classroom to see students acquiring the skills and knowledge that will help them create a better and more peaceful world!
Right now at Spicewood 2nd grade is exploring the causes and affects of natural disasters. They bring in local events such as the recent central Texas Fires and the ongoing drought; as well as global events such as the flooding in Thailand. This provides students with theopportunity to expand their awareness of the world around them and investigate the social and scientific factors involved. This unit also provides students with the background knowledge, or schema, they will need when as 3rd graders they look at how economic factors are affected by interruptions to the supply and demand chain. One of the disruptions being a natural disaster, or weather event.
Other current events and topics being explored at Spicewood right now are: alternative energy sources in 5th grade and conflict resolution in 4th grade. In the 4th grade unit the conflicts being examined are those related to economic, social, cultural, political and religious differences.
Stop in any Spicewood classroom to see students acquiring the skills and knowledge that will help them create a better and more peaceful world!
Monday, January 2, 2012
concepts,
learner profile,
reflection
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Reflecting and Looking Ahead
Reflection is an integral part of the Primary Years Program for teachers and students. It is an attribute of the Learner Profile outlining the need for learners to give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience as well as encouraging assessing and understanding our strengths and limitation to support and develop goals for growth.
Reflection is also one of the key concepts that drives our units of inquiry. When we explore a topic, or a big idea, reflection encourages us to look at our conclulsions and understandings, questions our evidence and consider our methods of reasoning. The idea is to find out for yourself, while considering how we know what we know.
The PYP rationale for its inclusion of reflection as a key concept is as follows: it challenges students to examine their evidence, methods and evidence. In doing so , it extends their thinking into higher order of metacognition, begins to acquaint them with what it means to know in different disciplines, and encourages them to be rigorous in examing evidence for potential bias or other inaccuracies.
The idea of extending our thinking is a powerful one. When we reflect on what me know and how-we must make the leap to analyzing our knowledge and evaluating its origins and accuracy. This is powerful and in a world full of ever-changing data and information, encourages learners to seek out more than just unrelated facts.
We learn by asking questions, applying knowledge and seeking out more knowledge and information. This is the inquiry cycle and reflection drives it!
Reflection is also one of the key concepts that drives our units of inquiry. When we explore a topic, or a big idea, reflection encourages us to look at our conclulsions and understandings, questions our evidence and consider our methods of reasoning. The idea is to find out for yourself, while considering how we know what we know.
The PYP rationale for its inclusion of reflection as a key concept is as follows: it challenges students to examine their evidence, methods and evidence. In doing so , it extends their thinking into higher order of metacognition, begins to acquaint them with what it means to know in different disciplines, and encourages them to be rigorous in examing evidence for potential bias or other inaccuracies.
The idea of extending our thinking is a powerful one. When we reflect on what me know and how-we must make the leap to analyzing our knowledge and evaluating its origins and accuracy. This is powerful and in a world full of ever-changing data and information, encourages learners to seek out more than just unrelated facts.
We learn by asking questions, applying knowledge and seeking out more knowledge and information. This is the inquiry cycle and reflection drives it!
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