Reflecting: How we Connect Our Learning to the Real World

1st  grade started the year by exploring a unit on Who We Are. The unit explored how we learn about relationships by creating and maintaining friendships. Students examined the types of relationships in their lives and outlined how the choices we make impact them both positively and negatively.
Throughout the unit students and their teachers read literature and outlined the types of relationships the characters had. They looked at the attributes of the Learner Profile and connected them to the actions of the characters.
Once the unit was over students were asked to reflect on one of their relationships and talk about how they maintain it. This helped students connect all the new knowledge they have about relationships to their own life, while solidifying and applying their learning! Way to go 1st grade!

3rd Grade Explore Inquiry and the Scientific Method

In 3rd grade's unit on How the World Works they explored the following central idea: Making observations and drawing conclusions allows us to explore and understand the physical world. 
The big ideas in this unit are 1) engaging in the world around us and asking questions to understand it better, 2) how can I systematically explore to answer my questions, and 3) the process of inquiring into those questions and gathering relevant evidence to support claims.

Every step along the way students are using the transdisciplinary research skills of observation, collecting, recording and interpreting data. These are skills that help prepare them for inquiring into the scientific method and also supports students in developing a process for exploring their questions! One of the most important pieces of the PYP is giving our students the ability to learn how to learn. Instead of memorizing information and content we want them to be able to find answers, analyze and evaluate the information, and synthesize in order to expand their knowledge. These are skills they can apply to all subjects at school, as well as to their lives outside of school.

The summative assessment for this unit asks students to create their own investigation. This includes outlining the question to investigate, a procedure, and a prediction. Students will also reflect on how the observations and conclusions will help them understand the world around them.

Students engaging in real world questioning, developing skills to investigate and support their claims and then reflecting on how they know? Inquiry based learning at its best!