Exploring Muslim Entrepreneurs Knowledge and Usage of Islamic Financing
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Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning Sample PYP and MYP planners Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme © International Baccalaureate Organization 2010
Transcript of Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim …...Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim...
1 Language A teacher support material: Example interim objectives
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning
Sample PYP and MYP planners
Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2010
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 2
Contents
Introduction to the project 5
Description of the project 7
Guidance for using this resource in schools 8
PYP samples 10
MYP samples 37
Appendix 1 69
Appendix 2 70
Appendix 3 71
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 3
The IB mission statement The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
The Aga Khan Development Network The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of private, non-denominational development agencies working to empower communities and individuals to improve living conditions and opportunities, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East. The Network’s nine development agencies focus on social, cultural and economic development for all citizens, regardless of gender, origin or religion. The AKDN’s underlying ethic is compassion for the vulnerable in society. AKDN operates some 300 schools in the developing world, including a growing number of IB World Schools.
The Aga Khan Academies, an integrated network of schools dedicated to expanding access to education of an international standard of excellence, are planned for key locations in Africa and Asia. Based on the conviction that home-grown intellectual leadership of exceptional calibre is the best driver of a society’s future development, they will offer IB programmes to educate young men and women of promise from primary through higher secondary education.
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 4
The IB learner profile The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.
IB learners strive to be:
Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
Principled They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
Caring They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Balanced They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 5
Introduction to the project
The IB programmes provide learners with opportunities to reflect on human commonality, diversity and multiple perspectives. The opening sentence of the learner profile informs us, “the aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.”1 This might imply more than tolerance and sensitivity to other cultures: while these qualities are indeed necessary, they are not sufficient. In the 21st century, we need to develop knowledge and confidence in our own identities and also to know about, and understand, cultures other than our own. As educators it is our responsibility to plan a curriculum through which learners discover how many diverse cultures over time and space contributed varied and valuable perspectives and achievements towards human development. Through their study, teachers and students continue learning about themselves and others.
Given the current learning gap resulting in a “clash of ignorances”2 between Western and Muslim cultures, it is important that IB students have the opportunity to learn about, and appreciate, the diversity of Muslim histories and cultures, “a hugely diverse collectivity of civilisations that have developed, and continue to evolve, in response to multiple societal influences—agricultural and rural, commercial and urban, scientific and philosophical, literary and political. Just like other great traditions, the Islamic world cannot be understood only by its faith, but as a total picture whose history is closely tied to that of the Judeo-Christian world.”3
A pilot project has been developed and funded through a joint partnership between the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). It responds to a need specified by schools and educators for concrete examples to enhance student understanding of Muslim cultures and contexts.
The focus of this pilot project is not to teach about Islam as a religion but rather to illustrate how understanding both historical and contemporary Muslim cultures can contribute to, and enhance the understanding of, central ideas and significant concepts taught in IB World Schools. This model may be transferred to other cultural contexts to help students appreciate the diversity of the human experience and our common humanity.
There are few easily accessible resources on Muslim history and cultures available for teachers to use in the classroom and this document is an attempt to develop these resources within the structure and organization of IB programmes. The aim of the project is to generate sample teacher support materials that integrate aspects and perspectives reflecting Muslim history and cultures, thereby stimulating interest in, and with the hope of expanding knowledge and understanding of, Muslim cultures.
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP) sample units developed in this project orient learning towards the exploration of, and reflection on, the nature of culture as a dynamic framework on which people build individual and community identity. This approach develops learners’ appreciation for the world’s rich diversity of cultures and understanding that all cultures are internally diverse and fluid, and that dialogue within and across cultures is essential.
1 IB Learner Profile Booklet, published November 2008, updated January 2009 2 His Highness the Aga Khan, Peterson Lecture, Atlanta, USA, 18 April 2008 3 Keynote Address at the Governor General’s Conference on Leadership and Diversity, Gatineau, Canada, 19 May 2004
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 6
In this context, the units developed in this project highlight how Muslim cultures have contributed to the richness of our humanity over time and space. This emphasis should not exclude, however, the exploration of other cultural influences and expressions, particularly the specific context of each school and, of course, of its individual students. All young people need to develop a sense of identity and place in the world that prepares them for the people and cultures they will encounter in an increasingly globalized society. Walker (2006) refers to the education of the global citizen as "much more than exposure to many nationalities, learning about multiple cultures, or even immersion in other languages. It requires giving students the outlook and skills that equip them with mental flexibility and a basic respect for perspectives other than their own.”4
4 Walker, George, Educating the Global Citizen, John Catt Education Ltd, August 2006
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 7
Description of the project
This pilot project was initiated in July 2008. As a pilot project for both organizations it was limited in scope during the trialling process. The project’s objectives were to:
• enhance existing PYP planners and MYP units of work developed in schools by integrating aspects and perspectives that reflect Muslim history and cultures, to support teachers in their classroom practice
• develop models of good practice to support the mission of the IB and the AKDN
• develop a publication to be available to the IB community and Aga Khan Academies and schools through the OCC
• model collaborative planning and reflection in the development of curriculum
• model a process whereby enhanced understanding of a specific cultural context can enrich the development of curriculum resources
• develop resources about history and cultures that are globally transferrable.
An important aspect of this pilot project involved modelling the process by which existing school resources can be collaboratively enhanced by adding specific cultural dimensions. The teachers selected for this project engaged in effective collaborative planning teams for PYP and MYP, guided by each programme’s planning document. That collaboration continued within a virtual environment after they had returned to their schools.
Participants in the project used a diagram developed by the Aga Khan Academies with the help of experienced IB educators as a way of summarizing and organizing conceptual elements of an exploration of cultures, as well as the scope (from personal to global) of the contexts in which these concepts can be explored5. This visual summary can be used by teachers in the planning of individual units of work and/or projects and learning engagements as well as in collaborative planning and reflection on their own school curriculum.
5 see “Cultures Diagram” attached in Appendix 2
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 8
Guidance for using this resource in schools
This document was developed by teachers for teachers and is designed for practical application in classrooms around the world. The introduction defines the context and the scope of the project. This is essential reading for teachers integrating any of the resources into their curriculum as it provides background information for understanding of how the project and resources evolved.
Subsequent sections include examples of PYP planners and MYP units of work. The beginning of each planner/unit contains a rationale developed by the teachers. This includes: the school context in which it was developed; its place in the school/local/national curriculum; the process of development; the exploration of Muslim perspectives; reflections on transferability to other school contexts.
As each of these planners or units of work reflects a specific school context, teachers will need to modify learning activities and assessments, maintaining the spirit of the central idea or significant concept while meeting the needs of their own students.
The resources included in this document may provide some direction for teachers who are unfamiliar with the diversity of Muslim cultural and historical contexts, “although we obviously need some basic background knowledge, our expertise comes not from the knowledge base but from our ability to acquire information, distinguish good sources from bad, reliable from unreliable, and information from opinion or wilful manipulation of facts.”6
The main areas of focus in these planners and units are listed below.
• PYP (4–5 years): Where we are in place and time: Learning more about the places we live in, and visit, helps us make sense of our experiences.
• PYP (9–10 years): Where we are in place and time: Exploration and discovery brought change to people and places.
• PYP (9–10 years): How we express ourselves: People express their beliefs and values through art.
• PYP (10–11 years): How we express ourselves: People express their traditions and beliefs through rituals and celebrations.
• PYP (10–11 years): Where we are in place and time: Human migration is a response to challenges, risks and opportunities.
• MYP year 2: Visual arts: Mapping my dreams—how art can inspire life journeys.
• MYP year 4: Sciences: The sum of the parts—curiosity of the ancients still shapes how we understand the world today.
• MYP year 5: Interdisciplinary (humanities and arts): State of the nation—defining boundaries in geography, culture and community.
It is important to note that these resources are works in progress and the reflections concluding each resource provide insights into how the planner or unit of work can be further developed.
6 Roberts, Boyd. Educating for Global Citizenship, IB, March 2009, p. 73
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 9
The IB invites teachers to give feedback on these planners and units. The feedback can be posted on the online curriculum centre (OCC). This input will inform future developments of the pilot project in collaboration with both organizations. “As we move into the future, we would like to collaborate with the International Baccalaureate movement in a challenging, but inspiring new educational adventure. Together, we can shape the very definition of a well-educated global citizen.”7
7 His Highness the Aga Khan, Peterson Lecture, 18 April 2008
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 10
PYP samples
Example 1 Transdisciplinary theme: Where we are in place and time
Central idea: Learning more about the places we live in, and visit, helps us make sense of our experiences.
Rationale As a practising PYP classroom teacher, I am constantly striving to find ways to infuse my units of inquiry with multiple perspectives. Incorporating the students’ own diverse experiences and multicultural backgrounds into the curriculum maximizes their engagement and the level of genuine inquiry into areas that are relevant and significant to them. It also provides an authentic context in which to develop one of the key values of the IB curriculum—international-mindedness.
At our school with an international student population situated within the Arab world, the exploration of Muslim culture is particularly significant. Students live in an increasingly interconnected world and are exposed to a variety of cultures, traditions and influences. The learning engagements and resources of this unit could be used by teachers to enhance the international nature of their units.
During the last few years I have been involved in collaboratively developing and teaching a unit of inquiry to help students develop a deeper understanding of where they are in place and time (a PYP transdisciplinary theme) by learning more about the place in which they currently live. The unit of inquiry originally began as a “local geography” unit that involved learning about Muscat and Oman. However, as we explored the unit more deeply, we began to see it much more as an inquiry into the relationships we build with the people we meet and the places we visit and live in, and into developing an open-minded approach to the different perspectives that people have about what they feel about where they are. We wanted the students to become much more actively involved in making sense of their everyday experiences. Our concern was that, unless we arouse the students’ curiosity about their immediate environment, they can become passive recipients who merely watch the world go by. In some instances students were increasingly disengaged from, or even fearful of, some aspects of their surroundings and experiences. When students are not given opportunities to make sense of their experiences, it can lead to a sense of lack of control and a simultaneous erosion of confidence.
By changing the focus of the unit from a largely content-driven and thematic unit about “Where we live” to a much more conceptually based inquiry focused on gaining understanding about where we are, the central idea is much more globally transferable, as it is relevant to the lives of all students (and adults), wherever they live. It has also placed the development of open-mindedness and globally relevant PYP attitudes, including appreciation, confidence, and curiosity, at the centre of the unit of inquiry.
Although the planner for this unit should show how it is delivered in an age-appropriate way for 4–5 year olds, the learning engagements could be adapted for students throughout the PYP and still maintain a high degree of relevance, engagement, significance and challenge.
One of the issues that is commonly cited as a challenge in extending the international dimension of units of inquiry is the lack of appropriate resources. On reviewing the resources available for the students we teach, we recognized how overwhelmingly Western/Eurocentric they were. We wanted the classroom environment and resources available to students to better reflect the rich cultural diversity represented in the student population. If we were anticipating that students would construct meaning through play, we needed to equip them with resources that reflected the cultures they experienced. For example, if the construction corner is only resourced with bricks, sloped tiled roofing, leafy green trees and bushes, “farm animals” and “Western–dressed” dolls, it is difficult for the students to recreate the environment that they are experiencing in their daily lives through role play.
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 11
Similarly, a role-play corner that has only commercially available “dress-up” costumes and that is organized to mirror a Western living arrangement, limits the scope for role-play experiences that reflect the diversity of living styles. Some students new to the country can find meeting someone dressed in a full abaya and face covering quite daunting. By showing how these clothes are worn and placing scarves and cloaks in the role-play corner, we are able to increase their understanding and decrease their anxiety. The adults and students provide some of the richest resources for our students in this inquiry through their knowledge and perspectives, as well as in the artifacts they bring to share.
Lastly, the learning engagements listed in section 4 of the PYP planner are only suggestions. It is important to note that they do not need to be carried out in the order in which they are listed or covered in any one year. In an inquiry-driven learning environment, it is appropriate to follow the students’ interests and respond to the things they bring in and want to learn about. It is also vital that the central idea and key concepts are kept in mind when designing the learning engagements, so that these experiences become more purposeful.
The students should be constantly encouraged to make connections and reflect on what they think. For example, they hear the call to prayer five times a day and often wonder what “that man” is saying or singing. A discussion about faith might stem from a reflection on these experiences and from observations the students have made of rooms with lots of shoes outside the door (prayer rooms) in the local shopping centre. We purposefully time our unit to straddle the mid-year break, so that students have an opportunity to either explore their host country in greater detail, or contrast where they live with a place they travel to for the holidays. At a time when many of the classes are trying to work out where Father Christmas lives and how they can tell him where they will be on Christmas Eve, we find a natural link to introducing the globe and finding where Oman is in relation to the North Pole and to many other places in the world.
For the teachers involved in developing this unit, one of the most rewarding results has been to see the way students have been increasingly engaged, not just inside the classroom, and how they have transferred this understanding to show genuine interest in constructing greater understanding of the world around them.
Cla
ss/g
rad
e: K
2
Ag
e g
rou
p:
4–5
year
old
s
Sch
oo
l: A
dapt
ed fr
om
pla
nner
pro
vide
d by
, and
in
colla
bora
tion
with
, The
Am
eri
can-
Brit
ish
Aca
dem
y
(AB
A)
Tit
le:
Our
gra
ciou
s ho
st: O
man
Tea
cher
(s):
K2
teac
hers
Dat
e: N
ove
mbe
r 20
09–J
anua
ry 2
010
Pro
po
se
d d
ura
tio
n:
8 w
eeks
P
YP
pla
nner
1. W
hat
is
ou
r p
urp
ose
?
To
inq
uir
e in
to t
he
follo
win
g:
tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
them
e
Whe
re w
e ar
e in
pla
ce a
nd
time
An
inq
uiry
into
orie
ntat
ion
in p
lace
an
d tim
e; p
erso
nal h
isto
ries
; ho
mes
an
d jo
urn
eys;
the
disc
over
ies,
exp
lora
tions
and
mig
ratio
ns o
f hum
anki
nd; t
he r
elat
ions
hip
s b
etw
een
and
the
inte
rco
nnec
ted
ness
of i
ndiv
idua
ls a
nd c
ivili
zatio
ns, f
rom
loca
l an
d gl
oba
l per
spec
tives
.
cen
tral
idea
Lear
nin
g m
ore
abo
ut th
e pl
aces
we
live
in, a
nd v
isit,
hel
ps u
s m
ake
sens
e o
f our
exp
erie
nces
.
Su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
men
t ta
sk(s
):
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ents
’ un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea?
In
tera
ct w
ith th
e ch
ildre
n w
hile
they
are
cre
atin
g th
eir
own
‘land
’ or
cou
ntry
, and
ask
the
m to
ex
plai
n w
hat t
hey
wou
ld c
hoo
se to
put
in it
and
why
. Tas
k: If
you
cou
ld m
ake
up
your
ow
n la
nd,
and
you
wer
e in
cha
rge,
wha
t wou
ld it
be
like?
How
cou
ld y
ou m
ake
it a
goo
d la
nd
for
the
peo
ple
who
live
ther
e?
O
bser
vatio
n of
stu
dent
s e
nga
ged
in le
arni
ng o
ppor
tuni
ties
with
in th
e cl
assr
oom
env
iron
men
t e.
g. d
urin
g ro
le p
lay,
pai
ntin
g, d
iscu
ssio
ns, r
ead
ing
corn
er.
In
volv
e th
e pa
rent
s an
d ch
ildre
n in
pro
vid
ing
feed
bac
k ab
out w
hat t
hey
have
lear
ned
whe
n th
e st
uden
ts ta
ke h
ome
thei
r e
nd-o
f-un
it fo
lder
of w
ork
and
ann
otat
ed p
hoto
she
et to
sha
re. T
his
incl
ude
s p
are
nt-s
tude
nt r
esp
ons
e sh
eet
with
pro
mpt
s an
d sp
ace
for
pare
nts’
co
mm
ents
.
Wh
at e
vid
enc
e, i
ncl
ud
ing
stu
den
t-in
itia
ted
act
ion
s, w
ill w
e lo
ok
for?
Beh
avio
rs a
nd c
omm
ents
sho
win
g a
grea
ter
reco
gni
tion
and
resp
ect f
or o
ther
pe
ople
’s p
oint
s of
vi
ew a
re o
bser
ved
by b
oth
the
child
ren
’s p
aren
ts a
nd te
ach
ers.
A
bilit
y to
rec
og
nise
, an
d co
mm
ent
on,
feat
ures
of t
he p
lace
they
live
(M
usca
t, O
man
). F
or
exa
mp
le, “
ther
e ar
e m
ount
ain
s in
Om
an
”, “
it is
hot
mos
t of t
he ti
me
”, “
ther
e a
re lo
ts o
f mo
sque
s he
re –
that
’s w
here
peo
ple
go
to p
ray”
.
Abi
lity
to d
iffer
entia
te b
etw
een
Om
an
and
othe
r pl
aces
they
hav
e vi
site
d.
Le
vel o
f und
erst
andi
ng d
ispl
aye
d du
ring
‘cre
ate
your
ow
n la
nd’ a
sses
smen
t ta
sk –
incl
udin
g ke
y ch
arac
teri
stic
s an
d gi
ving
an
exp
lana
tion
for
the
choi
ces
they
hav
e m
ad
e. F
or e
xam
ple
, “I
pu
t sho
ps a
nd c
ars
beca
use
they
’re e
very
wh
ere
in th
e w
orld
”, “
I put
a p
layg
rou
nd b
ecau
se th
e ch
ildre
n w
ill li
ke it
”, “
The
re a
re fo
rest
s an
d p
aths
like
in A
ustr
alia
, bec
ause
I lik
e th
at, a
nd I
don
’t lik
e sa
nd,
it’s
stic
ky!”
, “I
t’s c
old
in m
y la
nd”.
An
abili
ty to
com
par
e a
nd c
on
tras
t the
pla
ces
that
they
hav
e v
isite
d or
live
d in
.
A b
egin
ning
un
ders
tan
din
g of
how
clim
ate
and
lan
dsca
pe a
re li
nked
.
Que
stio
ns a
nd/o
r in
tere
st th
at s
how
s in
crea
sed
curi
osity
in le
arn
ing
abo
ut w
here
they
are
or
visi
t.
2. W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
lear
n?
Wh
at a
re t
he
key
con
cep
ts (
form
, fu
nct
ion
, cau
sati
on
, ch
ang
e,
con
nec
tio
n, p
ersp
ecti
ve,
resp
on
sib
ility
, re
flec
tio
n)
to b
e em
ph
asiz
ed w
ith
in t
his
in
qu
iry?
Key
co
nce
pts
: fo
rm, p
ersp
ectiv
e, c
onne
ctio
n
Wh
at l
ines
of
inq
uir
y w
ill d
efin
e th
e sc
op
e o
f th
e in
qu
iry
into
th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea?
The
key
cha
ract
eris
tics
of o
ur h
ost c
ount
ry, a
nd o
ther
pla
ces
in th
e w
orld
we
know
abo
ut
T
he e
xper
ienc
es th
at w
e ha
ve h
ad in
thes
e pl
aces
Our
feel
ings
ab
out w
here
we
live
Wh
at t
each
er q
ues
tio
ns/
pro
voca
tio
ns
will
dri
ve t
hes
e in
qu
irie
s?
W
hat i
t is
like
in O
ma
n?
H
ow c
an y
ou c
ompa
re O
ma
n w
ith th
e ot
her
plac
es th
at y
ou h
ave
visi
ted
or li
ved
in?
Wha
t are
you
r fe
elin
gs a
bout
livi
ng in
Om
an?
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y
3. H
ow
mig
ht
we
kno
w w
hat
we
ha
ve
lear
ned
?
Thi
s co
lum
n sh
ould
be
used
in c
onju
nctio
n w
ith “
How
be
st m
ight
we
lear
n?”
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
ass
essi
ng
stu
de
nts
’ p
rio
r kn
ow
led
ge
and
ski
lls?
Wh
at e
vid
ence
will
we
loo
k fo
r?
Pre
-ass
essm
ent:
Fin
d ou
t wha
t th
e ch
ildre
n’s
pre
viou
s ex
perie
nces
hav
e be
en in
clud
ing:
whe
re th
ey w
ere
bo
rn, w
het
her
they
hav
e liv
ed a
nyw
here
els
e, p
lace
s th
ey h
ave
visi
ted,
and
thei
r m
em
orie
s of
oth
er p
lace
s th
ey h
ave
been
. P
aren
t inv
olve
men
t can
be
used
to
help
gat
her
this
info
rmat
ion,
thro
ugh
a s
urve
y or
by
enco
urag
ing
child
ren
to b
ring
in p
hoto
s/ar
tefa
cts
to
pro
mpt
con
vers
atio
n.
Obs
erva
tion
of c
hild
ren
’s r
espo
nses
to im
ages
of
Om
an, f
or
exa
mpl
e, lo
okin
g th
roug
h m
aga
zine
s an
d se
lect
ing
pict
ures
to u
se fo
r a
colla
ge. L
ook
to s
ee if
th
ey c
an id
entif
y fe
atur
es o
f the
pla
ce th
ey li
ve in
. T
hrou
gh
clas
s di
scus
sion
s fin
d ou
t wha
t the
chi
ldre
n kn
ow a
bout
Om
an,
e.g
. can
they
nam
e th
e co
untr
y th
ey li
ve in
, are
they
fam
iliar
with
wor
ds in
clud
ing
Mus
cat,
wad
i, an
d kh
anja
r. W
hat v
ocab
ular
y do
they
ha
ve?
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
ass
essi
ng
stu
de
nt
lear
nin
g in
th
e c
on
text
of
the
lines
of
inq
uir
y? W
hat
e
vid
ence
will
we
loo
k fo
r?
For
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ent:
Sho
w im
age
s, a
nd a
sk th
e ch
ildre
n if
they
can
gue
ss w
here
in th
e w
orld
they
wer
e ta
ken,
and
how
do
they
kno
w, f
or e
xam
ple,
“It
mus
t be
Om
an b
ecau
se I
can
see
an O
ma
ni fl
ag in
the
pict
ure
”,
“It c
an’t
be
here
, be
caus
e w
e do
n’t
have
fiel
ds/s
now
y m
ount
ains
like
that
her
e!”
Chi
ldre
n dr
aw
or
pain
t pic
ture
s de
pict
ing
an O
man
i sc
ene/
plac
e/ar
tefa
ct th
ey a
re fa
mili
ar w
ith. T
hese
can
be
add
ed to
thr
oug
hout
the
uni
t. C
an th
ey g
ene
rate
th
eir
own
idea
s fr
om e
xpe
rien
ces/
plac
es in
Om
an?
The
ch
ild d
escr
ibes
the
pict
ure
for
the
teac
her
to s
crib
e.
(Thi
s is
not
an
asse
ssm
ent
of a
rtis
tic a
bilit
y).
Chi
ldre
n re
cogn
ize
the
diff
ere
nce
s an
d si
mila
ritie
s be
twee
n O
man
and
oth
er p
lace
s th
ey h
ave
visi
ted.
T
each
er r
ecor
ds e
vide
nce
of th
e ch
ildre
n’s
un
ders
tand
ing
as th
ey c
onst
ruct
mea
ning
by
part
icip
atin
g in
pla
y-ba
sed
lear
nin
g op
port
uni
ties,
ob
serv
ing
thei
r pl
ay a
nd li
sten
ing
to w
hat t
hey
say.
T
each
ers
prov
ide
oppo
rtu
nitie
s fo
r ch
ildre
n to
ref
lect
on
wha
t the
y lik
e ab
out w
here
they
live
, whi
le a
lso
valid
atin
g th
eir
right
to d
islik
e or
feel
am
biva
lent
abo
ut
aspe
cts
of w
here
they
are
.
4.H
ow
bes
t m
igh
t w
e le
arn
?
Wh
at a
re t
he
lea
rnin
g e
xper
ien
ces
su
gg
este
d b
y th
e te
ach
er a
nd
/or
stu
de
nts
to
en
cou
rag
e th
e st
ud
ents
to
en
gag
e w
ith
th
e in
qu
irie
s an
d a
dd
ress
th
e d
rivi
ng
qu
est
ion
s? W
hat
op
po
rtu
nit
ies
will
occ
ur
for
tra
ns
dis
cip
lin
ary
skil
ls (
TD
S)
de
velo
pm
en
t a
nd
fo
r th
e d
eve
lop
me
nt
of
the
att
rib
ute
s o
f th
e le
arn
er p
rofi
le (
LP
)?
Beg
inn
ing
th
e in
qu
iry
Pro
vide
am
ple
opp
ortu
nitie
s fo
r ch
ildre
n to
look
at b
ooks
, ca
lend
ars,
vid
eo s
cene
s, s
lides
and
pos
ters
dep
ictin
g sc
enes
of O
ma
n.
Incl
ude
use
of r
out
ines
suc
h as
“I s
ee, I
thin
k, I
won
der”
and
“th
ink,
pai
r, s
hare
” to
en
cour
age
disc
ussi
on a
nd d
evel
op a
ssoc
iate
d vo
cabu
lary
. (T
DS
: re
sear
ch,
com
mun
icat
ion,
and
thin
king
ski
lls, L
P: t
hink
ers)
W
atch
sto
ry “
Issa
and
the
Coi
n”
(a c
hild
ren
’s s
tory
bas
ed in
Mus
cat)
and
join
in th
e st
ory
as a
n in
tera
ctiv
e re
ad-a
loud
.
Om
ani t
each
ing
assi
stan
ts s
hare
sto
ries
abou
t the
ir liv
es in
Om
an e
.g.:
talk
ing
abou
t the
ir fa
mili
es a
nd s
peci
al e
vent
s su
ch a
s w
eddi
ngs.
Brin
ging
ph
otog
rap
hs, j
ewel
lery
, clo
thes
, foo
d, h
enna
, inc
ense
and
oth
er a
rte
fact
s to
sha
re w
ith th
e ch
ildre
n an
d ex
plai
n th
eir
use.
(LP
: kno
wle
dgea
ble,
ope
n-m
inde
d)
M
ini-f
ield
trip
with
in th
e sc
hool
gro
unds
incl
udin
g vi
sit t
o th
e hi
gh s
choo
l upp
er fl
oors
to v
iew
the
surr
ound
ings
and
ph
ysic
al a
rchi
tect
ure.
(T
DS
: re
sear
ch s
kills
, LP
: inq
uire
rs)
Pro
vide
aut
hent
ic e
xper
ienc
es b
y ha
ving
sam
ples
of O
man
i clo
thin
g, fo
ods
and
jew
elle
ry fo
r th
e ro
le-p
lay
corn
ers
Intr
oduc
e pu
ppet
‘Cam
el
‘o’s
hy’,
(fro
m lo
cally
pub
lishe
d bo
ok),
as
a gu
ide
to le
arni
ng a
bout
whe
re w
e liv
e an
d to
mo
del a
skin
g qu
estio
ns.
Fu
rth
erin
g t
he
inq
uir
y
Allo
w c
hild
ren
to c
hoos
e fr
om
a v
arie
ty o
f le
arni
ng e
ngag
em
ents
e.g
.: r
ole
play
, sm
all w
orld
/blo
ck p
lay,
pu
zzle
s, r
eadi
ng c
orn
er,
art
ar
ea (
TD
S: s
elf-
man
age
men
t an
d so
cial
ski
lls)
Pro
vide
opp
ortu
niti
es fo
r ch
ildre
n to
sha
re p
hoto
s, a
rte
fact
s, s
torie
s an
d ex
perie
nces
by
ensu
ring
ther
e ar
e op
port
uniti
es fo
r ei
ther
pla
nned
or
spon
tane
ous
‘sh
arin
g/sh
ow-a
nd-
tell’
tim
e. E
nco
ura
ge th
em
to r
efle
ct o
n th
eir
feel
ings
abo
ut th
eir
expe
rienc
es. (
TD
S:
com
mun
icat
ion
skill
s, L
P:
refle
ctiv
e, r
isk-
take
r, a
nd c
omm
unic
ator
)
Use
art
mat
eria
ls to
cre
ate
own
pic
ture
s of
whe
re t
hey
live
Cre
ate
dra
win
gs a
nd p
ictu
res
that
rep
rese
nt th
eir
emer
ging
un
der
stan
ding
(T
DS
: se
lf-m
ana
gem
ent
ski
lls)
Exp
lore
way
s th
at w
e ca
n re
pres
ent d
iffer
ent p
lace
s us
ing
ma
ps, g
lobe
s,
addr
esse
d en
velo
pes
etc.
(LP
: kno
wle
dgea
ble)
C
reat
e a
colla
ge o
f Om
ani s
cene
s us
ing
mag
azi
nes;
allo
w c
hild
ren
the
chan
ce to
ver
balis
e th
eir
choi
ces
Allo
w c
hild
ren
to r
ecre
ate
an O
ma
ni s
tyle
bui
ldin
g in
clud
ing
a fo
rt,
mos
que,
and
vill
a.
Cre
ate
a ‘w
adi’
(mou
ntai
n va
lley)
sec
tion
in th
e pl
aygr
ound
for
outd
oor
play
opp
ortu
nitie
s
Inqu
ire in
to lo
cal c
urre
ncy
by m
akin
g w
ax ‘r
ubbi
ngs’
of c
oins
.
Rec
reat
e so
me
of t
he a
rtef
acts
they
hav
e se
en, s
uch
as O
man
i jew
elle
ry o
r kh
anja
r (c
ere
mo
nial
dag
ger)
usi
ng
gold
and
silv
er p
aint
ed p
asta
an
d st
ring
Iden
tify
exam
ples
of e
nviro
nmen
tal p
rint
in A
rabi
c an
d E
nglis
h sc
ript (
and
othe
r),
lead
ing
to a
dis
cuss
ion
of la
ngua
ges
spok
en /h
eard
, in
clud
ing
TV
/rad
io/c
ompu
ters
. (L
P: c
omm
unic
ator
)
Vis
it th
e O
man
i He
ritag
e V
illag
e as
par
t of a
n af
ter
scho
ol fi
eld
trip
with
K2
fam
ilies
(L
P: o
pen-
min
ded
) S
ort
ing
ou
t a
nd
dra
win
g c
on
clu
sio
ns
‘Hu
man
’ gra
ph o
f chi
ldre
n w
ho s
pent
the
mid
-yea
r br
eak
in O
man
, an
d w
ho t
rave
lled
to a
noth
er c
ount
ry. D
iscu
ss
whe
re th
ey w
ent
and
find
on m
ap/g
lobe
. (T
DS
: thi
nkin
g sk
ills)
L
ook
at p
hoto
s ta
ken
durin
g fie
ld tr
ip a
nd th
ink
of c
aptio
ns fo
r th
e te
ache
r to
scr
ibe
for
a d
isp
lay/
cla
ss b
ook
U
se p
ictu
res
of O
man
and
oth
er p
lace
s to
com
pare
(si
mila
ritie
s an
d di
ffe
renc
es).
Use
a V
enn
diag
ram
(LP
: thi
nker
s an
d re
flect
ive)
Mak
e/de
cora
te a
car
dboa
rd m
and
oos
(tre
asur
e ch
est)
, in
whi
ch t
o ke
ep th
ings
they
val
ue a
nd tr
easu
re a
bout
Om
an a
nd d
iscu
ss w
hat
they
trea
sure
mo
st
abou
t liv
ing
here
. Dra
w a
pic
ture
of t
hese
‘thi
ngs
they
like
abo
ut b
eing
her
e’ t
o in
clud
e in
thei
r m
ando
os, a
nd/o
r di
ctat
e a
se
nten
ce (
LP:
refle
ctiv
e)
Cre
ate
a st
ory
thro
ugh
song
and
mov
em
ent
, by
adap
ting
‘We
’re g
oing
on
a c
amel
(be
ar)
hunt
’, an
d co
llabo
rativ
ely
deve
lop
new
lyric
s to
cre
ate
a st
ory
abou
t O
man
Des
ign
own
land
(se
e su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
men
t), i
ncor
pora
ting
thin
gs t
hey
choo
se fr
om
wha
t the
y ha
ve le
arne
d ab
out
diff
eren
t pla
ces.
Exp
lain
wha
t the
y ch
oose
an
d w
hy.
5. W
hat
res
ou
rces
nee
d t
o b
e g
ath
ere
d?
Wh
at p
eo
ple
, pla
ces,
au
dio
-vis
ual
ma
teri
als,
re
late
d li
tera
ture
, m
usi
c, a
rt, c
om
pu
ter
soft
war
e, e
tc, w
ill b
e a
vail
able
? U
se im
age
s fr
om lo
cal p
ublic
atio
ns
such
as
“Om
an T
oday
”, m
onth
ly jo
urna
ls, c
alen
dars
, col
ouri
ng b
ooks
, lam
inat
ed p
hoto
s, d
igita
l pho
tos,
incl
udin
g sc
anne
d pi
ctur
es
of lo
cal p
olic
e fo
rce
and
traf
fic p
olic
e. A
rabi
c so
ngs
and
mus
ic. A
rabi
c ar
t, m
osai
cs, p
atte
rns.
Art
efac
ts li
ke h
enna
, inc
ense
, loc
al a
nd fo
reig
n cu
rren
cies
, ite
ms
whi
ch c
hild
ren
brin
g in
to
shar
e. A
ssor
ted
fictio
n an
d no
n-fic
tion
fro
m s
choo
l and
cla
ss li
brar
ies
incl
udin
g “C
amel
o s
hy”,
“T
he c
amel
wh
o ra
n aw
ay”,
“A
-Z o
f Ara
bia
”, “
Hu
mpy
Gru
mpy
C
amel
– a
cou
ntin
g bo
ok”,
so
me
Ara
bic
tran
slat
ions
of c
lass
libr
ary
book
s. D
igita
l cam
era
and
prin
ting
faci
litie
s. O
ma
ni te
achi
ng a
ssis
tant
s ta
lk a
bout
ex
perie
nces
, life
styl
e an
d la
ngua
ge, a
nd s
hare
art
efac
ts. M
usca
t Fes
tival
– a
nnua
l eve
nt w
hich
incl
udes
est
ablis
hmen
t of a
‘her
itage
vill
age
’ in
the
city
for
the
dura
tion
of th
e fe
stiv
al, w
ith in
tera
ctiv
e ex
hibi
ts, a
nim
als,
per
form
ance
s an
d fo
od.
Ho
w w
ill t
he
cla
ssro
om
en
viro
nm
ent,
loca
l en
viro
nm
en
t, a
nd
/or
the
co
mm
un
ity
be
use
d t
o f
acil
itat
e th
e in
qu
iry?
The
cla
ssro
om
env
ironm
ent s
houl
d re
flect
the
dive
rsity
of c
ultu
res
rep
rese
nted
in th
e co
mm
uni
ty a
nd p
rovi
de c
hild
ren
with
an
appr
opria
te r
ange
of
reso
urce
s w
ith w
hich
to c
onst
ruct
mea
nin
g ab
out
the
expe
rienc
es th
ey h
ave,
thro
ugh
play
. As
play
is th
e pr
edo
min
ant
veh
icle
for
faci
litat
ing
lear
ning
thro
ugh
inqu
iry in
the
early
yea
rs, t
he c
lass
room
sho
uld
have
m
ultip
le o
ppor
tun
ities
for
thes
e ac
tiviti
es. ‘
Sm
all W
orld
’/Blo
ck/c
onst
ruct
ion
area
s: w
adi,
grav
el, r
ocks
, goa
ts, s
heep
, don
keys
, dog
, peo
ple,
cam
els.
Rol
e pl
ay:
cam
ping
tent
and
cam
ping
equ
ipm
ent,
nat
iona
l dre
ss in
chi
ld s
ize
for
boys
and
girl
, pla
stic
kan
jars
(O
man
i dag
ger)
, Kaw
a cu
ps a
nd c
offe
e po
t, w
adi m
ats,
low
so
fa/s
eatin
g. H
ats,
sca
rves
, glo
ves,
col
d w
eath
er c
loth
es fo
r co
mp
aris
on. L
ocal
ly s
ourc
ed ji
gsaw
pu
zzle
s of
pal
m t
ree,
cof
fee
pot
, ca
me
l, A
rabi
c la
dy, A
rabi
c m
an,
man
doos
(ch
est)
.
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Pla
nnin
g an
d re
flect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y
6. T
o w
hat
ext
ent
did
we
ach
ieve
ou
r p
urp
ose
?
Ass
ess
the
ou
tco
me
of
the
inq
uir
y b
y p
rovi
din
g e
vid
ence
of
stu
den
ts’
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al i
dea
. T
he
refl
ecti
on
s o
f al
l tea
cher
s in
volv
ed in
th
e p
lan
nin
g a
nd
tea
chin
g o
f th
e in
qu
iry
sho
uld
be
incl
ud
ed.
Nea
rly a
ll ch
ildre
n ar
e n
ow a
ble
to id
ent
ify a
nd
desc
ribe
whe
re th
ey li
ve in
clud
ing
the
kind
s of
bu
ildin
gs in
Om
an, w
ho e
lse
lives
in O
man
, wha
t the
wea
ther
is li
ke, w
hat
activ
ities
yo
u ca
n do
her
e. T
her
e w
as g
reat
inte
rest
gen
erat
ed in
sh
arin
g in
form
atio
n ab
out
oth
er p
lace
s th
ey h
ave
bee
n to
, and
mos
t chi
ldre
n w
ere
able
to c
ompa
re
aspe
cts
of th
ese
othe
r pl
aces
to
whe
re th
ey a
re n
ow e
.g. t
hat t
he m
one
y lo
oks
diffe
rent
. The
use
of g
lob
es a
nd
ma
ps g
ave
a g
reat
er u
nde
rsta
ndin
g of
the
idea
that
so
me
plac
es a
re fu
rthe
r aw
ay th
an o
ther
s an
d th
at th
ere
mig
ht b
e m
ore
than
on
e w
ay to
get
to a
pla
ce (
you
can
fly o
r dr
ive
to D
uba
i). W
e w
ere
able
to c
reat
e a
very
po
sitiv
e at
titud
e to
war
ds th
e pl
ace
we
live,
with
stu
dent
s sh
owin
g pr
ide
in th
eir
und
erst
andi
ng
and
a w
illin
gne
ss to
exp
lore
oth
er p
ersp
ectiv
es. T
hey
wer
e ab
le to
re
spo
nd r
espe
ctfu
lly a
nd w
ith g
enu
ine
curio
sity
to th
e di
vers
e cu
ltura
l exp
erie
nces
pr
ovid
ed.
Ho
w y
ou
co
uld
imp
rove
on
th
e as
sess
me
nt
task
(s)
so t
hat
yo
u w
ou
ld h
ave
a
mo
re a
ccu
rate
pic
ture
of
each
stu
den
t’s
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea?
Thi
s ye
ar, w
e st
arte
d ta
lkin
g a
bout
the
sum
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ent t
ask
muc
h ea
rlier
in
the
unit
of in
quir
y, a
nd s
om
e o
f th
e ch
ildre
n b
eca
me
qui
te e
xcite
d, g
ener
atin
g th
eir
own
idea
s fo
r w
hat t
hey
wan
ted
in th
eir
‘land
’. T
he m
and
oo
s ac
tivity
was
a g
ood
prep
arat
ion
for
the
sum
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ent
, and
thi
s ye
ar w
e fe
lt th
at w
e ha
d pl
ann
ed
the
inqu
iries
to le
ad in
to th
e fin
al a
sses
smen
t m
uch
bette
r.
Wh
at w
as t
he
evi
den
ce t
hat
co
nn
ecti
on
s w
ere
mad
e b
etw
een
th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea
and
th
e tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
them
e?
The
con
nec
tion
betw
een
the
tran
sdis
cipl
inar
y th
eme
“Whe
re w
e ar
e in
pla
ce a
nd
time
” w
as v
ery
stro
ng. T
he c
hild
ren
wer
e ab
le to
cle
arly
art
icul
ate
whe
re th
ey li
ve,
and
show
ed in
crea
sing
un
ders
tand
ing
of th
eir
expe
rien
ces.
The
y w
ere
able
to h
andl
e th
eir
daily
exp
erie
nces
in a
mu
ch m
ore
conf
iden
t man
ner
as
they
gai
ned
grea
ter
pers
pec
tive
ab
out t
he c
once
pt o
f pla
ce.
7. T
o w
hat
ext
ent
did
we
incl
ud
e th
e el
emen
ts o
f th
e P
YP
?
Wh
at w
ere
the
lear
nin
g e
xper
ien
ces
that
en
able
d s
tud
ents
to
:
d
eve
lop
an
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e co
nce
pts
iden
tifi
ed in
“W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
lear
n?
”
All
of th
e pl
ann
ed e
nga
gem
en
ts w
ere
desi
gned
to d
eep
en
the
child
ren
’s
und
erst
andi
ng
abo
ut w
hat t
he p
lace
they
live
in is
like
, an
d ho
w it
com
par
es
to o
ther
pl
aces
.
d
emo
nst
rate
th
e le
arn
ing
an
d a
pp
licat
ion
of
par
ticu
lar
tran
sdis
cip
linar
y sk
ills?
The
sum
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ent
opp
ortu
nitie
s sh
owed
how
the
child
ren
’s th
inki
ng s
kills
w
ere
deve
lop
ed;
acq
uisi
tion
of
know
ledg
e, c
ompr
ehe
nsio
n, a
pplic
atio
n, a
nal
ysis
, sy
nthe
sis,
eva
luat
ion.
The
form
ativ
e as
sess
me
nt n
ote
d de
velo
pm
ent
s in
res
earc
h s
kills
, com
mu
nica
tion
skill
s, s
ocia
l ski
lls a
nd,
to a
less
er e
xten
t, so
me
self-
man
agem
ent s
kills
.
d
eve
lop
par
ticu
lar
attr
ibu
tes
of
the
lear
ner
pro
file
an
d/o
r at
titu
des
?
In e
ach
cas
e, e
xpla
in y
ou
r s
elec
tio
n.
Attr
ibut
es o
f the
lear
ner
prof
ile: t
hink
ers,
op
en-m
inde
d, k
now
ledg
eabl
e,
com
mun
icat
ors,
ref
lect
ive.
Atti
tude
s: a
ppre
ciat
ion,
cur
iosi
ty, c
reat
ivity
, em
pat
hy, r
espe
ct, c
onfid
ence
.
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Ref
lect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y
8. W
hat
stu
den
t-in
itia
ted
inq
uir
ies
aro
se f
rom
th
e le
arn
ing
?
Rec
ord
a r
ang
e o
f st
ud
ent-
init
iate
d in
qu
irie
s an
d s
tud
ent
qu
esti
on
s an
d
hig
hlig
ht
any
that
wer
e in
corp
ora
ted
into
th
e te
ach
ing
an
d le
arn
ing
.
Afte
r th
e m
id-y
ear
bre
ak, t
he c
hild
ren
who
had
bro
ught
pho
togr
aphs
or
arte
fact
s fr
om
thei
r ho
liday
s w
ere
give
n th
e op
por
tuni
ty to
talk
ab
out a
nd
shar
e th
ese
at ‘c
ircle
’ tim
e. T
he c
hild
ren
add
the
imag
es a
nd a
rtef
acts
to a
dis
pla
y w
hich
had
a m
ap
of th
e w
orld
, ent
itled
“W
here
in th
e W
orld
”. T
he te
ache
r fa
cilit
ate
d di
scus
sion
and
en
cour
aged
co
mp
aris
ons
bet
wee
n he
re a
nd th
e pl
aces
the
y vi
site
d. O
ne fa
mily
se
nt
a po
stca
rd fr
om
thei
r tr
ip to
Mal
aysi
a w
hich
spa
rked
mor
e in
tere
st (
“Whe
re w
as th
is
plac
e on
the
map
?”
“Whi
ch a
nim
als
did
they
see
ther
e?)
. Whe
n w
e sa
ng
“We
’ve
got
the
who
le w
orld
in o
ur h
ands
”, th
e ch
ildre
n b
eca
me
real
ly in
tere
sted
in fi
ndi
ng o
ut
whi
ch c
ontin
ent ‘
the
ir’ c
ount
ry w
as in
, and
wan
ted
to r
ole-
pla
y ‘fl
ying
’ fro
m o
ne
coun
try
to a
not
her.
The
y w
ante
d to
pre
tend
they
ha
d vi
site
d a
pla
ce a
nd b
roug
ht
som
ethi
ng b
ack
from
it (
e.g.
: Lio
ns f
rom
Afr
ica,
Dis
ney
Lan
d fr
om A
mer
ica
).
Wh
at s
tud
ent-
init
iate
d a
ctio
ns
aro
se f
rom
th
e le
arn
ing
?
Rec
ord
stu
den
t-in
itia
ted
act
ion
s ta
ken
by
ind
ivid
ual
s o
r g
rou
ps
sho
win
g t
hei
r ab
ility
to
ref
lect
, to
ch
oo
se a
nd
to
act
.
The
chi
ldre
n ch
ose
to e
nga
ge
with
the
lear
nin
g o
ppor
tuni
ties
offe
red
to th
em,
part
icip
atin
g ac
tivel
y in
a v
arie
ty o
f rol
e-pl
ay s
cena
rios
an
d ch
oosi
ng to
dre
ss-u
p in
cl
othe
s fr
om
oth
er c
ultu
res.
The
y cr
eate
d th
eir
own
‘wor
lds’
whi
ch in
clud
ed
aspe
cts
of th
e id
eas
co
vere
d in
cla
ss. T
hey
shar
ed
wha
t the
y ha
d b
een
lear
nin
g w
ith th
eir
pare
nts
and
sibl
ings
.
The
y en
gag
ed m
ore
activ
ely
with
thei
r en
viro
nm
ent
, thi
nkin
g ab
out
wha
t the
y sa
w,
hear
d, a
nd e
xper
ienc
ed. T
hey
mad
e m
ore
conn
ectio
ns w
hen
they
ret
old
wha
t the
y ha
d d
one
at th
e w
eeke
nd,
or
afte
r sc
hool
. The
y be
cam
e b
ette
r at
see
ing
situ
atio
ns
from
ano
ther
per
spec
tive
and,
ther
efor
e, b
ecam
e m
ore
ope
n-m
ind
ed. B
y en
cour
agin
g p
aren
ts to
col
lab
orat
e w
ith u
s in
obt
ain
ing
anec
dota
l evi
den
ce,
we
wer
e ab
le to
con
firm
the
unit’
s su
cces
s at
pro
voki
ng
stud
ent-
initi
ated
act
ion.
Co
mm
ent
s fr
om p
aren
ts in
clud
ed h
ow th
e le
vel o
f qu
estio
ning
fro
m th
eir
child
ren
had
incr
ease
d,
how
they
wer
e ob
serv
ing
muc
h m
ore
activ
ely
e.g
. whe
n dr
ivin
g ar
oun
d th
e ci
ty. T
hey
wer
e co
nnec
ting
thei
r ob
serv
atio
ns to
wha
t the
y kn
ew a
nd a
skin
g lo
ts o
f qu
estio
ns!
9. T
each
er n
ote
s
Alth
ough
the
pla
nner
for
this
uni
t sho
uld
sh
ow
how
it is
del
iver
ed in
an
ag
e-ap
prop
riat
e w
ay fo
r 4-
5 ye
ar o
lds,
the
lear
nin
g en
gag
em
ents
cou
ld b
e ad
apt
ed fo
r ch
ildre
n th
roug
hout
the
PY
P a
nd s
till m
ain
tain
a h
igh
degr
ee
of r
elev
anc
e,
eng
agem
ent,
sign
ifica
nce
and
cha
lleng
e.
The
lear
nin
g e
nga
gem
ent
s lis
ted
in s
ectio
n 4
of t
he P
YP
pla
nner
are
on
ly
sugg
estio
ns. I
t is
impo
rta
nt to
not
e th
at th
ey d
o no
t nee
d to
be
carr
ied
out
in th
e or
der
in w
hich
they
are
fou
nd o
r co
vere
d in
any
one
ye
ar. I
n an
inq
uiry
-dri
ven
lear
nin
g en
viro
nmen
t, it
is a
ppro
pria
te to
follo
w th
e ch
ildre
n’s
inte
rest
s an
d re
spo
nd
to th
e th
ings
they
brin
g in
and
wan
t to
lear
n ab
out
. It i
s al
so v
ital t
hat t
he c
entr
al id
ea
and
key
conc
ept
s ar
e ke
pt in
min
d d
urin
g th
e le
arni
ng
eng
age
men
ts, s
o th
at th
ey
don
’t b
eco
me
a se
ries
of ‘a
ctiv
ities
’.
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 16
Example 2 Transdisciplinary theme: Where we are in place and time
Central idea: Exploration and discovery brought change to people and places.
Rationale Southridge Junior School is an independent school located in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. It is an IB World School that offers the PYP to students from kindergarten to grade 4, and the MYP to students from grades 5 to 7. School enrollment is 324 and class sizes range from 16 to 22 students. While the student population has always comprised students of European heritage, recently there has also been a growth in the number of South Asian, East Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese), West Asian, Middle Eastern and Afro-Canadian students.
The school has elected to implement the PYP but it is also required to use the curriculum mandated by the Ministry of Education in Canada. Under the transdisciplinary theme “Where we are in place and time”, the students in grade 4 (9–10 years) inquire into how exploration and discovery resulted in change for people and places. Prior plans for this unit of inquiry involved only European explorers and their explorations. In reviewing this unit through involvement in this project, we planned for a more diverse and global approach by exposing the students to a curriculum that goes beyond Eurocentric content mandated by the Ministry of Education. We learned that many discoveries were influenced by Muslim explorers, geographers, mathematicians and astronomers, who themselves were influenced by Greek and Persian thinkers. As the school population is culturally diverse, students were also given an opportunity to introduce explorers from their own cultures or country of origin. The inclusion of these perspectives supports the development of a more international curriculum.
This unit, “The wonders of exploration”, was developed collaboratively through a series of planning and reflection meetings, and was adapted as new learning was sought and student inquiries developed. During the planning meetings, it was agreed to try an approach in which the classroom teachers dealt primarily with European exploration (as mandated by the state) and world explorers. The PYP coordinator infused a Muslim perspective by facilitating inquiries that focused on the impact of Muslim explorers. The French class teacher provided a French cultural perspective and engaged students about French explorers who had an impact on Canadian history. This collaborative approach brought richness, diversity and depth to the unit.
Throughout this unit of inquiry, the students are given opportunities to inquire into different explorers beyond the national curriculum requirements. Students discover the influence of and contributions made by figures such as Ibn Battuta, Al-Idrisi, Zheng He and Al-Biruni in the fields of map-making, geography, navigation, astronomy, mathematics and medicine. They come to understand the reasons why people explore, the impact of exploration on people and places, the different perspectives on exploration, and how exploration does not occur in isolation and is connected with and builds upon the work of prior explorers.
The following PYP planner represents the collaborative team’s journey of their own exploration to uncover diverse ideas and seek ways to provide multiple perspectives that can enrich the students’ understanding beyond their local setting and still address the mandated curriculum. It supports student learning, and knowledge and appreciation of a broader range of cultures.
By utilizing a broader perspective in the design of this unit of inquiry, learners are exposed to the impact of exploration on people and places from a much wider global perspective. Students were provided with opportunities to be open-minded, to consider multiple perspectives, and to develop appreciation of other cultural influences.
Cla
ss/g
rad
e: G
rade
4
A
ge
gro
up
: 9–
10 y
ears
old
Sch
oo
l: A
dapt
ed fr
om
pla
nner
pro
vide
d by
, and
in c
olla
bor
atio
n
with
, Sou
thrid
ge S
choo
l
Tit
le:
The
Won
ders
of E
xplo
ratio
n!
Tea
cher
(s):
Gra
de 4
teac
hers
, PY
P c
oord
inat
or,
Fre
nch
lang
uage
teac
her
and
teac
her-
libra
rian
Dat
e: S
epte
mbe
r–N
ove
mbe
r 20
09
Pro
po
se
d d
ura
tio
n:
6 w
eeks
P
YP
pla
nner
1. W
hat
is
ou
r p
urp
ose
?
To
inq
uir
e in
to t
he
follo
win
g:
tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
them
e
Whe
re w
e ar
e in
pla
ce a
nd
time
An
inq
uiry
into
orie
ntat
ion
in p
lace
an
d tim
e; p
erso
nal h
isto
ries
; ho
mes
an
d jo
urn
eys;
th
e di
scov
erie
s, e
xplo
ratio
ns a
nd m
igra
tions
of h
um
anki
nd;
the
rela
tions
hip
s be
twee
n an
d th
e in
terc
onn
ecte
dnes
s of
indi
vidu
als
an
d ci
viliz
atio
ns, f
rom
loca
l and
glo
bal
pers
pect
ives
.
ce
ntr
al id
ea
Exp
lora
tion
and
disc
over
y br
oug
ht c
hang
e to
peo
ple
and
pla
ces.
Su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
men
t ta
sk(s
):
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ents
’ un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al i
dea
? W
hat
evi
den
ce,
in
clu
din
g s
tud
ent-
init
iate
d a
ctio
ns,
will
we
loo
k fo
r?
Ass
essm
ent t
ask
: Stu
dent
s w
ill d
evel
op
a co
ncep
t m
ap/w
eb to
com
mu
nica
te th
eir
und
erst
andi
ng
of th
e ce
ntra
l ide
a a
nd li
nes
of
inqu
iry b
y us
ing
keyw
ords
or
phra
ses
that
cap
ture
thei
r le
arni
ng.
Ass
essm
ent t
ool
: A s
tude
nt-t
eac
her
cre
ated
che
cklis
t will
be
deve
lope
d pr
ior
to th
e as
sess
me
nt ta
sk s
o th
at s
tude
nts
und
erst
and
the
crite
ria b
ein
g us
ed
to a
sses
s th
eir
und
erst
andi
ng.
Evi
denc
e of
stu
dent
-initi
ated
act
ions
we
will
look
for:
S
tude
nts
are
exc
ited
abou
t exp
lora
tion
and
dis
cove
ry a
skin
g qu
estio
ns a
nd
inq
uirin
g in
to th
e ce
ntra
l ide
a at
ho
me.
Par
ent
s sh
are
thes
e th
roug
h en
d-of
-uni
t su
rvey
, em
ails
or
hom
e-sc
hoo
l jou
rnal
.
Dur
ing
disc
ussi
ons
and
activ
ities
, stu
dent
s ar
e ar
ticul
atin
g h
ow e
xplo
ratio
n an
d di
scov
ery
brou
ght c
han
ge a
nd
how
thes
e ha
d an
imp
act o
n p
eop
le o
r p
lace
s.
S
tude
nts
beg
in to
und
erst
and
and
dis
cuss
that
exp
lora
tion
and
dis
cove
ries
occu
rre
d gl
oba
lly a
nd
go b
eyo
nd w
hat i
s ta
ught
in th
e lo
cal c
urric
ulu
m.
S
tude
nts
beg
in to
sho
w o
pen-
min
ded
nes
s an
d to
lera
nce
in th
eir
inte
ract
ion
s w
ith o
ther
s. T
his
can
be n
oted
in c
lass
roo
m s
ituat
ions
or
inte
ract
ions
on
the
pl
aygr
ound
.
2. W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
lea
rn?
Wh
at a
re t
he
key
con
cep
ts (
form
, fu
nct
ion
, cau
sati
on
, ch
ang
e, c
on
nec
tio
n,
per
spec
tive
, re
spo
nsi
bili
ty, r
efle
ctio
n)
to b
e em
ph
asiz
ed w
ith
in t
his
inq
uir
y?
ca
usat
ion
(incl
udin
g in
terc
onne
cted
ness
of
wor
k be
twee
n ex
plor
ers,
bui
ldin
g o
n ea
ch o
ther
’s id
eas)
chan
ge
pe
rsp
ectiv
e (in
clud
ing
feel
ing
s an
d at
titud
es to
war
ds e
xplo
rers
) W
hat
lin
es o
f in
qu
iry
will
def
ine
the
sco
pe
of
the
inq
uir
y in
to t
he
cen
tral
id
ea?
Rea
sons
for
expl
orat
ion
(ca
usat
ion)
Way
s th
at e
xplo
ratio
n br
oug
ht c
hang
e (c
han
ge)
D
iffer
ing
view
s on
exp
lora
tion
(per
spec
tive)
W
hat
tea
cher
qu
esti
on
s/p
rovo
cati
on
s w
ill d
rive
th
ese
inq
uir
ies?
Why
do
peo
ple
exp
lore
?
H
ow d
id e
xplo
rers
bui
ld o
n ea
ch o
ther
’s w
ork?
How
did
exp
lora
tion
brin
g ch
ang
e to
peo
ple
and
pla
ces?
Wha
t atti
tude
s an
d fe
elin
gs d
id p
eopl
e ex
pre
ss a
bout
exp
lora
tion
?
Pro
voca
tio
n
Exp
lore
r’s Q
uest
: Set
up
an a
uthe
ntic
que
st w
here
stu
dent
s ar
e gi
ven
opp
ortu
nitie
s to
inve
stig
ate
art
efac
ts o
r ex
plor
e sp
ecifi
c ite
ms
or p
lace
s in
thei
r sc
hoo
l en
viro
nm
ent
. Som
e gr
oup
s ca
n be
giv
en to
ols
to h
elp
the
m n
avig
ate,
whe
reas
oth
ers
can
exp
erie
nce
wha
t it m
ay b
e li
ke to
sea
rch
with
out t
he u
se o
f aid
s. Q
uest
ions
to
focu
s on
: Why
do
peop
le e
xplo
re?
Why
is e
xplo
ratio
n im
port
ant?
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y
3. H
ow
mig
ht
we
kno
w w
hat
we
ha
ve le
arn
ed?
Thi
s co
lum
n sh
ould
be
used
in c
onju
nctio
n w
ith “
Ho
w b
est m
ight
we
lear
n?”
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ents
’ pri
or
kno
wle
dg
e an
d s
kills
? W
hat
evi
den
ce w
ill w
e lo
ok
for?
P
re-a
sses
smen
t “F
our
squa
re”
mat
act
ivity
in g
roup
s, w
here
stu
dent
s no
te id
eas
on th
e fo
llow
ing
4 ca
tego
ries:
1 W
hy d
o pe
ople
exp
lore
? (c
ausa
tion)
2 H
ow
has
exp
lora
tion
chan
ged
the
wo
rld?
(cha
nge)
3
Wha
t atti
tude
s or
feel
ings
do
you
thin
k pe
ople
had
abo
ut e
xplo
ratio
n?
(per
spec
tive)
4 N
ame
som
e ex
plor
ers
you
know
fro
m a
roun
d th
e w
orld
. (T
his
give
s ev
iden
ce o
f stu
dent
s’ u
nder
stan
ding
of
wor
ld
expl
orer
s)
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ent
lear
nin
g in
th
e co
nte
xt o
f th
e lin
es o
f in
qu
iry?
Wh
at e
vid
ence
will
we
loo
k fo
r?
Fo
rmat
ive
asse
ssm
ents
: S
trat
egy
1: O
bser
vatio
ns o
f stu
dent
par
ticip
atio
n in
dis
cuss
ions
an
d cl
assr
oom
act
iviti
es. A
sse
ssm
ent
tool
: an
ecdo
tal r
ecor
d
Str
ateg
y 2:
Op
en-e
nde
d ta
sk: T
ime
in a
Bot
tle a
ctiv
ity (
see
box
4). A
sses
smen
t too
l: an
ecd
otal
rec
ord
S
trat
egy
3: P
erf
orm
anc
e as
sess
men
t: “M
useu
m M
en/W
om
en”
role
-pla
y ac
tivity
Ass
essm
ent
tool
: rub
ric.
Stu
dent
s ch
oos
e a
n ex
plor
er th
at th
ey a
re in
tere
sted
in fr
om
13th
to 1
7th c
entu
ry.
In
thei
r pe
rson
al in
quiry
, the
y co
llect
, int
erpr
et, o
rga
nize
, and
rec
ord
data
. The
y in
qui
re in
to p
erso
nal q
uest
ions
they
may
hav
e al
ong
w
ith r
espo
ndin
g to
crit
eria
list
ed b
elo
w.
Stu
dent
s w
ill th
en ta
ke o
n ro
le o
f an
expl
orer
they
inqu
ired
into
. Stu
den
t will
be
inte
rvie
wed
by
a p
eer
on
the
follo
win
g qu
est
ions
: 1. W
hy d
id y
ou
cho
ose
to
expl
ore?
(ca
uses
for
expl
orat
ion)
2. H
ow d
id y
our
exp
lora
tion
brin
g ch
ange
to
peo
ple
and
pla
ces?
(ch
ange
) 3.
Wha
t atti
tude
s or
fe
elin
gs d
id p
eop
le e
xpre
ss a
bout
you
r ex
plor
atio
n? (
per
spec
tive)
4.
Wha
t lea
rne
r pr
ofile
attr
ibut
es o
r P
YP
atti
tude
s d
o yo
u n
eed
to
refle
ct a
s an
exp
lore
r?
4.H
ow
bes
t m
igh
t w
e le
arn
?
Wh
at a
re t
he
lear
nin
g e
xper
ien
ces
sug
ges
ted
by
the
teac
her
an
d/o
r st
ud
ents
to
en
cou
rag
e th
e st
ud
ents
to
en
gag
e w
ith
th
e in
qu
irie
s an
d a
dd
ress
th
e d
rivi
ng
qu
esti
on
s?
Tea
cher
pro
vid
ing
co
nte
xt f
or
inq
uir
y:
E
xplo
rers
’ que
st a
ctiv
ity: s
ee p
rovo
catio
n
Rol
e pl
ay (
deve
lopi
ng p
ersp
ectiv
e): A
s ex
plor
ers,
one
of t
he c
lass
es ta
kes
over
ano
ther
cl
assr
oom
. Wha
t doe
s it
feel
like
whe
n pe
ople
ent
er y
our
terr
itory
?
Cla
ss d
iscu
ssio
ns a
nd w
hole
cla
ss c
once
pt m
ap/w
eb o
n w
hy
peop
le e
xplo
re (
e.g.
land
acq
uisi
tion,
gai
ning
and
bui
ldin
g kn
ow
ledg
e, m
akin
g ne
w d
isco
verie
s, tr
adin
g)
Pre
para
tion
for
expl
orat
ion
in th
e pa
st: r
ead
liter
atur
e an
d vi
ew
vid
eo c
lip a
nd s
ilk r
oute
map
. Pur
pose
: allo
ws
stud
ents
to s
ee tr
adin
g as
one
of t
he r
easo
ns w
hy
peop
le e
xplo
red
in th
e pa
st
Dis
cuss
the
bene
fits
of th
e si
lk a
nd s
pice
rou
te. H
ow
did
exp
lora
tion
brin
g ch
ange
to p
eopl
e an
d pl
aces
(e
.g. i
nteg
ratin
g of
cul
ture
s, a
cqui
ring
new
kn
ow
ledg
e, b
roug
ht c
hang
es in
art
, mus
ic, a
nd la
ngua
ge)?
C
reat
e a
grou
p tim
elin
e of
ex
plor
ers.
Add
to ti
mel
ines
as
new
exp
lore
rs a
re in
vest
igat
ed
Exp
ose
stud
ents
to o
ther
wor
ld e
xplo
rers
incl
udin
g E
urop
ean
expl
orer
s th
at im
pact
ed C
anad
a (m
inis
try
man
date
d co
nten
t) th
roug
h re
ader
’s th
eatr
e, v
ideo
clip
s, a
nd r
eadi
ngs.
D
iscu
ssio
n on
ho
w
expl
orer
s ha
ve le
arne
d fr
om p
revi
ous
expl
orat
ions
F
ield
trip
to M
ariti
me
Mus
eum
to le
arn
abou
t Eur
opea
n ex
plor
ers
Rea
d: G
host
of
Jam
es B
ay a
nd d
iscu
ss p
ersp
ectiv
es o
f “F
irst P
eopl
es”
to th
e ex
plor
ers
Fre
nch
teac
her:
rea
ding
and
dis
cuss
ion
of F
renc
h ex
plor
er: J
acqu
es C
artie
r, S
amue
l de
Cha
mpl
ain
Tea
cher
-libr
aria
n: m
ini-
less
ons
on r
eadi
ng n
on-f
ictio
n m
ater
ials
(co
llect
ing
data
)
Lea
din
g a
nd
fac
ilita
tin
g s
tud
ent
inq
uir
y:
T
radi
ng p
ost a
ctiv
ity: P
art 1
: Gro
ups
of s
tude
nts
choo
se a
pla
ce o
n th
e si
lk/s
pice
rou
te fr
om a
spe
cifie
d lis
t. S
tude
nts
rese
arc
h in
form
atio
n to
sha
re a
bout
pla
ce, l
ocat
e pl
ace
on m
ap, a
nd a
ssem
ble
imag
es o
f tra
de it
ems
(imag
es o
r re
al o
bjec
ts)
on r
oute
, se
t up
trad
ing
post
. Par
t 2: S
tude
nts
role
pla
y m
erch
ants
and
exp
lore
rs b
y ga
ther
ing
fact
s ab
out t
he p
lace
(kn
ow
ledg
e se
ekin
g), a
nd tr
ade
good
s.
Com
plet
e ex
plor
er lo
g ch
arts
focu
sing
on
the
lines
of i
nqui
ry u
sing
gui
ded
info
rmat
ion
book
lets
gat
here
d fr
om w
ebsi
tes
and
book
sou
rces
. Sha
re in
form
atio
n le
arne
d w
ith e
ach
othe
r th
roug
h a
stat
ions
app
roac
h
Ref
lect
ions
of t
radi
ng p
ost a
ctiv
ity, k
ey
conc
epts
, stu
dent
inqu
iry q
uest
ions
, and
fiel
dtrip
“
Tim
e in
a b
ottle
act
ivity
” ex
plor
er r
ole
play
: writ
e a
lette
r to
you
r fa
mily
des
crib
ing
why
you
exp
lore
d, p
eopl
e’s
rea
ctio
ns to
you
, w
hat y
ou le
arne
d, h
ow
you
may
hav
e br
ough
t cha
nge.
The
lette
r w
ill b
e pu
t in
a bo
ttle
“Mus
eum
men
/wom
en”
lear
ning
eng
agem
ent (
see
form
ativ
e as
sess
men
t)
Act
iviti
es a
nd d
iscu
ssio
ns o
n st
uden
t inq
uiry
que
stio
ns
(don
e th
roug
hout
the
unit)
Wh
at o
pp
ort
un
itie
s w
ill o
ccu
r fo
r tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
skil
ls d
eve
lop
men
t an
d f
or
the
de
velo
pm
ent
of
the
attr
ibu
tes
of
the
lear
ner
pro
file
? tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
skill
s th
inki
ng s
kills
1. a
cqui
sitio
n of
kno
wle
dge
2. s
ynth
esis
3.c
ompr
ehen
sion
res
earc
h sk
ills
4.
colle
ctin
g re
cord
ing/
orga
nizi
ng a
nd in
terp
retin
g da
ta 5
.com
mun
icat
ion
skill
s
Lea
rner
pro
file
: th
inke
r, c
omm
unic
ator
, ref
lect
ive,
ope
n-m
inde
d
PY
P a
ttit
ud
es:
crea
tivity
and
cur
iosi
ty
5. W
hat
res
ou
rce
s n
eed
to
be
gat
her
ed?
Wh
at p
eop
le, p
lace
s, a
ud
io-v
isu
al m
ater
ials
, re
late
d l
iter
atu
re,
mu
sic,
art
, co
mp
ute
r so
ftw
are,
etc
, will
be
ava
ilab
le?
G
athe
r lit
erat
ure
on s
ilk/s
pic
e ro
ute,
wor
ld e
xplo
rers
(in
clud
ing
Mus
lim e
xplo
rers
an
d E
uro
pea
n e
xplo
rers
). R
eco
mm
end
ed b
oo
ks:
We
’re R
idin
g o
n a
Car
avan
: An
Adv
entu
re o
n th
e S
ilk R
oute
by
Hel
en
Ca
nn;
The
Tra
velli
ng
Man
. The
Jou
rney
of I
bn B
attu
ta,1
335–
1354
by
Jam
es R
umfo
rd; T
he S
ilk R
oute
: 70
00 M
iles
of H
isto
ry b
y Jo
hn M
ajor
; 100
1 In
vent
ions
: Mus
lim H
erita
ge
in O
ur W
orld
by
Sal
im H
assa
ni;
Exp
lore
rs a
nd P
athf
ind
ers;
Exp
lore
rs b
y P
hilip
Wilk
inso
n; T
he U
sbor
ne B
ook
of E
xplo
rers
Rec
om
men
ded
Au
dio
visu
al m
ater
ials
: S
ilk R
oad
Enc
ou
nter
s: S
ourc
eboo
k an
d T
each
er’s
G
uide
By
John
Maj
or, E
xplo
rers
to C
anad
a, T
he K
ey to
Ca
nad
a, D
isco
very
Str
eam
ing:
Ear
ly E
xplo
rers
: The
Age
of D
isco
very
Rec
om
men
ded
web
site
s: w
ww
.mus
limhe
rita
ge.
com
, w
ww
.une
sco.
org,
ww
w.is
lam
fort
oday
.com
, ht
tp://
ww
w.s
fusd
.k12
.ca.
us (
key
wor
d: I
bn B
attu
ta),
htt
p;//
ww
w.y
out
ube.
com
(ke
y w
ords
: Ib
n B
attu
ta, Z
heng
he,
Al-I
dris
i-the
clip
on
Ibn
Bat
tuta
is le
ngt
hy
and
onl
y p
art 1
nee
ds to
be
sho
wn
), h
ttp://
ww
w.a
lbal
agh.
net
(ke
y w
ord:
Al-B
irun
i, hi
stor
y)
Ho
w w
ill t
he
clas
sro
om
en
viro
nm
ent,
loca
l en
viro
nm
ent,
an
d/o
r th
e co
mm
un
ity
be
use
d t
o f
acili
tate
th
e in
qu
iry?
P
aren
ts w
ho
hav
e kn
ow
ledg
e a
bout
exp
lora
tion
will
be
cont
acte
d fo
r re
sou
rces
or
to b
e g
uest
spe
aker
s, if
app
ropr
iate
. Stu
dent
s w
ill v
isit
the
loca
l Ma
ritim
e M
use
um to
lear
n ab
out
expl
orat
ion.
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Ref
lect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y
6. T
o w
hat
ext
en
t d
id w
e ac
hie
ve o
ur
pu
rpo
se?
As
ses
s th
e o
utc
om
e o
f th
e in
qu
iry
by
pro
vid
ing
evi
den
ce o
f st
ud
ents
’ un
der
sta
nd
ing
of
the
cen
tral
id
ea.
Th
e re
flec
tio
ns
of
all
teac
her
s in
volv
ed
in t
he
pla
nn
ing
an
d t
each
ing
of
the
inq
uir
y sh
ou
ld b
e in
clu
de
d.
Cla
ssro
om
tea
ch
ers
and
PY
P c
oo
rdin
ato
r’s
refl
ecti
on
s: T
he s
tude
nts
dem
onst
rate
d un
ders
tand
ing
of th
e ce
ntra
l ide
a. T
his
was
ref
lect
ed in
the
expl
orer
lette
rs, f
orm
ativ
e an
d su
mm
ativ
e un
ders
tand
ing,
exp
lore
r’s lo
g, a
nd c
lass
roo
m d
iscu
ssio
ns. T
he s
tude
nts
had
a
soun
d gr
asp
of t
he r
easo
ns fo
r e
xplo
ratio
n an
d pr
ovid
ed e
xam
ples
bey
ond
just
land
acq
uisi
tion:
“I
wan
ted
to le
arn
mo
re a
bout
the
wor
ld”,
“I w
ante
d to
see
Mec
ca a
nd s
eek
know
ledg
e an
d se
e th
e w
orld
”. T
hey
unde
rsto
od h
ow e
xplo
ratio
n br
ough
t cha
nge
to p
eop
le a
nd p
lace
s. In
thei
r “T
ime
in a
bot
tle”
lette
rs, s
ome
stu
dent
s sa
id in
rol
e: “
I bro
ugh
t cha
nge
to p
eopl
e fr
om
my
book
s ab
out I
ndia
and
Ind
ian
me
dici
ne.”
“P
eopl
e al
so k
now
me
for
teac
hing
mat
hem
atic
s an
d as
tron
om
y”. I
n su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
men
t, th
ey c
omm
ente
d on
the
1st a
nd 2
nd li
nes
of in
quiry
: “ I
neve
r kn
ew th
at t
he s
ilk r
oute
bro
ugh
t peo
ple
toge
ther
”, “
We
wou
ld n
ot b
e he
re w
itho
ut J
ames
C
ook”
, “la
ngu
age
s ch
ange
d”,
“cu
lture
s ch
ange
d”,
“fo
und
pass
ages
to th
e O
rient
”, “
findi
ng n
ew
land
s”. W
e fo
und
that
per
spec
tive
was
not
as
stro
ng
this
yea
r. T
he s
tude
nts
need
a p
rior
unde
rsta
ndin
g th
at F
irst P
eopl
es in
habi
ted
the
land
bef
ore
the
exp
lore
rs c
am
e. B
y ha
ving
this
kn
owle
dge,
they
are
bet
ter
able
to s
ee th
e di
fferi
ng v
iew
s on
exp
lora
tion.
We
had
witn
esse
d la
st
year
that
the
con
cept
of p
ersp
ectiv
e w
as s
tron
ger
whe
n th
e F
irst P
eopl
es u
nit u
nder
“H
ow W
e E
xpre
ss O
urse
lves
” w
as ta
ught
firs
t. W
e w
ould
like
to r
etur
n to
this
seq
uenc
e ne
xt y
ear.
Fre
nc
h t
eac
her
: T
akin
g on
furt
he
r in
quiri
es d
urin
g F
renc
h cl
asse
s w
as s
ucce
ssfu
l in
this
uni
t as
we
expl
ored
voc
abul
ary
rela
ted
to e
xplo
ratio
n in
look
ing
at h
ow th
e F
renc
h ex
plor
ers
im
pact
ed C
ana
da.
Tea
cher
-lib
rari
an
: S
tude
nts
wer
e g
uide
d in
sel
ectin
g no
n-fic
tion
ma
teria
ls w
hich
hel
ped
the
m
in th
eir
inqu
iries
.
Ho
w y
ou
co
uld
im
pro
ve o
n t
he
asse
ssm
ent
tas
k(s)
so
th
at y
ou
wo
uld
ha
ve a
mo
re
accu
rate
pic
ture
of
each
stu
de
nt’
s u
nd
erst
an
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea?
For
mat
ive:
We
liked
the
rang
e of
for
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ents
we
used
. H
owev
er, w
e fe
el th
at a
s th
is
was
the
first
uni
t in
the
year
; we
nee
ded
to s
pend
mo
re ti
me
talk
ing
to th
e st
uden
ts a
bout
gro
up
wor
k. W
e ne
ed to
set
crit
eria
with
them
and
als
o h
ave
them
use
a s
elf/
peer
che
cklis
t to
refle
ct
on h
ow th
ey p
art
icip
ated
as
a m
em
ber
of a
gro
up.
We
need
to a
dd s
ocia
l ski
lls to
our
uni
t nex
t ye
ar (
e.g.
gro
up d
ecis
ion
mak
ing,
coo
pera
ting,
ad
optin
g a
varie
ty o
f rol
es, r
espe
ctin
g ot
hers
).
Not
e: W
e th
ink
that
the
Mus
eum
men
/wo
men
rol
e pl
ay c
an a
lso
be u
sed
as a
sum
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ent d
epen
ding
on
the
dyna
mic
s of
the
gro
up.
Sum
mat
ive:
the
open
-end
edne
ss o
f the
su
mm
ativ
e ta
sk w
orke
d w
ell f
or th
is c
lass
. We
need
to
do a
rub
ric to
acc
omp
any
this
str
ateg
y in
stea
d of
a c
heck
list.
Thi
s w
ill g
ive
us a
mor
e in
-dep
th
look
at t
heir
unde
rsta
ndin
g. T
he s
tude
nts
also
nee
d t
o be
giv
en th
e cr
iteria
firs
t so
they
kno
w
wha
t to
expe
ct.
Wh
at w
as t
he
evid
enc
e th
at c
on
nec
tio
ns
wer
e m
ade
bet
wee
n t
he
cen
tral
idea
an
d t
he
tran
sdis
cip
lin
ary
the
me?
Our
uni
t foc
used
on
disc
over
ies,
exp
lora
tions
, and
the
inte
ract
ions
bet
wee
n ex
plor
ers
and
pe
ople
of t
he la
nd
(inte
rcon
nect
edn
ess
of in
divi
dual
s an
d ci
viliz
atio
ns),
bot
h fr
om
loca
l and
gl
obal
per
spec
tives
(fo
cus
on lo
cal a
nd w
orld
exp
lora
tion)
. We
need
to s
pend
mor
e tim
e lo
okin
g at
the
inte
ract
ion
betw
een
the
peo
ple
who
alre
ady
live
ther
e an
d th
e e
xplo
rers
that
arr
ived
. Thi
s w
ill c
ome
in n
atu
rally
if w
e do
the
Firs
t Peo
ples
’ poi
nt o
f vie
w fi
rst.
7. T
o w
hat
ext
ent
did
we
incl
ud
e th
e el
emen
ts o
f th
e P
YP
?
Wh
at w
ere
the
lear
nin
g e
xper
ien
ces
that
en
able
d s
tud
ents
to
:
d
eve
lop
an
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e co
nce
pts
iden
tifi
ed in
“W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
le
arn
?”
Cau
sati
on
: th
e tr
adin
g po
st a
ctiv
ity, t
he m
edia
exp
lore
d, le
tter
writ
ing,
cla
ssro
om
disc
ussi
ons,
the
Mus
eum
men
/wom
en r
ole
play
, and
the
sum
mat
ive
task
hel
ped
to d
evel
op
this
con
cept
. We
wou
ld li
ke to
giv
e th
e st
uden
ts m
ore
guid
ance
in p
ullin
g re
leva
nt in
form
atio
n ab
out t
heir
trad
ing
post
whe
n d
oing
res
earc
h. T
he t
each
er-li
brar
ian
coul
d as
sist
us
with
this
ac
tivity
nex
t yea
r.
Ch
ang
e: th
is w
as n
ot c
over
ed a
s de
eply
with
the
Eu
rope
an e
xplo
rers
but
was
ref
lect
ed in
the
stud
y of
Mus
lim e
xplo
rers
and
the
silk
rou
te (
e.g.
lang
uage
s, b
lend
ing
of c
ultu
res)
P
ersp
ecti
ve:
this
was
cha
lleng
ing
beca
use
we
didn
’t do
the
Firs
t Peo
ples
uni
t firs
t. T
hey
didn
’t un
ders
tand
that
peo
ple
wer
e th
ere
befo
re th
e ex
plor
ers.
d
emo
nst
rate
th
e le
arn
ing
an
d a
pp
licat
ion
of
par
ticu
lar
tran
sdis
cip
linar
y sk
ills?
The
lear
ning
eng
agem
ents
fost
ered
thes
e sk
ills:
Th
inki
ng
ski
lls:
(1)
acqu
isiti
on o
f kno
wle
dge
– th
is w
as d
one
very
wel
l and
the
stud
ents
w
ere
prou
d of
ho
w m
uch
they
had
lear
ned.
(2)
syn
thes
is –
the
stud
ents
wer
e a
ble
to
synt
hesi
ze a
lot
of id
eas
in th
e “t
ime
in a
bot
tle”
lette
r w
ritin
g an
d M
useu
m m
en/w
omen
ac
tivity
(3)
com
preh
ensi
on –
hav
ing
the
age-
appr
opria
te m
ater
ial a
nd c
reat
ing
thei
r o
wn
para
grap
hs d
eepe
ned
this
thin
king
ski
ll. W
e w
ere
glad
that
the
reso
urce
s fo
r th
e M
uslim
ex
plor
atio
n se
ctio
n w
ere
adap
ted
to b
ette
r su
it th
is a
ge le
vel.
Res
earc
h s
kills
: (1
) co
llect
ing/
reco
rdin
g/or
gani
zing
and
inte
rpre
ting
data
– th
is w
as d
one
thro
ugh
the
expl
orer
logs
, the
mat
rix u
sed
for
orga
nizi
ng th
e M
use
um m
en/w
omen
rol
e pl
ay,
and
thro
ugh
thei
r w
eb/c
once
pt m
ap in
the
sum
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ent t
ask
(2)
form
ulat
ing
ques
tions
– s
tude
nts
form
ulat
ed th
eir
ques
tions
and
then
ans
wer
ed t
hem
. The
y ha
ve
won
derf
ul r
elat
ed q
uest
ions
for
the
Firs
t Peo
ples
uni
t com
ing
up.
Co
mm
un
icat
ion
ski
lls:
(1)
spe
akin
g–-
was
de
mon
stra
ted
thro
ugh
the
Mus
eum
men
/wom
en
role
pla
y an
d th
roug
h th
e tr
adin
g po
st a
ctiv
ities
(2)
rea
ding
– w
as e
nhan
ced
whe
n th
e st
uden
ts n
eede
d to
rea
d an
d co
mpr
ehen
d th
e m
ater
ials
(3)
writ
ing
– w
as d
evel
oped
thro
ugh
our
para
grap
h w
ritin
g op
port
uniti
es a
nd “
time
in b
ottle
” le
tter
writ
ing
(4)
liste
ning
– th
is w
as
deve
lope
d th
roug
h gr
oup
wor
k a
nd p
artic
ipat
ing
and
resp
ondi
ng in
dis
cuss
ions
.
d
eve
lop
par
ticu
lar
attr
ibu
tes
of
the
lear
ner
pro
file
an
d/o
r at
titu
des
?
Lea
rner
Pro
file
: (1
) th
inke
r –
the
stud
ents
con
side
red
the
reas
ons
why
peo
ple
wen
t to
so
man
y pl
aces
aro
und
the
wor
ld d
espi
te o
ld w
orld
tech
nolo
gy a
nd th
ey a
lso
expr
esse
d th
at
they
rea
lized
that
man
y cu
lture
s ha
d si
mila
r ex
plor
atio
n go
als
(2)
com
mun
icat
or –
this
at
trib
ute
was
de
velo
ped
in th
eir
pres
enta
tions
and
wri
ting
in r
ole
in th
eir
lette
rs (
3) r
efle
ctiv
e –
the
stud
ents
’ ref
lect
ion
on th
e ac
tiviti
es w
e di
d, in
clud
ing
the
trad
ing
post
and
the
field
trip
to
mus
eum
(4)
ope
n m
inde
d –
stud
ents
look
ed a
t diff
eren
t cou
ntrie
s’ p
ersp
ectiv
es a
nd
appr
ecia
ted
a w
ide
rang
e of
exp
lora
tion.
PY
P a
ttit
ud
es:
(1)
crea
tivity
– r
ole
play
ing
and
writ
ing
(tra
ding
pos
t, m
useu
m m
en, l
ette
r w
ritin
g) (
2) c
urio
sity
– s
tude
nt q
uest
ions
/sel
f di
rect
ed r
esea
rchi
ng fo
r m
useu
m m
en/w
omen
ac
tivity
.
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Ref
lect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y
8. W
hat
stu
den
t-in
itia
ted
inq
uir
ies
aro
se f
rom
th
e le
arn
ing
?
Rec
ord
a r
ang
e o
f st
ud
ent-
init
iate
d in
qu
irie
s an
d s
tud
ent
qu
esti
on
s an
d
hig
hlig
ht
any
that
wer
e in
corp
ora
ted
into
th
e te
ach
ing
an
d le
arn
ing
.
We
foun
d th
at th
e st
ude
nt in
qui
ries
focu
sed
ma
inly
on
thes
e ca
tego
ries
: Ibn
Bat
tuta
, th
e V
ikin
gs, l
and
acqu
isiti
on,
ma
ppin
g, a
nd tr
aits
of e
xplo
rers
. The
se w
ere
addr
esse
d sp
onta
neou
sly
as th
ey c
am
e u
p in
dis
cuss
ion
s, r
eadi
ng,
or
dur
ing
lear
nin
g en
gag
emen
ts. S
ome
of th
ese
wer
e ad
dres
sed
by th
e st
ude
nts
whe
n th
ey d
id th
e M
useu
m m
en/
wom
en
prep
arat
ion
and
res
ear
ch.
Who
has
Ibn
Bat
tuta
’s o
rigin
al b
ooks
?
Why
did
n’t
Ibn
settl
e in
any
of t
he p
lace
s he
vis
ited
?
Why
did
the
Vik
ings
do
so m
uch
da
ma
ge to
oth
er p
eop
le a
nd c
ultu
res?
Why
did
the
Vik
ings
leav
e V
inla
nd?
Did
the
nativ
es k
ill th
e V
ikin
gs a
nd
forc
e th
em
to le
ave?
W
hy w
as th
ere
so m
uch
war
bac
k in
the
time
of e
arly
exp
lora
tion
?
Was
Ibn
Bat
utta
a s
mal
l or
big
man
?
Whe
re d
id th
e ea
rly e
xplo
rers
find
the
ir co
urag
e?
Wha
t ins
pire
d th
em
?
How
did
the
Vik
ings
kn
ow w
here
they
wer
e go
ing
(eq
uip
men
t)?
Why
do
peo
ple
ris
k th
eir
lives
for
fam
e?
Why
did
they
wan
t to
rule
ano
ther
cou
ntry
?
How
did
pe
ople
kno
w th
e sh
ape
s of
lan
d w
hen
they
mad
e m
aps
? H
ow d
id th
ey k
now
the
exac
t rou
tes
to tr
avel
?
Was
Mar
co P
olo
mar
ried
? H
ow d
o sc
ient
ists
kno
w w
ho tr
avel
ed a
nd
whe
re a
long
tim
e a
go?
C
an p
eopl
e st
ill c
laim
land
an
d ge
t it f
rom
oth
er p
eop
le?
A
t th
is p
oin
t te
ach
ers
sho
uld
go
bac
k to
bo
x 2
“Wh
at d
o w
e w
ant
to le
arn
?”
and
hig
hlig
ht
the
teac
her
qu
esti
on
s/p
rovo
cati
on
s th
at w
ere
mo
st e
ffec
tive
in
dri
vin
g t
he
inq
uir
ies.
Wh
at s
tud
ent-
init
iate
d a
ctio
ns
aro
se f
rom
th
e le
arn
ing
?
Rec
ord
stu
den
t-in
itia
ted
act
ion
s ta
ken
by
ind
ivid
ual
s o
r g
rou
ps
sho
win
g t
hei
r ab
ility
to
ref
lect
, to
ch
oo
se a
nd
to
act
.
fu
rthe
r ex
plor
atio
n o
n th
e F
ren
ch e
xplo
rers
initi
ated
by
a st
uden
t
this
uni
t spa
rke
d a
gen
uine
inte
rest
in h
isto
ry a
nd a
ppre
ciat
ion
of th
e ac
com
plis
hm
ent
s of
peo
ple
bef
ore
the
m
9.T
each
er n
ote
s
Su
cces
ses
of
the
un
it:
W
e fe
lt th
at th
e co
llabo
ratio
n b
etw
een
the
tea
cher
s si
gni
fica
ntly
enr
iche
d th
e un
it fo
r th
e st
uden
ts. W
e lik
ed th
e P
YP
coo
rdin
ator
lea
din
g an
d fa
cilit
atin
g th
e en
gag
emen
ts o
n th
e M
uslim
exp
lora
tion
and
the
silk
an
d sp
ice
rout
es a
nd
we
thin
k th
at h
avin
g th
e F
renc
h te
ache
r le
ad th
e se
ctio
n o
n F
renc
h ex
plo
rers
is a
go
od
cha
nge
to th
e un
it a
lso.
Beg
inni
ng th
e ye
ar w
ith th
is in
quiry
uni
t rea
lly m
otiv
ated
the
boy
s an
d ho
oked
th
em!
B
egin
ning
with
the
silk
an
d tr
ade
rout
e a
nd th
en lo
okin
g at
exp
lora
tion
fro
m a
ll ov
er th
e w
orld
ma
de th
e u
nit
auth
ent
ica
lly in
tern
atio
nal a
nd g
ave
the
stud
ents
a
broa
der
per
spe
ctiv
e.
In
tegr
atin
g th
e m
app
ing
skill
s in
to th
e un
it al
low
ed u
s to
mee
t m
inis
try
ma
ndat
ed
curr
icul
um
with
in th
e co
ntex
t of a
n au
the
ntic
uni
t.
T
he le
arni
ng
eng
age
me
nts
wer
e de
sign
ed t
o m
eet
a d
iver
se r
ang
e of
lea
rnin
g st
yles
. Stu
dent
s go
t ma
ny o
ppo
rtun
ities
to u
se r
ole
pla
y w
hich
we
foun
d w
as a
m
otiv
ator
for
man
y of
the
stud
ents
.
Writ
ing
skill
s w
ere
deve
lope
d w
ithin
the
unit
sinc
e th
e st
ude
nts
wer
e le
arni
ng
abo
ut p
ara
grap
h w
ritin
g w
ithin
the
cont
ext o
f the
uni
t.
T
he s
tude
nts
got
to k
now
abo
ut w
orld
exp
lore
rs th
at th
ey h
ad n
o aw
aren
ess
of.
Thi
s ga
ve th
em
a m
uch
rich
er in
tern
atio
nal p
ersp
ectiv
e.
S
tude
nts
ma
de c
onne
ctio
ns w
ith a
n ex
plo
rer
from
thei
r ow
n ho
me
coun
try.
The
re w
ere
suffi
cien
t res
our
ces
avai
labl
e fo
r th
e E
uro
pean
exp
lora
tion
sect
ion
and
som
e fo
r th
e w
orld
exp
lore
rs.
S
ome
of th
e st
ude
nt in
qui
ries
and
won
deri
ngs
wer
e ve
ry r
elev
ant t
o th
e un
it an
d sh
owed
a le
vel o
f eng
age
me
nt
with
the
cent
ral i
dea
. C
hal
len
ges
/Ch
ang
es:
man
y o
f th
e ch
alle
ng
es a
nd
ch
ang
es h
ave
bee
n
do
cum
ente
d in
th
e re
flec
tio
n s
ecti
on
s o
f th
e p
lan
ner
. Th
ese
are
add
itio
nal
ch
alle
ng
es t
hat
we
enco
un
tere
d:
C
olle
ctin
g ag
e-ap
prop
riate
res
ourc
es c
an
be t
ricky
whe
n co
nsid
erin
g no
n-W
este
rn o
r E
urop
ean
exp
lore
rs. R
esou
rces
wer
e co
nsid
ere
d by
the
teac
her
s an
d a
dapt
ed a
s ap
pro
pria
te. T
he r
esou
rces
list
ed in
sta
ge 5
are
rec
om
me
nde
d si
nce
they
hel
ped
with
this
uni
t of i
nqui
ry.
E
nga
gin
g st
uden
ts in
ass
essi
ng m
ater
ials
tha
t m
ay h
ave
bias
es w
as s
omet
hing
w
e w
ould
like
to c
ontin
ue to
wor
k on
in th
e fu
ture
.
It w
as c
halle
ngin
g to
coo
rdin
ate
with
so
man
y te
ache
rs y
et s
ucce
ssfu
l!
We
need
to e
nsu
re th
at th
e tim
ings
bet
wee
n th
e cl
assr
oom
tea
cher
s a
nd t
he
Fre
nch
teac
her
are
bet
ter
mat
ched
. It’s
impo
rtan
t tha
t the
Fre
nch
teac
her
intr
oduc
es h
er le
sso
ns w
hen
we
begi
n to
inve
stig
ate
Eur
opea
n ex
plor
ers
in o
ur
clas
s an
d no
t w
hen
the
Mus
eum
me
n/w
ome
n ro
le p
lay
is ta
king
pla
ce. T
his
way
w
e ca
n en
sure
that
Fre
nch
expl
orer
s ar
e ad
dre
ssed
dur
ing
Fre
nch
clas
s.
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 21
Example 3 Transdisciplinary theme: How we express ourselves
Central idea: People express their beliefs and values through art.
Rationale Al-Makassed Houssam Eddine Hariri High School is a private school located in Charhabil in the city of Saida, Lebanon. The elementary school offers the PYP to 600 students in 25 classes from grades 1 through 5. The students are bilingual, learning either English or French in addition to Arabic (mother tongue). The community is primarily Muslim Lebanese, thus the population at our school is not highly diverse.
This unit of inquiry is explored in grade 4 (9–10 years old). The central idea falls under the transdisciplinary theme “How we express ourselves”. The key concepts in this unit are form, connection and perspective. This unit of inquiry offers students the opportunity to inquire into Islamic religion and other religious beliefs from new and different perspectives. There is a natural integration of the arts in this unit. The inquiry into religious art develops the learners’ knowledge and sense of appreciation as they identify key features of different religious artworks and develop their own art pieces. Inquiring through the concept of perspective offers an opportunity to understand the perspectives of different people in the Lebanese community and in other cultures.
The unit of inquiry entitled “I Believe” has been taught for three years. Through participation in this project, changes were made to the unit improving the connection between the transdisciplinary theme and the central idea; the focused development of the IB learner profile and PYP attitudes; and strengthening the concept of perspective. Grade 4 class teachers, Arabic language teachers and single-subject teachers held several planning meetings with the PYP coordinator. Collaboratively, they mapped the central idea with relevant resources and learning engagements that would facilitate the inquiry. The lines of inquiry link directly to the central idea. They also address our national requirements and suit our context. The collaborative process was effective since the central idea creates connections across the subject areas.
The unit began with an inquiry into Islam and, since the student population is primarily Islamic, the focus was to develop a deeper understanding of our shared beliefs and culture. The key features were used to guide further inquiries into other belief systems.
The unit of inquiry explores the following: different beliefs (form); the ways in which people express their beliefs (perspective), especially through the arts (connection). The study of different belief systems allows learners to construct a better understanding of their own culture and that of others. In addition, arts, one of the subject area focuses of this unit, serves as a common means that people have used to express their beliefs. This unit, thus, was selected in our school to promote the development of the attributes of tolerance, respect, open-mindedness and appreciation, and the international-mindedness we expect from the learners.
Cla
ss/g
rad
e: G
rade
4
A
ge
gro
up
: 9–
10 y
ear
olds
Sch
oo
l: A
dapt
ed fr
om
pla
nner
pro
vide
d by
, and
in c
olla
bor
atio
n
with
, Al-M
aka
ssed
Hou
ssa
m E
ddin
e H
ariri
Hig
h S
choo
l
Tit
le:
Art
s an
d be
lief
Tea
cher
(s):
Gra
de 4
teac
hers
Dat
e: 2
8 S
epte
mbe
r–9
Nov
em
ber
2009
Pro
po
se
d d
ura
tio
n:
6 w
eeks
P
YP
pla
nner
1. W
hat
is
ou
r p
urp
ose
?
To
inq
uir
e in
to t
he
follo
win
g:
tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
them
e
How
we
expr
ess
ours
elve
s
An
inq
uiry
into
the
way
s in
whi
ch w
e di
scov
er a
nd e
xpre
ss id
eas,
feel
ings
, nat
ure,
cu
lture
, be
liefs
and
va
lues
; the
way
s in
whi
ch w
e re
flect
on,
ext
end
and
enjo
y ou
r cr
eativ
ity; o
ur a
ppre
ciat
ion
of th
e ae
sth
etic
.
ce
ntr
al id
ea
Peo
ple
exp
ress
thei
r be
liefs
and
val
ues
thro
ugh
art.
Su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
men
t ta
sk(s
):
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ents
’ un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al i
dea
? W
hat
evi
den
ce,
in
clu
din
g s
tud
ent-
init
iate
d a
ctio
ns,
will
we
loo
k fo
r?
Tas
k: S
tude
nts
will
sho
w o
r de
mon
stra
te h
ow
art
s re
flect
the
conc
ept
s of
bel
ief a
nd
tole
ranc
e th
rou
gh th
e cr
eatio
n o
r co
mp
ositi
on o
f var
ious
type
s of
art
s in
clud
ing
visu
al
arts
, or
mus
ic. S
tude
nts
can
choo
se to
wor
k in
divi
dual
ly o
r in
sm
all
grou
ps.
The
ir cr
eatio
n w
ill b
e p
rese
nte
d or
per
form
ed in
fron
t of t
heir
pare
nts.
The
follo
win
g cr
iteri
a w
ill b
e us
ed
to a
sses
s th
e st
ude
nts’
pre
sent
atio
n a
nd u
nde
rsta
ndin
g of
the
cent
ral
ide
a:
the
stud
ent
s de
mon
stra
te th
eir
und
erst
andi
ng
of th
e di
ffere
nt fe
atur
es o
f re
ligio
us a
rts
th
e ar
t for
m c
hos
en b
y st
ude
nts
is a
ppro
pria
tely
cho
sen
th
e st
ude
nts
are
able
to c
omm
uni
cate
thei
r w
ork
th
e w
ork
show
s cr
eativ
ity a
nd to
lera
nce
Stu
dent
s w
ill m
aint
ain
a r
efle
ctio
n jo
urn
al to
rec
ord
the
ir un
der
stan
din
g an
d a
ctio
n as
th
e un
it pr
ogr
ess
es. T
he r
oom
is d
ecor
ate
d w
ith v
ario
us s
igns
, sym
bols
and
art
wor
ks
whi
ch p
eopl
e h
ave
crea
ted
to e
xpre
ss th
eir
bel
iefs
and
va
lues
. The
se w
ere
cont
inua
lly r
evis
ited
as s
tud
ents
add
ed m
ore
arte
fact
s th
at c
ontin
ued
to s
uppo
rt th
eir
und
erst
andi
ng
of th
e ce
ntra
l ide
a.
2. W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
lear
n?
Wh
at a
re t
he
key
con
cep
ts (
form
, fu
nct
ion
, cau
sati
on
, ch
ang
e, c
on
nec
tio
n,
per
spec
tive
, re
spo
nsi
bili
ty,
refl
ecti
on
) to
be
emp
has
ized
wit
hin
th
is in
qu
iry?
Key
co
nce
pts
: fo
rm, c
onn
ectio
n, p
ersp
ectiv
e
Rel
ated
co
nce
pts
: be
liefs
, val
ues,
cre
ativ
ity
Wh
at l
ines
of
inq
uir
y w
ill d
efin
e th
e sc
op
e o
f th
e in
qu
iry
into
th
e ce
ntr
al i
dea
?
T
he d
iffer
ing
bel
iefs
and
va
lues
T
he a
rts
asso
ciat
ed w
ith d
iffer
ent r
elig
ions
H
ow a
rts
sym
bol
ize
diff
eren
t bel
iefs
and
va
lues
W
hat
tea
cher
qu
esti
on
s/p
rovo
cati
on
s w
ill d
rive
th
ese
inq
uir
ies?
W
hat a
re o
ur b
elie
fs?
W
hat a
re o
ur v
alu
es?
W
hat a
re th
e di
ffere
nt e
lem
ent
s of
rel
igio
us a
rts?
H
ow is
rel
igio
n re
flect
ed th
rou
gh a
rts?
P
rovo
cati
on
s:
The
vis
it to
a r
elig
ious
bui
ldin
g th
at is
not
a m
osqu
e, a
firs
t for
all
the
gra
de
4 st
uden
ts, p
rovo
ked
a lo
t of q
uest
ions
am
on
g th
e st
ude
nts.
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y
3. H
ow
mig
ht
we
kno
w w
hat
we
hav
e le
arn
ed?
Th
is c
olu
mn
sh
ou
ld b
e u
sed
in c
on
jun
ctio
n w
ith
“H
ow
bes
t m
igh
t w
e le
arn
?”
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g
stu
den
ts’ p
rio
r kn
ow
led
ge
and
ski
lls?
Wh
at
evi
den
ce w
ill w
e lo
ok
for?
As
a w
hole
cla
ss, s
tude
nts
unpa
ck th
e ce
ntra
l ide
a to
find
out
thei
r un
ders
tand
ing
of th
e co
ncep
ts
embe
dded
in th
e ce
ntra
l ide
a. T
his
is d
one
both
in
Eng
lish
and
Ara
bic.
Fie
ld tr
ips
to r
elig
ious
site
s an
d th
e di
scus
sion
follo
win
g th
ose
trip
s pr
ovid
e te
ache
rs
with
info
rmat
ion
abou
t the
stu
dent
s’ m
isco
ncep
tions
ab
out h
ow
peo
ple
expr
ess
thei
r be
liefs
and
val
ues
thro
ugh
art.
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ent
lear
nin
g in
th
e co
nte
xt o
f th
e lin
es o
f in
qu
iry?
W
hat
evi
den
ce w
ill w
e lo
ok
for?
Sin
ce a
ll th
e st
uden
ts in
the
scho
ol a
re M
uslim
s,
they
are
fam
iliar
with
Isla
m a
nd Is
lam
ic a
rt. I
n th
is
unit,
stu
dent
s lo
ok a
t oth
er b
elie
f sys
tem
s an
d re
ligio
us a
rt a
nd c
reat
e a
Ven
n di
agra
m to
com
pare
an
d co
ntra
st Is
lam
with
oth
er b
elie
f sys
tem
s.
Thr
ough
out t
he u
nit,
teac
hers
obs
erve
stu
dent
s du
ring
disc
ussi
ons
and
note
thes
e in
an
anec
dota
l re
cord
. Pho
togr
aphs
are
kep
t to
docu
men
t the
va
rious
lear
ning
eng
agem
ents
. Stu
dent
s us
e a
cont
inuu
m li
ne to
mar
k ho
w th
eir
unde
rsta
ndin
g is
m
ovin
g as
they
eng
age
with
the
uni
t. E
ach
stud
ent
keep
s a
refle
ctio
n jo
urna
l in
wh
ich
they
can
use
w
ords
or
artis
tic e
xpre
ssio
ns to
sho
w th
eir
unde
rsta
ndin
g.
4. H
ow
bes
t m
igh
t w
e le
arn
?
Wh
at a
re t
he
lea
rnin
g e
xper
ien
ces
su
gg
este
d b
y th
e te
ach
er a
nd
/or
stu
de
nts
to
en
cou
rag
e th
e st
ud
ents
to
en
gag
e w
ith
th
e in
qu
irie
s an
d a
dd
ress
th
e d
rivi
ng
qu
esti
on
s?
Th
e te
ach
er p
rovi
des
th
e c
on
text
fo
r in
qu
iry
T
each
er m
ode
ls h
ow to
con
duct
res
earc
h in
to th
e di
ffere
nt w
orld
rel
igio
ns (
a ch
ance
to fo
cus
on th
e re
sear
ch s
kills
).
T
each
er d
ispl
ays
the
nam
es o
f th
e di
ffer
ent r
elig
ions
in th
e cl
ass
room
and
the
stud
ents
are
gro
uped
acc
ordi
ng to
the
se. T
he s
tude
nts
cond
uct r
esea
rch
abo
ut th
e be
liefs
and
val
ues
of th
e di
ffere
nt r
elig
ions
. The
gro
ups
are
div
ided
to w
ork
on d
iffer
ent r
elig
ions
in E
nglis
h an
d A
rabi
c.
V
isits
to d
iffer
ent r
elig
ious
bui
ldin
gs, w
atch
mov
ie “
AlR
issa
la”,
rea
d bo
oks
abou
t rel
igio
us a
rts
both
in E
nglis
h an
d A
rabi
c.
C
lass
dis
cuss
ion
on th
e co
ncep
ts r
elat
ing
to th
is u
nit i
nclu
ding
bel
iefs
, val
ues,
art
. L
ead
ing
an
d f
acili
tati
ng
stu
den
t-in
qu
iry
S
tude
nts
use
the
dic
tiona
ry to
find
out
the
mea
ning
s of
‘’be
liefs
” an
d “
valu
es”.
Sin
ce a
ll of
the
stud
ents
in o
ur s
choo
l are
Mu
slim
s, it
wou
ld b
e re
leva
nt to
app
ly th
eir
unde
rsta
ndi
ng a
bout
Isla
m, u
sing
a g
raph
ic o
rgan
ize
r, t
o gu
ide
thei
r re
sear
ch a
bou
t oth
er b
elie
f sys
tem
s.
C
olla
bora
tive
gro
ups
iden
tify
the
key
feat
ures
of I
slam
ic a
rt p
atte
rns.
Stu
dent
s vi
ew p
hoto
grap
hs o
f pai
ntin
gs c
reat
ed in
diff
eren
t bel
ief
syst
ems.
In g
roup
s, s
tude
nts
disc
uss
wha
t the
y ca
n o
bser
ve a
nd id
entif
y w
hat t
hey
wou
ld li
ke to
kno
w m
ore
abo
ut.
R
esea
rch
on th
e qu
estio
ns r
aise
d in
rel
atio
n to
the
diff
eren
t art
for
ms
asso
ciat
ed w
ith a
bel
ief s
yste
m.
S
tude
nts
crea
te a
rtw
orks
to d
em
ons
trat
e th
eir
und
erst
andi
ng o
f key
feat
ures
of r
elig
ious
art
s.
Wh
at o
pp
ort
un
itie
s w
ill o
ccu
r fo
r tr
ans
dis
cip
lin
ary
skill
s d
eve
lop
men
t an
d f
or
the
de
velo
pm
en
t o
f th
e at
trib
ute
s o
f th
e le
arn
er
pro
file
?
Lea
rner
pro
file
: A
s st
uden
ts le
arn
mo
re a
bout
bel
iefs
diff
eren
t fro
m th
eir
own,
they
bec
ome
mor
e o
pen
-min
de
d. D
urin
g th
e un
it, th
eir
rese
arch
sk
ills
are
furt
her
deve
lope
d al
low
ing
the
m to
bec
om
e b
ette
r in
qu
irer
s. S
tude
nts
are
give
n th
e op
port
unity
to c
om
mu
nic
ate
thei
r id
eas
conf
iden
tly
in fr
ont o
f the
ir p
aren
ts a
nd th
eir
peer
s.
Tra
ns
dis
cip
lin
ary
ski
lls:
Res
earc
h s
kills
: P
osin
g qu
estio
ns, g
athe
ring
and
orga
nizi
ng d
ata,
and
pre
sent
ing
thei
r fin
ding
s ap
prop
riate
ly.
So
cial
ski
lls:
Co
llabo
ratin
g w
ith o
ther
s du
ring
the
pre
para
tion
of th
eir
sum
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ent t
ask.
Stu
dent
s de
velo
p to
lera
nce
and
resp
ect
durin
g th
eir
visi
ts t
o un
fam
iliar
rel
igio
us b
uild
ings
. C
om
mu
nic
atio
n s
kills
: S
tude
nts
choo
se a
ppro
pria
te w
ays
to s
hare
thei
r fin
ding
s w
ith o
ther
s du
ring
the
cour
se o
f the
uni
t. W
ritin
g te
xt ty
pe is
de
scrip
tive
writ
ing.
5. W
hat
res
ou
rce
s n
eed
to
be
gat
her
ed?
Wh
at p
eop
le, p
lace
s, a
ud
io-v
isu
al m
ater
ials
, re
late
d l
iter
atu
re,
mu
sic,
art
, co
mp
ute
r so
ftw
are,
etc
, will
be
ava
ilab
le?
Pla
ces :
Ch
urch
es, t
emp
les,
mos
ques
in th
e lo
cal a
rea
Bo
ok ti
tles:
A F
aith
Lik
e M
ine,
Vis
iting
a C
hurc
h, W
orld
Fai
ths
Isla
m, W
orld
Fai
ths
Chr
istia
nity
, M
usa,
Eye
witn
ess
Rel
igio
n,
Rel
igio
ns o
f the
Wor
ld, G
reat
Wor
ks o
f Bib
lical
Art
, Bud
dhis
t (B
elie
fs a
nd
Cul
ture
s), I
sla
mic
Des
igns
, The
Spl
endo
ur o
f Isl
am
ic C
alli
gra
phy
Film
s: A
l Ris
sala
, The
Prin
ce o
f E
gypt
, A
zur
et
Asm
ar
Web
site
s : h
ttp://
ww
w.h
isto
ryfo
rkid
s.or
g/le
arn/
isla
m/a
rt h
ttp://
ww
w.u
ga.e
du/is
lam
/IslA
rt.h
tml h
ttp://
tora
hart
.com
/gal
lery
.php
http
://w
ww
.ezs
ofte
ch.c
om/s
torie
s/is
a.as
p ht
tp://
pof.r
eonl
ine.
org.
uk h
ttp:/
/ww
w.je
susa
ndki
dz.
com
/Sto
ries%
20T
able
.htm
http
://w
ww
.isla
mic
art.c
om/m
ain/
arch
itect
ure/
woo
d.ht
ml h
ttp://
ww
w.w
oodl
ands
-jun
ior.
kent
.sch
.uk
Ho
w w
ill t
he
clas
sro
om
en
viro
nm
ent,
loca
l en
viro
nm
ent,
an
d/o
r th
e co
mm
un
ity
be
use
d t
o f
acili
tate
th
e in
qu
iry?
Pho
togr
aphs
of r
elig
ious
art
s re
pres
entin
g di
ffer
ent b
elie
f sys
tem
s ar
e di
spla
yed
arou
nd th
e cl
assr
oom
. Som
e of
thes
e ph
otog
raph
s ar
e ta
ken
from
fie
ld tr
ips
to d
iffer
ent r
elig
ious
bu
ildin
gs. T
he lo
cal c
omm
unity
has
man
y ar
chite
ctur
al s
ites
whi
ch th
e st
uden
ts c
an v
isit
to h
elp
the
m w
ith th
eir
unde
rsta
ndin
g of
the
cent
ral i
dea.
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Ref
lect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y
6. T
o w
hat
ext
ent
did
we
ach
ieve
ou
r p
urp
ose
?
Ass
ess
the
ou
tco
me
of
the
inq
uir
y b
y p
rovi
din
g e
vid
ence
of
stu
den
ts’
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al i
dea
. T
he
refl
ecti
on
s o
f al
l tea
cher
s in
volv
ed in
th
e p
lan
nin
g a
nd
tea
chin
g o
f th
e in
qu
iry
sho
uld
be
incl
ud
ed.
Sin
ce a
ll of
the
stu
dent
s ar
e M
uslim
s, th
ey a
re n
ot e
xpos
ed
to o
ther
be
lief s
yste
ms.
T
hey
had
a lo
t of m
isu
nder
sta
ndin
g a
bout
the
belie
fs o
f non
-Mus
lims
and
how
oth
er
peo
ple
have
exp
ress
ed
thei
r b
elie
fs th
roug
h ar
t. T
his
unit
gave
the
stud
ents
an
oppo
rtun
ity n
ot o
nly
to id
entif
y ke
y fe
atur
es o
f ar
ts f
rom
oth
er b
elie
fs s
yste
m b
ut a
lso
to g
ain
und
erst
and
ing
abo
ut o
ther
bel
iefs
an
d va
lues
. Stu
den
ts r
efle
cted
on
thei
r un
der
stan
din
g in
thei
r jo
urn
als.
Ho
w y
ou
co
uld
imp
rove
on
th
e as
sess
me
nt
task
(s)
so t
hat
yo
u w
ou
ld h
ave
a
mo
re a
ccu
rate
pic
ture
of
each
stu
den
t’s
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea?
The
sum
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ent
task
crit
eria
ca
n b
e im
prov
ed to
add
ress
bet
ter
the
diffe
rent
lang
uag
e le
vels
of
the
stud
ents
in th
e cl
ass.
With
the
publ
icat
ion
of th
e n
ew
art
s sc
ope
and
seq
uenc
e, th
e te
ach
ers
will
con
side
r th
e st
rand
s a
nd
diffe
rent
art
form
s in
the
desi
gn o
f the
su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
me
nt ta
sk.
Wh
at w
as t
he
evi
den
ce t
hat
co
nn
ecti
on
s w
ere
mad
e b
etw
een
th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea
and
th
e tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
them
e?
Thi
s un
it ga
ve th
e st
ude
nts
the
opp
ortu
nity
to e
xplo
re th
e a
rtw
orks
cre
ated
by
peo
ple
to e
xpre
ss th
eir
belie
fs a
nd v
alu
es. T
he u
nit
allo
we
d th
em
to a
ppre
ciat
e a
nd r
efle
ct
on th
e lin
ks b
etw
een
the
key
feat
ures
of b
elie
f sys
tem
s an
d r
elig
ious
art
.
7. T
o w
hat
ext
ent
did
we
incl
ud
e th
e el
emen
ts o
f th
e P
YP
?
Wh
at w
ere
the
lear
nin
g e
xper
ien
ces
that
en
able
d s
tud
ents
to
:
d
eve
lop
an
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e co
nce
pts
iden
tifi
ed in
“W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
lear
n?
”
The
res
earc
h a
bout
the
diff
ere
nt b
elie
fs a
nd v
alu
es in
add
itio
n to
the
arch
itect
ure
of
the
visi
ted
site
s an
d re
ligio
us a
rtw
orks
ena
bled
the
stud
ents
to u
nder
sta
nd
the
conc
ept
of f
orm
.
The
exp
lora
tion
of d
iffer
ent a
rtw
orks
focu
sed
on th
e co
nn
ecti
on
bet
wee
n ar
t and
be
liefs
.
The
diff
eren
t way
s of
per
form
ing
and
pres
entin
g th
e ar
ts d
eve
lope
d a
dee
per
und
erst
andi
ng
of th
e co
nce
pt o
f per
spec
tive
.
d
emo
nst
rate
th
e le
arn
ing
an
d a
pp
licat
ion
of
par
ticu
lar
tran
sdis
cip
linar
y sk
ills?
Res
earc
h s
kills
: pos
ing
ques
tions
hel
ped
the
stu
dent
s in
gat
heri
ng a
nd
org
aniz
ing
thei
r fin
din
gs
Co
mm
un
icat
ion
ski
lls: d
iscu
ssio
ns, v
iew
ing
piec
es o
f art
, lis
teni
ng to
co
nver
satio
ns
and
stor
ies
told
by
gues
t spe
ake
rs, c
omm
uni
catin
g th
eir
unde
rsta
ndi
ng
So
cial
ski
lls: t
he s
tude
nts
wer
e gr
oupe
d an
d r
egro
upe
d ac
cord
ing
to th
e di
ffere
nt
task
s; th
ey w
orke
d co
ope
rativ
ely
whi
ch e
nab
led
the
m to
ha
ve d
iffer
ent r
oles
and
ap
ply
the
req
uire
d so
cial
ski
lls
d
eve
lop
par
ticu
lar
attr
ibu
tes
of
the
lear
ner
pro
file
an
d/o
r at
titu
des
?
In e
ach
cas
e, e
xpla
in y
ou
r s
elec
tio
n.
The
stu
dent
s w
ere
give
n o
ppo
rtun
ities
to b
e en
gag
ed a
nd
inqu
ire in
to th
e di
ffere
nt
belie
fs s
yste
ms
thro
ugh
the
field
trip
s to
rel
igio
us b
uild
ings
. The
div
isio
n of
gro
ups
fa
cilit
ate
d th
eir
deve
lop
men
t as
coop
erat
ive
lear
ner
s an
d co
mm
un
icat
ors
. T
he v
isits
an
d th
e co
ntac
t with
diff
eren
t peo
ple,
in a
dditi
on to
the
know
led
ge th
ey g
ain
ed, w
ere
appr
opri
ate
for
the
deve
lop
me
nt o
f the
atti
tude
s of
to
lera
nce
and
res
pe
ct a
nd th
e o
pen
-min
ded
lear
ner
pro
file.
The
focu
s on
art
and
the
perf
orm
anc
e as
sess
me
nt
deve
lop
ed a
pp
reci
atio
n a
nd c
reat
ivit
y.
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Ref
lect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y
8. W
hat
stu
den
t-in
itia
ted
inq
uir
ies
aro
se f
rom
th
e le
arn
ing
?
Rec
ord
a r
ang
e o
f st
ud
ent-
init
iate
d in
qu
irie
s an
d s
tud
ent
qu
esti
on
s an
d
hig
hlig
ht
any
that
wer
e in
corp
ora
ted
into
th
e te
ach
ing
an
d le
arn
ing
.
Wha
t do
Chr
istia
ns b
elie
ve in
?
How
ma
ny r
elig
ions
are
ther
e?
How
do
non-
Mus
lims
pray
?
Who
is th
e pr
oph
et in
Ju
dais
m?
Wha
t do
the
icon
s in
the
chur
ch r
epre
sent
?
How
are
peo
ple
of d
iffer
ent b
elie
fs a
like
?
At
this
po
int
teac
her
s sh
ou
ld g
o b
ack
to b
ox
2 “W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
lear
n?
” an
d h
igh
ligh
t th
e te
ach
er q
ues
tio
ns/
pro
voca
tio
ns
that
wer
e m
ost
eff
ecti
ve in
d
rivi
ng
th
e in
qu
irie
s.
Wh
at s
tud
ent-
init
iate
d a
ctio
ns
aro
se f
rom
th
e le
arn
ing
?
Rec
ord
stu
den
t-in
itia
ted
act
ion
s ta
ken
by
ind
ivid
ual
s o
r g
rou
ps
sho
win
g t
hei
r ab
ility
to
ref
lect
, to
ch
oo
se a
nd
to
act
.
Stu
dent
s st
arte
d to
iden
tify
sim
ilarit
ies
betw
een
Isla
m a
nd o
ther
rel
igio
ns;
for
exa
mp
le, s
tude
nts
shar
ed th
at th
e C
hris
tians
are
like
Mus
lims
in th
eir
belie
fs, b
ut
they
hav
e di
ffere
nt p
ract
ices
.
Som
e st
ude
nts
show
ed p
rogr
ess
in th
eir
attit
ude
tow
ards
diff
eren
t rel
igio
ns;
for
exam
ple
, in
the
ir se
cond
vis
it to
the
chur
ch, t
hey
disp
laye
d be
tter
acce
pta
nce
and
resp
ect a
s di
spla
yed
in th
eir
beh
avio
r w
hile
insi
de
the
chur
ch. S
tude
nts
used
thei
r jo
urna
l to
reco
rd th
eir
refle
ctio
n th
roug
hout
the
unit.
9. T
each
er n
ote
s
Thi
s un
it sh
owed
aut
hen
tic a
rts
inqu
irie
s, w
ithin
the
prog
ram
me
of in
quiry
. M
athe
mat
ics
conc
ept
s fr
om th
e “s
hape
and
spa
ce”
stra
nd
wer
e al
so e
xplo
red
in th
e un
it.
Alth
ough
the
scho
ol i
tsel
f do
es
not r
epre
sent
a d
iver
se g
rou
p of
peo
ple
fro
m d
iffer
ent
be
lief s
yste
ms,
Leb
ano
n is
a c
ultu
rally
div
erse
cou
ntry
. We
have
lear
ned
a lo
t fro
m
the
com
mun
itie
s ou
tsid
e th
e sc
hoo
l. T
he tr
ips
to th
e di
ffere
nt r
elig
ious
bui
ldin
g w
ere
a si
gnifi
cant
exp
erie
nce
for
ou
r st
uden
ts w
ho h
ave
onl
y b
een
to m
osq
ues.
It w
as v
ery
impo
rta
nt fo
r us
to g
o ou
tsid
e th
e sc
hoo
l wal
ls to
gai
n a
bet
ter
und
erst
andi
ng o
f the
di
ffere
nt c
ultu
res
arou
nd u
s.
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 26
Example 4 Transdisciplinary theme: How we express ourselves
Central idea: People express their traditions and beliefs through rituals and celebrations.
Rationale The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, is an IB World School offering the three IB programmes. It is a private school located in Mombasa, Kenya. The junior school has a population of nearly 400 students of mixed nationalities including those of European, South Asian and African heritage. This diversity of cultures provides an opportunity for the school community to share and learn from each other’s cultures.
The unit of inquiry developed as part of this project falls under the transdisciplinary theme, “How we express ourselves”. In this unit, grade 5 students explore and investigate the different ways that people express their traditions and beliefs through rituals and celebrations. The success of this unit was attributed to the high level of collaborative planning involving the grade 5 teachers, PYP coordinator, and the arts (music and visual arts) teachers. Each of the teachers involved in the planning for the teaching and learning for this unit contributed to ensuring that transdisciplinary connections were relevant and appropriately tied to exploring the central idea.
The presence of students from different nationalities with multiple ways of expressing their traditions, culture and celebrations gave us the opportunity to explore various learning engagements that addressed the lines of inquiry. Students brought in different artifacts and explained their relevance and importance to their own families. To broaden the inquiry, the teachers introduced other cultural practices from representative groups of the local community.
The exploration of traditions and beliefs is often tied to religion. Teachers were mindful to engage students to explore other influences on traditions and beliefs such as cultural traditions, country contexts and family history. These discussions proved to be very rich as they generated a deeper level of questioning.
The unit of inquiry lent itself well to an authentic integration of drama, music and visual arts. In visual arts, students investigated the key features of symbols relating to traditions and beliefs. In class, students used their visual arts skills to draw and paint their own rendition of symbols that were important to their own traditions and beliefs. In music class, students inquired into different musical pieces from various cultures. As part of a school drama production, students learned a variety of songs, representative of different cultures, and shared this with the school community.
The school community was given an opportunity to view the unit as it progressed and to provide reflections through an interactive display. The display allowed the students, parents and teachers to make connections to their own traditions and beliefs.
Since the unit of inquiry is concept-driven and not limited to an investigation using a singular cultural lens, any school can adapt the central idea and make it relevant to their own context. In a world where it is imperative that students understand, appreciate, and interact with various cultures, this unit of inquiry allows students to learn more about their own culture and also the cultures of others around them. It is the hope of The Aga Khan Academy that through this unit of inquiry, the students will gain and understand multiple perspectives and become more open-minded.
Cla
ss/g
rad
e: G
rade
5
Ag
e g
rou
p:
10–1
1 ye
ars
old
Sch
oo
l: A
dapt
ed fr
om
pla
nner
pro
vide
d by
, and
in c
olla
bor
atio
n
with
, the
Aga
Kha
n A
cade
my,
Mo
mba
sa
Tit
le:
I bel
ieve
Tea
cher
(s):
Gra
de 5
tea
m
Dat
e: A
ugus
t–O
ctob
er 2
009
Pro
po
se
d d
ura
tio
n:
7 w
eeks
P
YP
pla
nner
1. W
hat
is
ou
r p
urp
ose
?
To
inq
uir
e in
to t
he
follo
win
g:
tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
them
e
How
we
expr
ess
ours
elve
s
An
inq
uiry
into
the
way
s in
whi
ch w
e di
scov
er a
nd e
xpre
ss id
eas,
feel
ings
, nat
ure,
cu
lture
, be
liefs
and
va
lues
; the
way
s in
whi
ch w
e re
flect
on,
ext
end
and
enjo
y ou
r cr
eativ
ity; o
ur a
ppre
ciat
ion
of th
e ae
sth
etic
.
Cen
tral
id
ea
Peo
ple
exp
ress
thei
r tr
aditi
on
s an
d be
liefs
thro
ugh
ritua
ls a
nd c
eleb
ratio
ns.
Su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
men
t ta
sk(s
):
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ents
’ un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al i
dea
? W
hat
evi
den
ce,
in
clu
din
g s
tud
ent-
init
iate
d a
ctio
ns,
will
we
loo
k fo
r?
Thi
s w
ill b
e a
role
pla
y pr
esen
tatio
n w
here
stu
dent
s ar
e go
ing
to b
e w
orki
ng
as a
n ed
ucat
ion
offic
er in
Mo
mb
asa
mus
eu
m. T
hey
will
be
assi
gn
ed th
e ta
sk o
f pr
oduc
ing
an in
tera
ctiv
e in
form
atio
n d
ispl
ay fo
r up
per
prim
ary
chi
ldre
n to
info
rm
them
on
how
peo
ple
exp
ress
thei
r tr
aditi
ons
and
bel
iefs
thro
ugh
ritua
ls a
nd
cele
brat
ions
. In
the
pres
enta
tion
stud
ent
s m
ay in
clud
e sk
ills
and
unde
rsta
ndin
g de
velo
ped
in in
form
atio
n a
nd c
omm
unic
atio
n te
chno
log
ies
(IC
T),
vis
ual a
rt, m
usic
an
d la
ngu
age
.
Tea
cher
s w
ill b
e ta
king
ane
cdot
al r
ecor
ds a
s th
ey m
oni
tor
the
unde
rsta
ndin
g of
st
uden
ts b
y as
king
que
stio
ns t
o fin
d ou
t whe
ther
they
un
ders
tand
wha
t the
y ar
e do
ing
in r
ela
tion
to th
e su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
men
t tas
k.
The
crit
eria
will
focu
s on
info
rmat
ion
the
stu
dent
s co
nvey
abo
ut a
par
ticul
ar r
itual
or
cel
ebr
atio
n, it
s si
gnifi
canc
e, a
nd th
eir
resp
onse
s a
nd a
ttitu
des
tow
ards
ex
pres
sion
s of
the
se b
elie
fs a
nd tr
aditi
ons.
Stu
dent
s w
ill b
e as
sess
ed
usin
g a
rubr
ic fo
r th
eir
mus
eum
dis
play
s.
Stu
dent
-ini
tiate
d ac
tiviti
es w
ill in
clu
de lo
okin
g a
t how
they
app
reci
ate
each
oth
er’s
re
ligio
ns a
nd
bel
iefs
, how
op
en-
min
ded
they
are
with
eac
h o
ther
and
how
in
tere
ste
d th
ey a
re to
brin
g in
item
s fo
r th
e e
xplo
ratio
n ta
ble
.
2. W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
lear
n?
Wh
at a
re t
he
key
con
cep
ts (
form
, fu
nct
ion
, cau
sati
on
, ch
ang
e, c
on
nec
tio
n,
per
spec
tive
, an
d r
esp
on
sib
ility
, re
flec
tio
n)
to b
e em
ph
asiz
ed w
ith
in t
his
in
qu
iry?
Res
pon
sibi
lity,
cau
satio
n, p
ersp
ectiv
e
Wh
at l
ines
of
inq
uir
y w
ill d
efin
e th
e sc
op
e o
f th
e in
qu
iry
into
th
e ce
ntr
al i
dea
?
T
he r
itual
s, c
eleb
ratio
ns, t
radi
tions
an
d be
liefs
in o
ur c
lass
(pe
rsp
ectiv
e)
H
ow w
e in
terp
ret o
ther
pe
ople
’s r
itual
s a
nd c
ele
brat
ions
(re
spon
sibi
lity)
T
he s
ign
ifica
nce
of r
itual
s an
d c
eleb
ratio
ns o
n ou
r liv
es (
cau
satio
n)
Wh
at t
each
er q
ues
tio
ns/
pro
voca
tio
ns
will
dri
ve t
hes
e in
qu
irie
s?
W
hat h
app
ens
duri
ng c
eleb
ratio
ns in
our
fam
ilies
?
W
hat a
re o
ur d
iffer
ent b
elie
fs?
In
wha
t way
s do
we
view
oth
ers’
trad
itio
ns a
nd
belie
fs?
Pro
voca
tions
: pro
vide
stu
den
ts w
ith e
xam
ples
of a
rtifa
cts
from
diff
eren
t cul
ture
s e.
g. a
rt
wor
k of
Om
, rel
igio
us m
ats,
ince
nse,
rel
igio
us
book
s, e
tc, a
nd a
sk th
e st
uden
ts w
hat
the
artif
acts
rem
ind
the
m o
f and
why
.
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y 3.
Ho
w m
igh
t w
e kn
ow
wh
at w
e h
ave
lear
ned
?
Th
is c
olu
mn
sh
ou
ld b
e u
sed
in
co
nju
nct
ion
wit
h “
Ho
w b
est
mig
ht
we
lear
n?
”
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ents
’ pri
or
kno
wle
dg
e an
d s
kills
? W
hat
evi
den
ce w
ill w
e lo
ok
for?
Giv
en th
e ce
ntra
l id
ea, s
tude
nts
will
use
a K
WL
char
t to
ma
p ou
t wha
t th
ey a
lread
y k
no
w a
bout
the
topi
c, w
hat t
hey
wo
uld
like
to
fin
d o
ut,
an
d le
ave
roo
m to
fill
out
wha
t the
y ha
ve le
arn
ed a
bout
the
unit.
The
st
uden
ts a
re fa
mili
ar w
ith th
is c
hart
and
it is
ofte
n us
ed a
s a
pre-
asse
ssm
ent
in th
e sc
hoo
l. U
sing
the
KW
L ch
art i
s an
ong
oing
act
ivity
fo
r th
is u
nit.
Tea
cher
s w
ill fi
nd o
ut th
e st
uden
ts’ p
rior
kno
wle
dge
of c
ele
brat
ions
an
d rit
ual
s, in
par
ticul
ar th
e fo
llow
ing:
th
e rit
uals
of o
ther
s
purp
ose
beh
ind
the
ritua
ls
w
hy o
ther
s ha
ve th
ese
ritua
ls a
nd c
ele
brat
ions
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ent
lear
nin
g in
th
e co
nte
xt o
f th
e li
nes
of
inq
uir
y? W
hat
evi
den
ce w
ill w
e lo
ok
for?
Stu
dent
s us
e V
enn
dia
gra
ms
to d
em
ons
trat
e an
un
ders
tand
ing
of th
e si
mila
ritie
s a
nd d
iffer
ence
s b
etw
een
two
diffe
rent
ritu
als
or
cele
brat
ions
.
Stu
dent
s w
rite
a m
aga
zine
art
icle
to r
epor
t on
a sp
ecifi
c rit
ual
or
cele
brat
ion.
Stu
dent
s' a
rtic
les
will
be
com
bin
ed to
form
a c
ultu
ral
ma
gazi
ne. S
tude
nts
peer
ed
it ea
ch o
ther
’s w
ork
usin
g a
che
cklis
t.
4. H
ow
bes
t m
igh
t w
e le
arn
?
Wh
at a
re t
he
lear
nin
g e
xper
ien
ces
sug
ges
ted
by
the
teac
her
an
d/o
r st
ud
ents
to
en
cou
rag
e th
e st
ud
ents
to
en
gag
e w
ith
th
e in
qu
irie
s an
d a
dd
ress
th
e d
rivi
ng
qu
esti
on
s?
In s
mal
l gro
ups,
stu
dent
s di
scus
s th
e ce
ntra
l ide
a an
d sh
are
idea
s w
ith th
e w
hole
cla
ss. D
ictio
nari
es a
re u
sed
to fi
nd m
ean
ing
of u
nkn
own
term
s in
clu
ding
syn
onym
s a
nd a
nton
yms
to u
npac
k m
ean
ing
s. S
tude
nts'
re
spo
nses
and
que
stio
ns a
bo
ut th
e ce
ntra
l ide
a ar
e po
ste
d in
the
clas
sro
om
an
d w
ill b
e re
visi
ted
thro
ug
hout
th
e un
it.
Stu
dent
s br
ing
in a
rtifa
cts
incl
udin
g cu
ltura
l atti
re, f
ood,
and
pho
togr
aph
s fr
om h
om
e as
evi
denc
e of
thei
r be
liefs
. The
y ta
lk a
bout
the
sig
nific
anc
e of
the
se a
rtifa
cts
to th
eir
bel
iefs
and
trad
ition
s. S
tude
nts
visi
t the
sc
hoo
l lib
rary
to fi
nd o
ut m
ore
abo
ut d
iffer
ent
cele
brat
ions
and
ritu
als
. P
aren
ts o
f the
gra
de
leve
l are
goi
ng
to b
e in
vite
d to
spe
ak a
bout
thei
r fa
mily
’s b
elie
fs, r
itual
s an
d ce
lebr
atio
ns
so th
at th
e st
uden
ts a
re e
xpo
sed
to d
iffer
ent
bel
iefs
and
tra
ditio
ns. A
s st
uden
ts m
ake
con
nect
ions
to th
e ce
ntra
l ide
a, th
ese
are
reco
rded
an
d ca
teg
oriz
ed
or g
rou
ped
by c
ultu
ral o
r re
ligio
us b
ackg
rou
nd.
Stu
dent
s w
ill k
eep
a sc
rapb
ook
to c
olle
ct d
ata
incl
udi
ng
info
rmat
ion,
pho
tos,
dia
gra
ms,
cap
tions
, ref
lect
ions
, in
terv
iew
s, a
nd q
uest
ions
to b
uild
thei
r un
ders
tand
ing
of th
e d
iffer
ent w
ays
peo
ple
expr
ess
thei
r be
liefs
an
d tr
aditi
ons
thro
ugh
ritu
als
an
d ce
lebr
atio
ns. S
tude
nts
are
goin
g to
be
aske
d to
cho
ose
a ce
lebr
atio
n or
ritu
al to
in
vest
igat
e in
det
ail.
The
y w
ill w
rite
a re
port
on
this
, exp
lain
ing
the
sig
nific
anc
e of
the
eve
nt a
nd w
hat i
t re
pres
ente
d. T
he w
ritte
n re
port
will
be
peer
-ass
esse
d us
ing
a cl
ass-
cre
ated
rub
ric.
S
tude
nts
will
cho
ose
thei
r ow
n gr
oups
to w
ork
on th
eir
sum
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ent
task
. T
here
will
be
min
i-les
sons
to e
nsur
e th
e st
ud
ents
hav
e th
e sk
ills
need
ed to
com
plet
e th
e p
roje
ct s
ucce
ssfu
lly
(i.e.
taki
ng n
otes
, writ
ing
inte
rvie
w q
uest
ions
, fe
atur
es o
f a r
epor
t, et
c).
Wh
at o
pp
ort
un
itie
s w
ill o
ccu
r fo
r tr
ansd
isci
pli
nar
y sk
ills
de
velo
pm
ent
and
fo
r th
e d
eve
lop
men
t o
f th
e at
trib
ute
s o
f th
e le
arn
er p
rofi
le?
K
no
wle
dg
eab
le:
The
stu
dent
s w
ill fi
nd o
ut in
form
atio
n o
n th
eir
cultu
re a
nd b
elie
fs fr
om p
rim
ary
and
se
cond
ary
sour
ces.
R
efle
ctiv
e: T
hey
will
be
able
to
refle
ct b
y gi
ving
tho
ught
ful c
onsi
dera
tion
to th
eir
own
cultu
res
as th
ey p
rese
nt
the
info
rmat
ion
on
thei
r be
liefs
and
how
they
cel
ebr
ate
and
app
reci
ate
each
oth
er’s
bel
iefs
and
cel
ebra
tions
. C
om
mu
nic
atio
n s
kills
: T
hey
will
list
en c
aref
ully
to th
e g
ues
t spe
aker
an
d th
eir
peer
s, a
skin
g q
uest
ion
s in
co
ntex
t. T
hey
will
abl
e to
exp
lain
the
impo
rta
nce
and
rele
vanc
e of
thei
r rit
ual
s an
d ce
lebr
atio
ns.
Res
earc
h s
kills
: F
orm
ula
te q
uest
ions
(de
velo
p in
terv
iew
qu
estio
ns)
Inte
rpre
tatio
n of
dat
a (i.
e. W
e al
l ce
lebr
ate
birt
hda
ys, b
ut h
ow d
o w
e do
it?)
5. W
hat
res
ou
rce
s n
eed
to
be
gat
her
ed?
Wh
at p
eop
le, p
lace
s, a
ud
io-v
isu
al m
ater
ials
, re
late
d l
iter
atu
re,
mu
sic,
art
, co
mp
ute
r so
ftw
are,
etc
, will
be
ava
ilab
le?
Lib
rary
: re
fere
nce
book
s, “
Cel
ebr
atio
ns D
iwal
i” by
Ani
ta G
aner
i, “M
y H
indu
Ye
ar”
by C
ath
Sen
ker,
“T
he V
atic
an
and
the
Hol
y pl
ace
s”,
“Gur
u N
ana
k an
d S
ikh
ism
” by
Raj
inde
r S
ingh
. Peo
ple
: pa
rent
s, g
uest
spe
aker
s P
lac
es: t
empl
e, c
hur
ch a
nd
mos
que
s. P
hoto
grap
hs, d
ress
ing-
up
clot
hes.
Web
site
http
://w
ww
.reo
nlin
e.or
g.u
k D
VD
: U
nder
stan
ding
Wor
ld R
elig
ion:
Co
mpl
ete
Ser
ies
of S
ix P
rogr
am
mes
Ho
w w
ill t
he
clas
sro
om
en
viro
nm
ent,
loca
l en
viro
nm
ent,
an
d/o
r th
e co
mm
un
ity
be
use
d t
o f
acili
tate
th
e in
qu
iry?
Dis
play
s of
art
ifact
s, r
elev
ant b
ooks
ava
ilab
le a
nd w
ithin
re
ach,
dis
pla
y of
stu
dent
s' w
ork
in th
e cl
assr
oom
.
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y
Ref
lect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y
6. T
o w
hat
ext
ent
did
we
ach
ieve
ou
r p
urp
ose
?
Ass
ess
the
ou
tco
me
of
the
inq
uir
y b
y p
rovi
din
g e
vid
ence
of
stu
den
ts’
un
der
stan
din
g
of
the
cen
tral
idea
. Th
e re
flec
tio
ns
of
all t
each
ers
invo
lved
in t
he
pla
nn
ing
an
d
teac
hin
g o
f th
e in
qu
iry
sho
uld
be
incl
ud
ed.
The
cen
tral
ide
a w
orke
d w
ell,
it pu
she
d th
e st
ude
nts’
thin
kin
g be
yond
the
ir pr
ior
know
ledg
e.
One
of t
he m
ost
inte
rest
ing
dis
cuss
ions
occ
urr
ed a
roun
d w
hat
was
mea
nt b
y ce
lebr
atio
n.
(“Is
it o
nly
a ha
ppy
occa
sio
n o
r ca
n a
sole
mn
occ
asio
n be
a c
ele
brat
ion?
” “A
re th
ere
cultu
res
cele
brat
ing
deat
h?”
“Whe
n is
a r
itual
a c
ele
bra
tion
?”)
Thi
s w
as a
gre
at s
tart
ing
poi
nt to
in
qui
re in
to w
hy w
e do
the
thin
gs w
e do
an
d w
hat f
acto
rs in
flue
nce
how
we
expr
ess
our
belie
fs a
nd
valu
es th
rou
gh r
itual
s a
nd c
ele
brat
ions
. T
hrou
gho
ut th
e un
it of
inq
uiry
stu
dent
s sp
ent m
ost o
f the
tim
e re
sear
chin
g cu
lture
s re
pres
ente
d in
the
cla
ss a
nd
wer
e im
pres
sed
to fi
nd s
imila
ritie
s be
twee
n m
ost o
f the
se.
Whi
le o
ur c
lass
es a
re c
ultu
rally
div
erse
, the
teac
hers
wer
e ca
refu
l to
intr
od
uce
othe
r cu
ltura
l pr
actic
es fr
om
gro
ups
that
wer
e no
t rep
rese
nted
in th
e st
uden
t bod
y bu
t re
pres
ent
ed b
y th
e co
mm
uniti
es o
utsi
de th
e sc
hool
wal
ls.
In o
ur lo
cal c
onte
xt, r
elig
ion
play
s a
maj
or r
ole
in th
e d
aily
live
s of
the
ma
jorit
y of
our
st
uden
ts' l
ives
. D
ue to
this
, whe
n ta
lkin
g a
bout
wha
t inf
luen
ces
the
way
we
expr
ess
our
be
liefs
an
d tr
aditi
ons
, the
stu
dent
s ve
ry q
uic
kly
ma
de th
e lin
k to
rel
igio
n. S
ome
stud
ent
s at
fir
st b
elie
ved
that
our
ritu
als
and
cel
ebra
tions
wer
e th
e re
sult
sole
ly o
f our
rel
igio
us b
elie
fs.
We
had
to m
ake
a gr
eat e
ffort
in o
ur d
iscu
ssio
ns to
ext
end
our
stud
ent
s’ u
nder
sta
ndin
g o
f th
e ot
her
fact
ors
such
as
cultu
ral t
radi
tions
, con
text
of c
ount
ry a
nd fa
mily
his
tory
. In
the
end,
the
se d
iscu
ssio
ns p
rove
d to
be
very
ric
h in
that
the
stu
dent
s w
ere
enga
ged
in
som
e hi
gher
leve
l qu
estio
nin
g a
bout
the
ir ow
n un
der
stan
din
gs. I
t is
impo
rta
nt to
ref
lect
on
the
dive
rsity
with
in a
cul
ture
. How
do
we
know
? W
hat o
the
r fa
ctor
s m
ay h
ave
acco
unte
d fo
r th
e di
ffere
nces
/sim
ilarit
ies?
H
ow
yo
u c
ou
ld im
pro
ve o
n t
he
asse
ssm
en
t ta
sk(s
) so
th
at y
ou
wo
uld
ha
ve a
mo
re
accu
rate
pic
ture
of
each
stu
den
t’s
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea?
The
“cu
ltura
l mus
eum
” cr
eat
ed
by th
e st
ude
nts
for
thei
r su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
me
nt w
as a
gre
at
succ
ess.
The
stu
dent
s th
orou
ghly
enj
oyed
bui
ldin
g th
eir
min
i exh
ibiti
on a
nd
it w
as a
w
onde
rful
tool
for
the
teac
her
s (a
nd p
aren
ts)
to a
sses
s th
e in
divi
dua
l stu
den
t’s
und
erst
andi
ng
of th
e ce
ntra
l ide
a. U
sing
the
artif
acts
in th
eir
disp
lay
ensu
red
that
stu
dent
s ha
d to
inqu
ire in
to th
e si
gni
fican
ce o
f the
ite
m a
nd
then
exp
lain
the
ritu
al o
r ce
lebr
atio
n th
at it
re
pres
ente
d. T
his,
in tu
rn, h
eld
stud
ents
acc
ount
abl
e to
de
mo
nstr
ate
thei
r un
ders
tand
ing
of
the
cent
ral i
dea.
Wh
at w
as t
he
evi
den
ce t
hat
co
nn
ecti
on
s w
ere
mad
e b
etw
een
th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea a
nd
th
e tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
them
e?
The
stu
dent
dis
cuss
ions
wer
e ve
ry r
ich
and
they
wer
e co
ntin
ual
ly b
ring
ing
thei
r id
eas
bac
k to
the
tran
sdis
cipl
inar
y th
em
e. T
each
ers
ens
ure
d th
at th
ey d
id n
ot le
t thi
s un
it be
com
e a
'wor
ld r
elig
ions
' uni
t, bu
t rat
her
an in
vest
igat
ion
into
how
we
expr
ess
our
selv
es. T
he
stud
ents
' qu
estio
ns s
how
ed th
at th
ey w
ere
thin
kin
g ab
out w
hy w
e ex
pres
s ou
rsel
ves
in
diffe
rent
way
s.
7. T
o w
hat
ext
ent
did
we
incl
ud
e th
e el
emen
ts o
f th
e P
YP
?
Wh
at w
ere
the
lear
nin
g e
xper
ien
ces
that
en
able
d s
tud
ents
to
:
d
eve
lop
an
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e co
nce
pts
iden
tifi
ed in
"W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
le
arn
?"
The
stu
dent
s’ u
nder
stan
din
g of
cau
sati
on
was
rep
rese
nte
d in
the
exa
mp
les
of r
itual
s,
trad
itio
ns a
nd
cele
brat
ions
tha
t th
ey lo
oke
d in
to fr
om th
e va
riou
s cu
lture
s re
pres
ent
ed in
ou
r cl
ass.
The
stu
dent
s' p
rese
ntat
ions
and
dis
cuss
ion
on a
rtifa
cts
prov
oke
d th
em to
see
th
e po
ints
of v
iew
(p
ersp
ecti
ve)
of th
eir
pee
rs a
nd m
ade
them
thin
k ab
out
thei
r re
spo
nsi
bil
ity
rega
rdin
g th
e co
nse
quen
ces
of
thei
r ac
tions
in r
elat
ion
to th
ese
poin
ts o
f vi
ew.
d
emo
nst
rate
th
e le
arn
ing
an
d a
pp
licat
ion
of
par
ticu
lar
tran
sdis
cip
linar
y sk
ills?
So
cial
ski
lls:
resp
ectin
g ot
he
rs' b
elie
fs a
nd
cultu
res.
The
pro
voca
tion
not
ed in
box
2
emph
asiz
ed
the
stud
ents
' ne
ed
to r
espe
ct o
ther
s an
d to
list
en to
the
view
poi
nts
of o
ther
s as
they
sha
re t
heir
resp
onse
s to
the
artif
acts
and
mus
ic. S
tude
nts
refle
cte
d in
thei
r jo
urn
al
writ
ing
not o
nly
thei
r re
spo
nse
s to
eac
h pr
ovoc
atio
n bu
t als
o ho
w th
e di
ffere
nt r
espo
nses
of
oth
ers
affe
ct th
em.
Co
mm
un
icat
ion
ski
lls:
stud
ents
list
ened
car
eful
ly to
the
gues
t spe
aker
and
the
ir pe
ers,
as
kin
g qu
estio
ns in
con
text
. The
y w
ere
able
to e
xpla
in th
e im
por
tanc
e an
d r
elev
anc
e of
th
eir
ritua
ls a
nd
cele
brat
ions
. Mos
t of t
hem
wer
e ar
ticu
late
as
they
exp
lain
ed
thei
r fin
din
gs
to g
uest
s vi
sitin
g th
eir
gal
leri
es.
Res
earc
h s
kills
: F
orm
ula
te q
uest
ions
(de
velo
p in
terv
iew
qu
estio
ns),
inte
rpre
tatio
n of
dat
a
(i.e.
We
all c
eleb
rate
birt
hday
s, b
ut h
ow d
o w
e do
it?)
.
d
eve
lop
par
ticu
lar
attr
ibu
tes
of
the
lear
ner
pro
file
an
d/o
r at
titu
des
?
Op
en-m
ind
ed:
the
disc
ussi
ons
and
the
pres
enta
tions
exp
ose
d th
e st
uden
ts to
see
and
un
der
stan
d th
eir
peer
s' w
ay o
f exp
ress
ing
the
ir be
liefs
, tra
ditio
ns a
nd
cultu
re.
Inq
uir
er:
they
ask
ed q
uest
ion
s an
d re
sear
ched
info
rmat
ion.
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Ref
lect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y 8.
Wh
at s
tud
ent-
init
iate
d in
qu
irie
s ar
ose
fro
m t
he
lear
nin
g?
Rec
ord
a r
ang
e o
f st
ud
ent-
init
iate
d in
qu
irie
s an
d s
tud
ent
qu
esti
on
s an
d h
igh
ligh
t an
y th
at w
ere
inco
rpo
rate
d in
to t
he
teac
hin
g a
nd
lear
nin
g.
Why
do
som
e pe
opl
e be
lieve
in s
ingu
lar
or p
lura
l dei
ties?
Why
do
diffe
rent
gro
ups
hav
e d
iffer
ent c
ale
nda
rs (
diffe
rent
new
yea
rs)?
The
stu
dent
s in
vest
igat
ed th
eir
ques
tions
thro
ugho
ut th
e co
urse
of t
he u
nit.
The
info
rmat
ion
they
gat
her
ed w
as r
efle
cted
in th
eir
scra
pbo
oks
and
used
in th
eir
com
par
ison
s of
how
diff
eren
t gr
oups
exp
ress
thei
r be
liefs
and
trad
ition
s th
roug
h th
eir
ritu
als
and
cele
bra
tions
.
At
this
po
int
teac
her
s sh
ou
ld g
o b
ack
to b
ox
2 “W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
lea
rn?
” an
d
hig
hlig
ht
the
teac
he
r q
ues
tio
ns/
pro
voca
tio
ns
that
wer
e m
ost
eff
ecti
ve
in d
rivi
ng
th
e in
qu
irie
s.
One
of t
he m
ost
pow
erfu
l pro
voca
tions
was
not
act
ually
list
ed in
box
2 a
s it
aros
e th
rou
gh
stud
ent i
nqu
iry: “
How
do
we
know
som
ethi
ng
is a
cel
ebra
tion?
Is it
onl
y a
hap
py o
ccas
ion
or
can
a so
lem
n o
ccas
ion
be a
cel
ebr
atio
n e.
g. W
hen
is a
ritu
al a
cel
ebr
atio
n? W
hen
is a
ce
lebr
atio
n a
ritu
al?
”
Oth
er s
igni
fica
nt q
uest
ions
ca
me
up
such
as
"Is
a M
uslim
wed
din
g th
e sa
me
in M
om
bas
a as
it
is in
Tor
onto
?”
Thi
s ki
nd o
f crit
ical
que
stio
n w
as e
xplo
red
to e
nsur
e st
ude
nts
unde
rsto
od t
hat
ther
e ar
e m
ulti
ple
fact
ors
in d
eter
min
ing
how
we
expr
ess
our
trad
ition
s a
nd b
elie
fs.
Wh
at s
tud
ent-
init
iate
d a
ctio
ns
aro
se f
rom
th
e le
arn
ing
? R
eco
rd s
tud
ent-
init
iate
d
acti
on
s ta
ken
by
ind
ivid
ual
s o
r g
rou
ps
sho
win
g t
hei
r ab
ility
to
ref
lect
, to
ch
oo
se a
nd
to
ac
t.
Stu
dent
s in
itiat
ed m
uch
of th
e c
reat
ion
of th
e c
ultu
ral m
useu
m d
ispl
ays.
The
y ag
reed
to
incl
ude
trad
itio
nal c
loth
ing
and
food
as
a p
art
of th
eir
exhi
bit.
The
y fe
lt th
is w
ould
spa
rk in
tere
st
in th
eir
mus
eum
an
d at
trac
t a g
reat
er a
udi
ence
(w
hich
it d
id!)
. A s
tude
nt b
roug
ht in
a p
erso
nal
vide
o to
sha
re w
ith th
e cl
ass
to il
lust
rate
a n
am
ing
cere
mon
y in
her
cul
ture
.
Stu
dent
s m
ade
info
rmat
ive
broc
hure
s to
sha
re w
ith th
e pe
opl
e w
ho c
am
e to
see
thei
r ex
hibi
t at
the
mus
eum
.
App
reci
atin
g st
ude
nts
who
wea
r hi
jab
as r
elig
ious
atti
re a
nd f
orm
ing
grou
ps o
f diff
eren
t re
ligio
ns in
the
sam
e st
all a
nd e
xpla
inin
g th
eir
findi
ngs
reg
ardl
ess
of w
hich
rel
igio
n or
cul
ture
th
ey c
ame
from
.
Par
ticip
atin
g in
cel
ebra
ting
Bir
thda
ys h
ow
eve
r th
ey
keep
the
ir ca
kes
to e
at a
fter
brea
king
the
ir fa
st.
9. T
each
er n
ote
s
In p
lann
ing
the
unit,
the
grad
e 5
teac
hers
wor
ked
clos
ely
with
the
PY
P c
oord
inat
or, s
ingl
e-su
bjec
t tea
cher
s an
d th
e p
are
nts.
Par
ents
took
a s
ign
ifica
nt r
ole
as th
ey w
ere
a pr
imar
y so
urce
of i
nfor
mat
ion.
The
Aga
Kh
an A
cade
my’
s cu
rric
ulu
m g
ives
spe
cial
em
pha
sis
to s
peci
fic a
reas
of s
tudy
, co
mm
only
des
igna
ted
as ‘A
K c
urric
ular
str
ands
’. T
her
e ar
e fiv
e A
K c
urric
ula
r st
rand
s (p
lura
lism
, eth
ics,
gov
erna
nce
and
civ
il so
ciet
y, e
cono
mic
s in
a g
loba
l soc
iety
, and
cu
lture
s), w
hich
hav
e b
een
chos
en
to s
erve
the
nee
ds o
f stu
dent
s d
estin
ed
to b
eco
me
futu
re le
ade
rs w
ith lo
cal a
nd
glo
bal o
utlo
oks
in th
e co
ntex
t of
the
deve
lop
ing
wor
ld. T
hey
are
mea
nt to
hel
p yo
ung
peo
ple
clar
ify c
once
pts
and
deve
lop
valu
es th
at a
re c
onsi
sten
t w
ith th
e A
cade
my’
s a
nd th
e IB
lear
ner
pro
file.
Thi
s un
it of
inqu
iry fa
lls u
nd
er th
e A
K
curr
icul
ar s
tran
d of
cul
ture
s.
Lan
gu
age:
Stu
dent
s im
prov
ed
thei
r re
por
t writ
ing
skill
s to
effe
ctiv
ely
com
mu
nica
te w
hat
they
lear
ned
abo
ut c
ultu
res
and
cel
ebra
tions
. The
y cl
early
exp
lain
ed
the
purp
ose
of th
e va
rious
art
ifact
s us
ed to
exp
ress
thei
r be
liefs
from
diff
ere
nt c
ultu
res
and
relig
ions
. Stu
dent
s di
spla
yed
good
com
mu
nica
tion
skill
s.
Mu
sic:
The
stu
dent
s lis
tene
d to
diff
eren
t m
usic
from
the
diff
eren
t rel
igio
us t
radi
tions
. The
y w
ere
also
giv
en
the
oppo
rtun
ity to
per
form
and
sin
g di
ffere
nt s
ongs
rel
ate
d to
the
trad
itio
ns. T
his
inco
rpor
atio
n o
f m
usic
into
the
uni
t of i
nqui
ry h
elpe
d th
e st
uden
ts g
arne
r a
dee
per
und
erst
and
ing
of th
eir
own
belie
fs a
s w
ell a
s de
velo
p an
on
goin
g re
spec
t for
oth
er
peo
ple
’s b
elie
fs th
roug
h m
usic
.
Thi
s w
as a
n ex
citin
g u
nit t
o w
ork
on w
ith th
e gr
ade
5 te
am
. It s
park
ed m
any
anim
ate
d co
nver
satio
ns a
bout
our
ow
n be
liefs
an
d va
lues
an
d th
e ro
le th
at r
elig
ion
play
s in
the
expr
essi
on o
f the
se b
elie
fs. I
n th
e en
d, w
e al
l lea
rned
fro
m o
ur d
iffer
ent p
ersp
ectiv
es a
nd
this
illu
stra
ted
to u
s w
hat w
e w
ould
ho
pe to
pro
vide
for
the
stud
ents
– m
ultip
le p
ersp
ectiv
es
and
a d
eepe
ning
of u
nde
rsta
ndin
g. S
tude
nts
wer
e en
gage
d th
roug
hout
this
uni
t of s
tudy
. T
hey
wer
e ab
le to
mak
e pe
rson
al c
onne
ctio
ns to
the
sign
ifica
nt c
once
pts
and
wer
e m
ost
inte
rest
ed
in le
arni
ng m
ore
ab
out w
hy w
e do
thin
gs in
a c
erta
in w
ay. I
t was
inte
rest
ing,
too
to s
ee th
e ch
ildre
n br
oad
en th
eir
unde
rsta
ndin
g by
he
arin
g th
em
say
thin
gs li
ke, "
We
do
that
in m
y h
om
e, to
o."
or "
I did
n't k
now
you
cel
ebr
ated
wed
din
gs li
ke th
at."
or
"The
way
we
cele
brat
e a
birt
h in
our
fam
ily is
ver
y si
mila
r to
the
way
you
do.
”
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Ref
lect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 31
Example 5 Transdisciplinary theme: Where we are in place and time
Central idea: Human migration is a response to challenges, risks and opportunities.
Rationale Prem Tinsulanonda International School is part of The Prem Center for International Education, a privately owned institution situated in Northern Thailand just outside the city of Chiang Mai. Northern Thailand has many influences from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, with which it shares borders. It also has been influenced by China and other neighbouring countries. The school population of 480 students (ages 4–18) comes from over 30 countries, their families having migrated to Prem for many different reasons. We are a multicultural school in a multicultural country. Prem is an IB World School offering all three IB programmes.
This grade 5 unit of inquiry appears under the transdisciplinary theme “Where we are in time and place”. The central idea is “Human migration is a response to challenges, risks and opportunities”. The PYP key concepts for this unit are change, causation and perspective. The unit has replaced a previous grade 5 unit to create a unit more closely related to the students’ experiences through which authentic research opportunities are available in the local communities.
People move and relocate for a variety of reasons and their journeys have been very different. Migrants have contributed in many ways to the culture of the city; they also faced significant challenges. We recognize the importance of acknowledging and valuing the contributions made by the Chinese Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Burmese, Korean and Western migrants to our community; this is one of the driving forces behind the unit. During this unit of inquiry, learners explored and shared their personal and family stories and experiences, as well as inquiring into other people’s stories and experiences. This unit gave the students the opportunity to become increasingly more sensitive to, and aware of, others, not just in their local or national community but also in the international community and, as such, to develop a more global perspective.
The process of developing this unit included close collaboration between the PYP coordinator, the grade 5 teachers, the teacher–librarian, the arts teacher and the Thai culture teachers. The central idea was taken from the sample programme of inquiry from the document Developing a transdisciplinary programme of inquiry (January 2008). In this unit of inquiry, classroom, single-subject and support teachers investigated opportunities for the students to visit places of significance to the central idea and identified community leaders who would be willing to share their experiences with our students. Students understood the basic human need to establish a community and how community members express their community membership. Additionally, students identified symbols that are representative of other cultures. In their investigations, students construct meaning and understanding of why people made the decision to migrate, the challenges they face as immigrants and the opportunities they hope to gain in their new home.
We believe that stories or narratives are a powerful way of sharing and learning about personal histories. The unit began with individual and/or family accounts or stories of migration. Students learned about shared humanity and developed empathy for, and understanding of, the lives of others through hearing and reading stories, real or fictional. Being able to acknowledge that the same story can have many perspectives was an important skill explored throughout the unit.
Developing international-mindedness, through the IB learner profile, especially being open-minded, knowledgeable and caring, together with the PYP attitudes of appreciation, empathy and tolerance, was a strong focus of the unit. The learning engagements in this unit provided for the development of transdisciplinary skills (thinking, research and communication skills) as students read stories, listened to guest speakers tell their stories, explored the local community, interpreted what they discovered, and analysed and synthesized this information. The research component of this unit included both primary and secondary sources. Students constructed their own questions to use in the survey and asked the guest speakers compelling questions. The summative assessment task required the students to discuss and clarify the information they collected and to present their findings effectively to their audience (parents, teachers and peers).
There were many opportunities for students to present their work in a variety of ways especially using information and communication technologies (ICT). We investigated online tools such as Voicethread (a web-based collaboration and sharing tool) as a means for students to share their new understanding and to receive feedback from teachers, parents and peers. The collaborative meetings made for authentic connections to the unit in arts and Thai culture classes.
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 32
Through participation in this project, the scope of the unit was broadened to ensure that all migrant groups were represented for an authentic inquiry. Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country and it is often easy to overlook the contributions made by other migrant groups like the Chinese Muslim community in Chiang Mai. The project’s field experience in Zanzibar highlighted the importance of exploring and including all possible influences in the community, and of using local primary resources to create a robust inquiry.
It is important to seek out local historians and others who may be able to provide primary resources for a unit. Providing opportunities for our young students to explore the historical aspects of Muslim migration from China to Chiang Mai was a challenge that we overcame by providing archival photos of early Muslim traders and by having descendants of early Chinese Muslim traders tell their family stories. Keeping to the topic was sometimes a challenge as part of the inquiry led to an investigation into refugees.
The collaboration between the classroom, single-subject and support teachers was a successful aspect in the process of developing the unit. There were regular meetings to discuss each stage of the process. We did find it challenging to keep the content and direction of the unit age-appropriate. We had some discussion about how to keep the unit positive as even with the use of stories it sometimes, naturally, led to discussion about issues that were too complex for young children.
The unit of inquiry has global relevance. People continue to migrate, and though reasons may vary, there are many commonalties that can be explored through the sharing of stories. Storytelling and listening to stories is universal and students at any grade level can participate in this unit. Including a Muslim perspective is appropriate in many cultural contexts and teachers should be encouraged to explore the many perspectives available as primary resources in the school community.
Cla
ss/g
rad
e: G
rade
5
A
ge
gro
up
: 10
–11
year
s ol
d
Sch
oo
l: A
dapt
ed fr
om
pla
nner
pro
vide
d by
, and
in c
olla
bor
atio
n
with
, Pre
m T
insu
lano
nda
Inte
rnat
iona
l Sch
ool
Tit
le:
Mig
ratio
n
Tea
cher
(s):
Gra
de 5
teac
hers
and
teac
her-
libra
rian
Dat
e: S
epte
mbe
r–N
ove
mbe
r 20
09
Pro
po
se
d d
ura
tio
n:
7 w
eeks
P
YP
pla
nner
1. W
hat
is
ou
r p
urp
ose
?
To
inq
uir
e in
to t
he
follo
win
g:
tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
them
e
Whe
re w
e ar
e in
pla
ce a
nd
time
An
inq
uiry
into
orie
ntat
ion
in p
lace
an
d tim
e; p
erso
nal h
isto
ries
; ho
mes
an
d jo
urn
eys;
th
e di
scov
erie
s, e
xplo
ratio
ns a
nd m
igra
tions
of h
um
anki
nd;
the
rela
tions
hip
s be
twee
n an
d th
e in
terc
onn
ecte
dnes
s of
indi
vidu
als
an
d ci
viliz
atio
ns, f
rom
loca
l and
glo
bal
pers
pect
ives
.
cen
tral
idea
Hu
ma
n m
igra
tion
is a
res
pon
se to
cha
llen
ges,
ris
ks a
nd o
ppor
tuni
ties.
Su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
men
t ta
sk(s
):
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ents
’ un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al i
dea
? W
hat
evi
den
ce,
in
clu
din
g s
tud
ent-
init
iate
d a
ctio
ns,
will
we
loo
k fo
r?
Stu
dent
s w
ill:
cr
eate
a p
hot
o st
ory
boar
d or
pho
to e
ssay
(m
ay c
hoo
se to
use
Voi
ceth
rea
d,
Pub
lishe
r, C
om
icLi
fe)
whi
ch e
xplo
res
oppo
rtun
ities
, cha
lleng
es a
nd r
isks
, as
soci
ated
with
bei
ng a
mig
rant
. Exa
mpl
es o
f m
igra
nt s
tori
es th
ey m
ight
tell
are:
re
stau
rant
s se
t up
to s
erve
the
Mus
lim, K
ore
an, B
urm
ese
com
mun
ities
; the
C
hris
tian
mis
sion
arie
s bu
rie
d in
the
loca
l ce
met
ery;
pla
ces
of w
orsh
ip th
at m
eet
th
e sp
iritu
al n
eed
s of
a p
artic
ular
co
mm
unity
; Ind
ian
and
Mus
lim b
usin
esse
s fo
rme
d as
a r
esu
lt of
trad
e op
port
uniti
es. E
vide
nce
of u
nder
stan
ding
will
be
in
the
rele
vanc
e of
pho
tos
and
will
als
o b
e vi
sibl
e th
roug
h th
e in
tera
ctio
n an
d fe
edb
ack
from
vie
wer
s (p
are
nts
, tea
cher
s &
oth
er s
tude
nts)
of t
he V
oice
thre
ads.
recr
eate
the
“sui
tcas
e”
prov
ocat
ion
of e
ssen
tial i
tem
s fo
r a
mig
rant
(sp
ecifi
c gr
oup
mig
ht b
e id
entif
ied)
. Exp
lain
the
sign
ifica
nce
of w
hat y
our
suitc
ase
mig
ht
cont
ain.
Thi
s co
uld
be a
form
ativ
e as
sess
men
t tas
k to
beg
in th
e un
it a
nd c
ould
fo
llow
the
rea
ding
of “
The
Arr
ival
” by
Sha
un T
an. T
he im
mig
rant
in th
e bo
ok
carr
ies
a su
itca
se o
f spe
cia
l th
ings
—W
hat
wou
ld y
ou
take
if y
ou w
ere
mig
ratin
g so
mew
here
—ju
stify
you
r ch
oice
s?
w
rite
a na
rrat
ive
from
the
poi
nt o
f vie
w o
f one
per
son
who
has
mig
rate
d or
is a
re
fuge
e be
cau
se o
f one
of t
he
reas
ons
we
have
look
ed
at (
econ
om
ic, r
elig
ious
, po
litic
al, l
ifest
yle
etc.
)
crea
te a
col
lag
e fr
om p
hoto
s co
llect
ed d
urin
g th
e fie
ldtr
ip a
nd e
xpla
in th
e si
gnifi
canc
e of
thei
r ch
oic
e of
pho
tos
linki
ng t
o th
e ce
ntra
l id
ea.
2. W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
lear
n?
Wh
at a
re t
he
key
con
cep
ts (
form
, fu
nct
ion
, cau
sati
on
, ch
ang
e, c
on
nec
tio
n,
per
spec
tive
, re
spo
nsi
bili
ty,
refl
ecti
on
) to
be
emp
has
ized
wit
hin
th
is in
qu
iry?
Cau
satio
n, c
ha
nge,
per
spec
tive
Wh
at l
ines
of
inq
uir
y w
ill d
efin
e th
e sc
op
e o
f th
e in
qu
iry
into
th
e ce
ntr
al i
dea
?
T
he r
easo
ns w
hy p
eopl
e m
igra
te
M
igra
tion
thro
ugh
out
his
tory
(lo
cal,
reg
ion
al a
nd in
tern
atio
nal)
M
igra
nt g
roup
s liv
ing
in C
hia
ng
Mai
Effe
cts
of m
igra
tion
on
com
mun
ities
, cul
ture
s an
d in
divi
dua
ls
Wh
at t
each
er q
ues
tio
ns/
pro
voca
tio
ns
will
dri
ve t
hes
e in
qu
irie
s?
W
hat i
s it
like
to b
e a
mig
rant
?
Wha
t cul
tura
l mar
kers
can
we
use
to id
entif
y di
ffere
nt in
fluen
ces
mig
rant
gro
ups
ha
ve in
our
co
mm
uni
ty?
Wha
t are
so
me
of t
he o
ppor
tuni
ties
and
str
uggl
es m
igra
nts
face
?
Pro
voca
tion:
a s
uitc
ase
app
ears
in th
e cl
assr
oom
con
tain
ing
a fe
w it
ems
such
as
a pe
ncil
and
pap
er, a
boo
k, c
loth
es, e
tc. O
ver
time
stud
ent
s ca
n ad
d or
re
mo
ve it
ems
but m
ust j
ustif
y th
eir
actio
ns.
The
ow
ner
of th
e su
itcas
e m
ay
chan
ge
thro
ugh
out
the
unit
to in
clud
e a
forc
ed r
efu
gee,
a m
igra
nt fl
eei
ng
relig
ious
per
secu
tion,
a m
igra
nt
seek
ing
a b
ette
r ec
ono
mic
futu
re e
tc.
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Pla
nnin
g th
e in
quir
y
3. H
ow
mig
ht
we
kno
w w
hat
we
hav
e le
arn
ed?
Thi
s co
lum
n sh
ould
be
used
in c
onju
nctio
n w
ith “
Ho
w b
est m
ight
we
lear
n?”
Wh
at a
re t
he
po
ssib
le w
ays
of
asse
ssin
g s
tud
ents
’ pri
or
kno
wle
dg
e an
d s
kills
? W
hat
evi
den
ce w
ill w
e lo
ok
for?
S
tude
nts
cont
ribut
e to
bra
inst
orm
ing
sess
ion
on s
torie
s of
per
sona
l lin
ks
or it
ems
from
new
s th
at th
ey a
ssoc
iate
with
topi
c, u
nder
stan
ding
of
voca
bula
ry r
elat
ed to
the
unit.
“P
ack
a su
itcas
e”
wha
t wou
ld b
e im
port
ant t
o yo
u if
you
wer
e m
igra
ting
to a
ne
w c
ount
ry, t
ow
n, o
r ci
ty?
Wha
t w
as im
port
ant t
o yo
u w
hen
you
mov
ed to
a n
ew
cou
ntry
? W
hat
are
th
e p
oss
ible
way
s o
f as
sess
ing
stu
den
t le
arn
ing
in t
he
con
text
of
the
lines
of
inq
uir
y? W
hat
evi
den
ce w
ill w
e lo
ok
for?
Stu
dent
s ar
e ab
le to
:
cr
eate
a s
urve
y of
app
ropr
iate
que
stio
ns fo
r di
strib
utio
n to
Pre
m
fam
ilies
to fi
nd o
ut a
bout
thei
r m
igra
tion
hist
ory
and
expe
rienc
es
an
alyz
e a
nd d
ispl
ay in
form
atio
n ga
ined
from
sur
vey
as a
gra
ph a
nd
mak
e lin
ks w
ith w
hat t
hey
disc
over
ed th
roug
h re
sear
ch
or
der
hist
oric
al in
form
atio
n on
a ti
me
line
and
unde
rsta
nd th
at
mig
ratio
n is
an
ongo
ing
proc
ess
cr
eate
a w
orld
map
, plo
tting
pla
ces
whe
re m
igra
nts
com
e fr
om/g
o to
, usi
ng r
esul
ts o
f sur
vey
from
fam
ilies
and
sto
ries
and
mak
e as
sum
ptio
ns b
ased
on
rese
arch
for
the
jour
neys
out
lined
on
the
map
reco
gniz
e e
lem
ents
in th
e st
orie
s of
per
sona
l mig
ratio
n by
rea
ding
, di
scus
sing
, sha
ring
answ
ers
to li
nes
of in
quiry
que
stio
ns fo
und
in
text
s. S
tude
nts
resp
ond
appr
opria
tely
to s
torie
s sh
ow
ing
com
preh
ensi
on, e
mpa
thy
and
unde
rsta
ndin
g (s
ee r
esou
rce
list f
or
fictio
n st
orie
s)
as
k gu
est s
peak
ers
high
er o
rder
que
stio
ns b
ased
on
thei
r in
itial
re
sear
ch a
bout
mig
rant
s an
d re
fuge
es. “
Ho
w d
id y
ou fe
el…
?”
Wha
t is
you
r lif
e lik
e no
w?
” S
tude
nts
cont
ribut
e to
cla
ss d
iscu
ssio
ns
rela
ted
to th
e te
ache
r qu
estio
ns a
nd li
nes
of in
quiry
keep
a w
ritte
n jo
urna
l ove
r th
e co
urse
of t
he u
nit
whi
ch w
ill s
how
gr
ow
th in
und
erst
andi
ng o
f the
topi
c. N
arra
tive
refle
cts
an
unde
rsta
ndin
g of
the
vario
us r
easo
ns p
eopl
e m
igra
te,
writ
ten
from
di
ffere
nt p
ersp
ectiv
e, il
lust
ratin
g em
path
y an
d un
ders
tand
ing.
4. H
ow
bes
t m
igh
t w
e le
arn
?
Wh
at a
re t
he
lea
rnin
g e
xper
ien
ces
su
gg
este
d b
y th
e te
ach
er a
nd
/or
stu
de
nts
to
en
cou
rag
e th
e st
ud
ents
to
en
gag
e w
ith
th
e in
qu
irie
s an
d a
dd
ress
th
e d
rivi
ng
qu
esti
on
s?
U
se a
min
dm
ap o
r ha
ve a
bra
inst
orm
ing
sess
ion
to n
ote
prio
r un
ders
tand
ing
of te
rms
incl
udin
g m
igra
tion,
imm
igra
tion,
ref
ugee
s,
asyl
um s
eeke
rs. D
efin
e te
rms
abo
ve u
sing
dic
tiona
ries,
boo
ks a
nd o
nlin
e re
sour
ces.
Stu
dent
s cr
eate
an
inte
rvie
w/s
urve
y sh
eet f
or s
choo
l fam
ilies
to d
eter
min
e th
e re
ason
s fo
r m
igra
tion
such
as
econ
omic
, cho
ice,
en
viro
nmen
tal,
relig
ious
, rac
e, p
oliti
cal,
forc
e/ch
oice
.
Thr
oug
h di
scus
sion
, ide
ntify
the
thin
gs n
ew m
igra
nts
wou
ld w
ant/n
eed
whe
n th
ey a
rriv
e in
a n
ew p
lace
. Dec
ide
on c
ultu
ral m
arke
rs
in th
e co
mm
unity
that
sho
w in
flue
nce
of m
igra
nts,
incl
udin
g fo
od, a
rchi
tect
ure,
dre
ss, a
nd b
usin
ess,
rel
igio
us, a
rt a
nd c
ultu
ral s
ites.
Dur
ing
the
field
trip
find
evi
denc
e in
Chi
ang
Mai
of
mig
rant
s’ p
ositi
ve im
pact
on
our
com
mu
nity
.
Col
lect
pho
tos
to c
reat
e ph
oto
essa
ys to
rec
ord
and
com
men
t on
. S
ome
mar
kers
ma
y in
clud
e bu
sine
sses
, res
taur
ants
, lib
rarie
s,
tem
ples
, Chi
na T
own,
mos
ques
.
Lite
ratu
re C
ircle
: usi
ng a
var
iety
of m
igra
tion/
refu
gee
stor
ies,
stu
dent
s di
scus
s th
e co
mm
on t
hem
es, s
ituat
ions
and
set
tings
in th
e st
orie
s, a
nsw
erin
g qu
estio
ns a
nd t
akin
g re
spon
sibi
litie
s fo
r th
e va
riou
s ro
les
of ti
me
keep
er, r
eco
rder
, q
uest
ione
r an
d su
mm
ari
zers
.
Invi
te g
uest
spe
aker
s re
pres
entin
g m
igra
nt g
roup
s to
spe
ak to
stu
dent
s ab
out t
heir
expe
rie
nce
s, s
pe
cific
ally
to ta
lk a
bout
ris
ks,
oppo
rtun
ities
and
cha
lleng
es.
In
art
cla
ss, s
tud
ents
cre
ate
a co
llage
in r
espo
nse
to th
e te
ache
r q
ues
tions
(bo
x 2)
to s
how
aw
are
ness
that
peo
ple
use
art
s as
an
expr
essi
on o
f the
ir be
liefs
and
pra
ctic
es w
here
they
live
.
Stu
dent
s w
ork
with
tea
ch
er-l
ibra
rian
to lo
cate
and
sel
ect s
uita
ble
reso
urce
s; c
orre
ctly
ref
eren
ce r
eso
urce
s us
ing
bibm
e.or
g; th
ink
of q
uest
ions
to a
sk g
uest
spe
aker
s; a
nd d
esig
n, c
reat
e an
d sh
are
pre
sent
atio
n us
ing
Voi
ceT
hrea
d.
In
Th
ai c
ult
ure
cla
ss, s
tude
nts
inqu
ire in
to s
peci
fic th
ings
new
mig
rant
s w
ould
nee
d to
be
awa
re o
f whe
n th
ey m
ove
to C
hian
g M
ai.
Stu
dent
s lo
ok in
to th
e si
mila
ritie
s an
d di
ffe
renc
es b
etw
een
cele
brat
ions
eg
Loy
Kra
tong
(T
hai h
olid
ay s
tory
) an
d T
he
Moo
n st
ory
(Mus
lim h
olid
ay s
tory
). S
tude
nts
desi
gn a
pam
phle
t for
new
stu
den
ts w
hich
incl
udes
sig
nific
ant
even
ts a
nd p
lace
s, c
ultu
ral
expe
ctat
ions
and
beh
avio
urs
to o
bse
rve.
Wh
at o
pp
ort
un
itie
s w
ill o
ccu
r fo
r tr
ans
dis
cip
lin
ary
skill
s d
eve
lop
men
t an
d f
or
the
de
velo
pm
en
t o
f th
e at
trib
ute
s o
f th
e le
arn
er
pro
file
?
Tra
ns
dis
cip
lin
ary
ski
lls
Com
mun
icat
ion
skill
s ar
e de
velo
ped
whe
n st
uden
ts a
re g
iven
opp
ort
uniti
es to
list
en to
vis
iting
spe
aker
s an
d sp
eaki
ng a
bout
thei
r ph
oto
essa
ys
T
hink
ing
skill
s, in
par
ticul
ar, a
cqui
sitio
n of
kno
wle
dge
are
deve
lope
d as
stu
dent
s co
nstr
uct t
he s
urve
y qu
estio
ns, g
athe
r re
sults
and
an
alyz
e r
esul
ts.
S
elf-
Ma
nage
men
t ski
lls a
re d
evel
oped
as
stud
ents
org
aniz
e t
he in
form
atio
n fr
om
the
sur
vey
out t
o pa
rent
s an
d as
they
man
age
thei
r tim
e to
com
plet
e th
eir
Voi
ceT
hrea
d an
d po
st it
onl
ine
for
peop
le to
com
men
t on
Res
earc
h sk
ills
are
deve
lope
d as
stu
dent
s le
arn
the
valu
e of
usi
ng p
rima
ry s
ourc
es in
res
earc
h
S
ocia
l ski
lls a
re d
evel
oped
whe
n st
uden
ts a
re g
iven
opp
ortu
nitie
s to
col
labo
rativ
ely
wor
k w
ith o
ther
s
PY
P a
ttit
ud
es:
App
reci
atio
n, e
mpa
thy
and
tole
ranc
e ar
e e
mbe
dd
ed in
the
lear
ning
eng
age
men
ts in
thi
s un
it.
Lea
rner
pro
file
: In
pre
parin
g fo
r th
e su
mm
ativ
e as
sess
men
t, st
ude
nts
wer
e gi
ven
opp
ortu
nitie
s to
de
mon
stra
te th
at th
ey c
an b
e co
mm
unic
ator
s, t
hink
ers
and
risk
take
rs.
5. W
hat
res
ou
rce
s n
eed
to
be
gat
her
ed?
(m
ore
reso
urce
s lis
ted
on s
ectio
n 9
of th
is p
lann
er)
Wh
at p
eop
le, p
lace
s, a
ud
io-v
isu
al m
ater
ials
, re
late
d l
iter
atu
re,
mu
sic,
art
, co
mp
ute
r so
ftw
are,
etc
, will
be
ava
ilab
le?
u
se v
ideo
and
dig
ital s
till c
amer
as to
re
cord
info
rmat
ion
on fi
eldt
rips
and
to r
ecor
d g
uest
spe
aker
s
web
-bas
ed
colla
bora
tive
soft
war
e w
ww
.voi
ceth
rea
d.co
m
boo
k re
sour
ces
incl
udi
ng:
“T
he A
rriv
al”
by S
hau
n T
an, “
The
Isla
nd”
by A
rmin
Gre
der
teac
her
not
es
incl
udi
ng r
esou
rces
use
d fo
r re
sear
ch a
nd
for
liter
atur
e ci
rcle
boo
ks
new
spap
ers
and
TV
new
s pr
ogra
ms:
loca
l an
d in
tern
atio
nal
: our
reg
ion
is o
ften
a fo
cus
of n
ews
abou
t for
ced
mig
ratio
n,
refu
gees
, ille
gal m
igra
nts
etc.
Ho
w w
ill t
he
clas
sro
om
en
viro
nm
ent,
loca
l en
viro
nm
ent,
an
d/o
r th
e co
mm
un
ity
be
use
d t
o f
acili
tate
th
e in
qu
iry?
cr
eate
a li
st o
f po
ssib
le p
lace
s to
vis
it fo
r V
oice
thre
ad p
hoto
ess
ays
visi
t Chi
ang
Mai
city
to id
entif
y cu
ltura
l mar
kers
in
vite
mig
rant
par
ent
s to
sha
re s
torie
s an
d in
form
atio
n
gues
t spe
aker
s:
from
Bur
mes
e M
igra
nt E
duca
tion
cent
re in
Chi
ang
Mai
(D
r. L
win
), s
tude
nt’s
fath
er (
Bur
mes
e m
igra
nt),
par
ent/t
each
er (
Zim
babw
e im
mig
rant
), r
epre
sent
ativ
e of
Mus
lim c
omm
unity
, N
elso
n (B
urm
ese
refu
gee)
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Ref
lect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y
6. T
o w
hat
ext
ent
did
we
ach
ieve
ou
r p
urp
ose
?
Ass
ess
the
ou
tco
me
of
the
inq
uir
y b
y p
rovi
din
g e
vid
ence
of
stu
den
ts’
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al i
dea
. T
he
refl
ecti
on
s o
f al
l tea
cher
s in
volv
ed in
th
e p
lan
nin
g a
nd
tea
chin
g o
f th
e in
qu
iry
sho
uld
be
incl
ud
ed.
Stu
dent
s ca
n e
xpla
in a
ran
ge o
f ris
ks, c
halle
nges
and
opp
ort
uniti
es fa
ced
by
mig
rant
s in
clu
din
g la
ngua
ge b
arrie
rs, c
ultu
ral e
xpec
tatio
n re
gard
ing
law
s an
d be
hav
ior,
diff
eren
t foo
d, a
ppr
opr
iate
pla
ces
to w
orsh
ip, a
cce
ss to
em
plo
ymen
t The
y to
ok a
ppro
pria
te p
hoto
s id
ent
ifyin
g cu
ltura
l mar
kers
of v
ario
us m
igra
nt g
roup
s on
the
field
trip
.
The
nar
rativ
e w
ritte
n by
the
stud
ents
pro
vid
ed e
vide
nce
of a
gre
ater
und
ers
tand
ing
of th
e ris
ks, o
ppor
tun
ities
and
cha
lleng
es fa
ced
by m
igra
nts.
Stu
dent
s w
rote
from
va
rious
per
spe
ctiv
es in
clud
ing
ref
ugee
and
eco
nom
ic m
igra
nt.
Ho
w y
ou
co
uld
imp
rove
on
th
e as
sess
me
nt
task
(s)
so t
hat
yo
u w
ou
ld h
ave
a
mo
re a
ccu
rate
pic
ture
of
each
stu
den
t’s
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea?
Voi
ceth
rea
d do
es p
rovi
de a
n ac
cura
te p
ictu
re o
f eac
h st
uden
t’s u
nde
rsta
ndin
g of
the
cent
ral i
dea
as it
is a
n in
div
idu
al ta
sk, a
ltho
ugh
the
choi
ce o
f pho
tos
may
ha
ve b
een
impr
ove
d w
ith m
ore
disc
ussi
on
with
the
teac
her.
The
nar
rativ
e ta
sk c
ould
be
impr
ove
d w
ith m
ore
teac
her
s m
ode
ling
the
task
.
Wh
at w
as t
he
evi
den
ce t
hat
co
nn
ecti
on
s w
ere
mad
e b
etw
een
th
e ce
ntr
al id
ea
and
th
e tr
ansd
isci
plin
ary
them
e?
Stu
dent
s w
ere
able
to id
ent
ify s
ettin
gs in
sto
ries
and
tran
sfer
this
info
rmat
ion
to th
e m
ap
show
ing
the
jour
neys
take
n. S
tude
nts
coul
d al
so id
ent
ify s
igni
fica
nt d
ates
whe
n va
rious
mig
ran
t gr
oups
arr
ive
d in
Ch
ian
g M
ai a
nd w
ere
abl
e to
add
this
info
rmat
ion
to a
tim
elin
e.
Stu
dent
s w
ere
able
to d
iscu
ss th
e va
rious
re
ason
s w
hy p
eo
ple
mig
rate
fro
m o
ne
coun
try
to a
not
her
and
wer
e a
lso
able
to id
entif
y th
e “p
ush
” fa
ctor
suc
h as
eco
nom
ic,
relig
ious
per
secu
tion,
war
, pol
itica
l, es
pec
ially
rel
atin
g to
thei
r ow
n ci
rcu
mst
ance
s an
d to
the
mig
ratio
n st
orie
s th
ey r
ead
as p
art
of th
e lit
erat
ure
circ
le. T
hey
wer
e ab
le
to id
entif
y si
tua
tions
that
pro
vide
d ev
iden
ce o
f pe
ople
who
face
d ris
ks a
nd
chal
len
ges
as w
ell a
s th
ose
who
res
pon
ded
to o
ppor
tun
ities
whe
n th
ey m
igra
ted.
Stu
den
t jo
urn
al e
ntr
ies
dev
elo
ped
ove
r th
e u
nit
an
d s
ho
wed
a g
row
th i
n
stu
den
t u
nd
erst
and
ing
of
wh
ere
peo
ple
hav
e co
me
fro
m, w
her
e th
ey w
ant
to
go
an
d w
hy
and
ho
w t
hin
gs
hav
e ch
ang
ed o
ver
tim
e.
7. T
o w
hat
ext
ent
did
we
incl
ud
e th
e el
emen
ts o
f th
e P
YP
?
Wh
at w
ere
the
lear
nin
g e
xper
ien
ces
that
en
able
d s
tud
ents
to
:
d
eve
lop
an
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
e co
nce
pts
iden
tifi
ed in
“W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
lear
n?
”
cau
sati
on
: as
stu
dent
s id
entif
y th
e co
nse
que
nces
of m
igra
tion
ch
ang
e: a
s st
uden
ts id
entif
y th
e th
ings
new
mig
rant
s w
ould
wan
t/nee
d w
hen
they
ar
rive
in a
new
pla
ce.
per
spec
tiv
e: s
tude
nts
are
give
n th
e o
ppor
tuni
ty to
mak
e in
terp
reta
tions
of
thei
r fin
ding
s a
bout
the
diffe
rent
mig
rant
s in
the
com
mun
ity
d
emo
nst
rate
th
e le
arn
ing
an
d a
pp
licat
ion
of
par
ticu
lar
tran
sdis
cip
linar
y sk
ills?
rese
arch
ski
lls:
obse
rvin
g, g
athe
ring
, org
aniz
ing
and
inte
rpre
ting
info
rmat
ion
and
pres
ent
ing
findi
ngs
from
the
field
trip
, usi
ng p
rinte
d re
sour
ces,
inte
rnet
an
d ph
otos
, fo
rmu
latin
g qu
estio
ns fo
r th
e fa
mily
sur
vey,
ana
lyzi
ng
and
pres
ent
ing
info
rmat
ion
from
the
sur
vey.
co
mm
un
icat
ion
ski
lls:
liste
ning
, ask
ing
gue
st s
peak
ers
ques
tions
, dis
cuss
ing
idea
s on
Voi
ceth
read
s
d
eve
lop
par
ticu
lar
attr
ibu
tes
of
the
lear
ner
pro
file
an
d/o
r at
titu
des
?
Lea
rner
pro
file
op
en-
min
ded:
stu
dent
s g
ain
mor
e ap
prec
iatio
n of
thei
r ow
n a
nd o
ther
s’ jo
urne
ys
kn
owle
dge
able
: co
ntrib
utin
g to
cla
ss d
iscu
ssio
ns a
nd o
rgan
izin
g ow
n re
sear
ch
ca
ring:
stu
dent
s de
mon
stra
ted
carin
g at
titud
es to
war
ds n
ew
stu
dent
s ar
rivin
g in
th
e cl
ass,
eg
follo
win
g di
scus
sion
on
how
it fe
els
to b
e a
mig
rant
and
how
one
is
trea
ted
in a
ne
w s
ituat
ion
one
stu
dent
res
po
nde
d “
I rem
em
ber
whe
n _
___
_ ar
rived
and
we
took
car
e of
her
and
mad
e h
er fe
el a
t ho
me
”. T
he n
ew s
tude
nt
verif
ied
this
sta
tem
ent.
PY
P a
ttit
ud
es:
em
path
y: le
arn
ing
abo
ut m
igra
nt is
sues
and
exp
erie
nces
from
the
gues
t sp
eake
rs, r
ead
ing
stor
ies
abo
ut m
igra
nts
and
refu
gees
appr
ecia
tion
and
res
pec
t: le
arn
ing
abo
ut h
ow
imm
igra
nts
cont
ribut
e to
co
mm
uniti
es a
nd to
res
pect
peo
ple
fro
m d
iffer
ent c
ultu
res
in o
ur o
wn
com
mu
nity
© In
tern
atio
nal B
acca
laur
eate
Org
aniz
atio
n 20
07
Ref
lect
ing
on th
e in
quir
y
8. W
hat
stu
den
t-in
itia
ted
inq
uir
ies
aro
se f
rom
th
e le
arn
ing
?
Rec
ord
a r
ang
e o
f st
ud
ent-
init
iate
d in
qu
irie
s an
d s
tud
ent
qu
esti
on
s an
d
hig
hlig
ht
any
that
wer
e in
corp
ora
ted
into
th
e te
ach
ing
an
d le
arn
ing
.
Stu
dent
s w
ere
aske
d to
writ
e q
uest
ions
abo
ut m
igra
tion.
The
se q
uest
ions
w
ere
the
star
ting
poin
t of t
heir
inqu
iry.
Stu
dent
s w
ere
able
to c
hoos
e th
e st
orie
s th
ey r
ead
and
resp
onde
d to
dur
ing
liter
atur
e ci
rcle
. The
dis
cuss
ions
they
we
re in
volv
ed in
wer
e st
ude
nt-d
irect
ed.
Stu
dent
s w
ere
resp
onsi
ble
for
vario
us r
oles
incl
udin
g cr
eatin
g an
d le
adin
g di
scus
sion
s on
the
book
s, s
umm
ariz
ing
the
ma
in th
eme
in th
e bo
oks,
kee
ping
th
e gr
oup
on ta
sk a
nd r
epor
ting
back
to th
e cl
ass.
The
sum
mat
ive
asse
ssm
ent u
sing
Voi
ceT
hrea
d pr
ovid
ed s
tude
nts
with
the
oppo
rtun
ity to
cho
ose
wha
t pho
tos
and
info
rmat
ion
they
wan
ted
to in
clud
e.
At
this
po
int
teac
her
s sh
ou
ld g
o b
ack
to b
ox
2 “W
hat
do
we
wan
t to
le
arn
?”
and
hig
hlig
ht
the
teac
her
qu
esti
on
s/p
rovo
cati
on
s th
at w
ere
mo
st
effe
ctiv
e in
dri
vin
g t
he
inq
uir
ies.
The
teac
her
ques
tion
“Wha
t cul
tura
l mar
kers
can
we
use
to id
entif
y di
ffere
nt
influ
ence
s m
igra
nt g
roup
s ha
ve in
our
com
mun
ity?
” w
as e
ffect
ive
in fo
cusi
ng
the
stud
ents
esp
ecia
lly d
urin
g th
e fie
ld tr
ip. S
tude
nts
wer
e ab
le to
take
pho
tos
of s
peci
fic id
entif
ying
mar
kers
to u
se in
thei
r V
oice
thre
ad p
rese
ntat
ions
.
“Wha
t is
it lik
e to
be
a m
igra
nt?”
wa
s ex
plor
ed in
-dep
th th
roug
h lit
erat
ure
circ
le. A
ll st
uden
ts in
the
clas
s w
ere
abl
e to
acc
ess
age-
and
rea
ding
-leve
l ap
prop
riate
sto
ries
to g
ain
a go
od u
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o W
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rank
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atts
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ooks
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ks, 2
003.
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t. S
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he Is
land
. Lon
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info
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lay
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. Ne
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City
: Hou
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ondo
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ooks
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ress
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ay W
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K: F
rank
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atts
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© In
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07
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 37
MYP samples
Example 1: Mapping my dreams—how art can inspire life journeys Visual arts
MYP year: 2
Rationale The school The Center For Inquiry (CFI) is a state funded, K-8 school located downtown in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. We have a racially and economically diverse population of 389 students and 28 teachers. We offer the PYP and MYP. Over half of our students, 58%, live in poverty, as identified by the number of students who qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch programme. Our school includes a variety of racial groups: 55% are African American, 35% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% Native American, 2% Asian and 1% Indian. The CFI is a magnet programme within the Indianapolis Public School (IPS) system. IPS is the largest state funded school system in the state of Indiana. CFI was founded by a group of teachers and opened the current programme in 2000. The programme began as a student-centred, inquiry magnet. In 2005 we were the first authorized PYP school in the state of Indiana and, in 2007, we were authorized to teach the MYP. We pursued the IB because we felt it matched our pedagogical beliefs and instructional practices.
Context of the unit in the curriculum At CFI, grade 7 students have visual arts for 18 weeks and music for the following 18 weeks. The art classes meet for 40 minutes twice a week. In Indiana, we have state standards and, in grade 7 humanities, students explore world religions. This unit was developed in collaboration with the humanities and language A teachers. Our objective was to create a multi-disciplinary unit for the first quarter, based on a book introducing students to Muslim cultures. We chose The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. We chose this work because the protagonist, Santiago, travels to North Africa and is introduced to the Muslim world for the first time. As Santiago experiences Muslim cultures, we could expand upon the experiences and perspectives in class. We felt the students would easily connect and engage with teenager Santiago because of his age and because of the adventure aspects of the story. Students read The Alchemist as part of their work in humanities and the story is used as a stimulus for the work in art.
I focused the unit through health and social education as I wanted the students to analyse Santiago’s journey and apply aspects of his experiences, including of Muslim cultures, to their own lives and artwork. As Santiago is on his journey, he uses a variety of maps, signs, guides and skills. These elements were incorporated into the art unit—students create a map of their own dreams or goals and write an essay about how Santiago’s journey inspired their own map—alongside Muslim artistic elements. A strong aspect of this unit is the reflection on personal growth and how this can be expressed through art, which is a part of the student learning experience.
Developing the unit This unit has been taught twice, and has undergone significant revisions. Through collaboration with the humanities and language A teachers, we moved the unit from 8th grade to 7th grade, to better match with Indiana state standards. The three teachers wrote their units together and, throughout the unit, would meet to discuss student questions, content and assessment, and to share resources. Because of this collaboration, the units were more cohesive and meaningful for the students.
Muslim context This unit addresses aspects of Muslim cultures, particularly the use of calligraphy in Muslim art and the frequent use of pattern. We also examined the contexts of the Five Pillars of Islam (presented to students as the “Five Pillars of Wisdom”), the variety of Muslim dress, Muslim proverbs, and symbols found on doors in Zanzibar and used by Muslim artists.
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 38
Global transferability of the unit This unit offers a creative way to address Muslim cultures through literature and art, and offers an example of how teachers can work from a piece of literature and connect it to their subjects in a meaningful manner. Local curricular demands are met in this unit; however, it could be adapted to meet other local contexts through the choice of cultures represented in the unit, involving choices about the resources and stimuli used.
MYP unit planner
Adapted from planner provided by, and in collaboration with, the Centre For Inquiry.
Unit title Mapping My Dreams
Teacher(s) Visual arts teacher (Center For Inquiry)
Subject and grade level Visual Arts, Grade 7 [MYP 2]
Time frame and duration First Quarter, 16 x forty minute sessions
Stage 1: Integrate significant concept, area of interaction and unit question
Area of interaction focus
Which area of interaction will be our focus?Why have we chosen this?
Significant concept(s)
What are the big ideas? What do we want our students to retain for years into the
future?
HSE
How am I changing?
Understanding myself and others
By examining the journey of others, students can apply lessons and
experiences to their own life dreams and goals.
One can be inspired by the life journeys of others: reflecting on our and others’
experiences helps us to develop perspective.
Artists use cultural symbols and art forms to express themselves.
MYP unit question
How can other people’s stories help me discover and express my own?
Assessment What task(s) will allow students the opportunity to respond to the unit question? What will constitute acceptable evidence of understanding? How will students show what they have understood?
Culminating Tasks:
Reflective Essay that addresses the following (Criterion A):
Impact of reflecting on someone else’s experiences or journey, in this case Santiago, on the development of personal artwork. This involves students identifying the themes of his journey and explaining how they have incorporated them into their own work. For example, the use of signs, guides, skills and values. Students will have previously analysed Santiago’s journey through various learning experiences.
Impact of exploring Muslim cultures and symbols and how they applied this to their artwork Use of proverb, calligraphy, and symbols
Students think about the contexts within which they have developed their artwork: the personal context of creating artwork reflecting experiences, life dreams and journeys, and being aware of influences on their art work; the cultural context of Muslim art.
Creation of Personal Legend Map (Criterion B):
Create a 2-D visual artwork that is a map of their personal dreams or goals.
Content of the artwork:
Personalized Five Pillars of Wisdom (identified by the student, but inspired from the Five Pillars of Islam) Steps to the achievement of goal Key people that help them achieve their goals Inspirational proverb or quote from The Alchemist
Techniques:
Use of Muslim symbols and Calligraphic styles Map-like qualities (realistic or abstract)
Developmental Workbook (Criterion C):
Students will show evidence of notes from presentations and evidence of participation in the creative design cycle.
Students will reflect on the impact of peer collaboration and critique, and how this helped the development of their artwork. This is a reflection on the process of creating visual artwork, in relation to their own work.
Which specific MYP objectives will be addressed during this unit? The Indiana State Standards for visual arts explored in this unit are listed below the objectives.
Objective A: Knowledge and Understanding Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Muslim art in relation to cultural and personal contexts Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the elements of the Muslim art forms studied and processes of
visual art Communicate a critical understanding of Muslim art forms and cultures in the context of own work
IN Standard 1 – Understand art in relation to history and past and contemporary culture IN Standard 3 – Describe, analyze and interpret works of art and artefacts, formulating a critical stance IN Standard 4 – Theorize about art and make informed judgments IN Standard 5 – Reflect on and discuss the nature of art, aesthetic experience, and aesthetic issues concerning the meaning and significance of art Objective B: Application
Develop an artwork that utilizes a theme of personal legends and Muslim tenets, which is both visually expressive and communicates the artist’s life goals
Utilize and build upon 2-D skills to create a drawing using the media of one’s choice* and calligraphy tools *Available mediums: pencil, pen, marker, colour pencil, water-colour pencil, pastels, chalk IN standard 8 – Experience the integrative nature of visual arts, other arts disciplines, and disciplines outside the arts, and understand the arts as a critical component of learning and comprehension in all subject areas Objective C: Reflection and Evaluation
Reflect critically on their own artistic development and processes at different stages of the unit Evaluate their work Use feedback to inform their own artistic development and processes
IN Standard 6 – Develop a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas for artwork and utilize skills of critique reflection and revision
Which MYP assessment criteria will be used?
Criterion A: Knowledge and Understanding – Rubric used to score students’ final essay exam Criterion B: Application – Rubric used to score student artwork Criterion C: Reflection and Evaluation – Rubric used to score students’ participation in critique
Stage 2: Backward planning: from the assessment to the learning activities through inquiry
Content
What knowledge and/or skills (from the course overview) are going to be used to enable the student to respond to the unit question? What (if any) state, provincial, district, or local standards/skills are to be addressed? How can they be unpacked to develop the significant concept(s) for stage 1? (*Moved to assessment section in Stage 1)
Investigation Personal dreams/goals inspired by journeys of others in both literature and art Muslim cultures and art forms Artworks that employ map-like qualities
Terminology/vocabulary
Five Pillars of Islam: Shahada, Zakat, Salah, Hajj, Saum Muslim cultures Proverbs and Qur’an Calligraphy pen, ink, nib, Arabic Abstract vs. literal representation Muslim symbols and symbolic framing; tessellations
Approaches to learning How will this unit contribute to the overall development of subject-specific and general approaches to learning skills?
Investigation: Use of variety of resources to gain knowledge of content, identify and develop links between the content studied in different subjects Application skills: Use the creative design cycle, clearly present ideas Critique skills: Monitor and evaluate strengths and weakness in one’s work and the work of others, actively listen to the perspective of others Self-management skills: Exhibit goal-setting and time-management skills, cooperative learning, organized notes in developmental workbook (DW), properly store and care for art and art supplies
Learning experiences
How will students know what is expected of them? Will they see examples, rubrics, templates?
How will students acquire the knowledge and practise the skills required? How will they practise applying these?
Teaching strategies
How will we use formative assessment to give students feedback during the unit? What different teaching methodologies will we employ? How are we differentiating teaching and learning for all? How have we made provision for those learning in a language other than their mother tongue? How have we considered those with special educational needs? Do the students have enough prior knowledge? How will we know?
Communicating Student Objectives Discuss the guiding question and
significant concepts of the unit. Students will record questions on the chalkboard (parking lot)
Discuss final scoring rubrics, clarifying and revising as needed
Student Inquiry Personal dreams/goals as inspired by
journeys of others in both literature and art
As a class, identify the main aspects
of Santiago’s journey and create a graphic organizer illustrating the elements
Muslim cultures and art forms
Guest speaker will introduce the Five Pillars of Wisdom
Movie of Zanzibar doors Teacher PowerPoint® of symbols
Muslim Proverbs
Pick, Pair, Share Planning/Practising Series of graphic organizers (same
organizer used to decode Santiago’s journey) that will identify: personal life dreams/goals, personal core values, map of their dreams – needed skills, signs and guides, and visual features
Practise drawing Muslim symbols and sketches of how these symbols could be incorporated into their final artwork
Practise using the calligraphy pens by picking one of the Muslim proverbs to write in calligraphy and illustrate
Critique/Evaluation Participate in a variety of critiques
throughout the unit. Written record in DW. Refine work based on critique feedback.
Emerging mastery of this skill is expected.
Creating Utilize the planning sheets and project
checklist to create an artwork that reflects their personal dream or goal, key guides, steps and skills, a quote from The Alchemist, map-like features, and Muslim symbols or calligraphic style
Use materials in the proper manner and collectively care for and create in the studio space
Work collaboratively with others, seek and offer feedback
Formative Assessment Pre-diagnostic observation – facilitate critique of exemplar
artwork and record student participation Variety of reflective writings and planning sheets will be
collected and feedback will be provided Written documentation of peer critique Two checklists culminating their final artwork, essay, and
DW elements Facilitation of Inquiry
Facilitate discussion and visual mapping of Santiago’s journey: Key aspects – goal, steps, guides, proverbs, personal skills/values
Present movie and PowerPoint® on the Muslim use of symbols in Zanzibar doors
Lead Socratic Seminar about proverbs
What is a proverb? What proverb did you pick? What do you think it means? What did your partner think it meant? How were your perceptions different? Why? How are proverbs culturally relevant? What do proverbs tell you about a person? What proverbs has Santiago experienced?
Planning/Practising Provide project description and project checklists, and
graphic organizer for Life Map Guided instruction in the following skills: calligraphy,
symbolic representation (how to draw tessellations and other Muslim patterns)
Review student graphic organizer and provide feedback Students needing special accommodation will have extended
time to complete work, support with note taking, and verbal explanation of expectations
Critique/Evaluation Provide a variety of masterworks for the students to critique.
These pieces should allow the emerging artist to explore: Muslim art forms, calligraphy, and artists who utilize map-like qualities in their work.
Observe active participation in critique, support students who are new to the process (offer 3 Stars and 1 Wish Strategy)
Creating Provide 2-D materials and independent support as needed Provide daily feedback and help set progress goals Review project checklist when half of the studio sessions
have past, help set progress goals
Resources What resources are available to us? How will our classroom environment, local environment and/or the community be used to facilitate students’ experiences during the unit?
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
Proverbs by Muslim authors
A variety of art images that include: Muslim art and symbols (photographs of the doorways in Zanzibar)
Art that is created using a map or map-like qualities (Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?; Miriam Schapiro, My History; David Hockney, Mulholland Drive; Lois Mailou Jones, Ode to Kinshasa; Bihzad, Building of the Palace of Khawarnaq)
Muslim artefacts that include: prayer mats, vases and plates adorned with calligraphy, traditional clothing, incense burner, music from Zanzibar to play as students work
Muslim parent will come to present the five Pillars of Islam
We will take a walking field trip to the Murat, a local theatre with Muslim architectural qualities
Ongoing reflections and evaluation
What did we find compelling? Were our disciplinary knowledge/skills challenged in any way? The Zanzibar and Arabian artefacts, photos, testimonials and movies I presented compelled the students. I had gained a deeper understanding of Muslim symbols and art forms from the local artist John DaSilva and the students were very interested in my visit with him and my feelings about the experience. The largest disciplinary skill challenge that arose was introducing calligraphy in the time I had allotted. In the future, my objective is to introduce students to calligraphy in grade 6 so that, by year 7, they are familiar with the tools and methods. What inquiries arose during the learning? What, if any, extension activities arose? Why do some Muslim women wear the clothes that they wear and do they feel oppressed? Exploration of the diversity of clothing in Muslim countries. How did we reflect—both on the unit and on our own learning? Student reflections were recorded in the essay and developmental workbooks. Teacher reflections were recorded daily on lesson plans and used to modify subsequent daily objectives. Which attributes of the learner profile were encouraged through this unit? All. This is the first unit of the school year and it provided many opportunities to review, and build on the knowledge and application of, the learner profile. What opportunities were there for student-initiated action? I introduced the students to the Five Pillars of Islam and led the classes in an activity where each student identified their own five pillars or five core values. After identifying the five pillars, students were asked to identify a ‘minister’ or ‘board of trustees’ for each pillar. For example, one of my pillars is perseverance and I identified Frida Khalo. The ministers could be dead or alive, famous or someone they know. This simple activity had a big impact. Many students identified teachers and other people in their lives. After class, many contacted the people and discussed how they had influenced their lives. Possible connections Personal heroes, career options, career planning, collage tour, Muslim contributions to Math and Science, Astronomy. Other connections to literature in a Muslim context: students could also read parts or a translation of The Conference of the Birds, a very famous book of allegorical poems written in 12th century Persia by the poet Mantiq at-Tayr. Through the story of a group of 30 birds, the poems deal with the theme of the personal journey towards enlightenment. How successful was the collaboration with other teachers within my subject group and from other subject groups? At CFI we have a small teaching staff. We have one teacher per subject group. We often plan and brainstorm together and, therefore, many of our units are multi-disciplinary.
What interdisciplinary understandings were or could be forged through collaboration with other subjects? The students gained from the strong connections forged between humanities, language A and art. This could be developed as an interdisciplinary unit involving those subjects but would need more consultation with the respective teachers. Assessment Were students able to demonstrate their learning? The students’ writing and artwork demonstrate a high level of understanding. The students were very engaged and actively participated in all parts of the design cycle. How did the assessment tasks allow students to demonstrate the learning objectives identified for this unit? How did I make sure students were invited to achieve at all levels of the criteria descriptors? In their summative essays, students demonstrated a considerable growth in knowledge and understanding of Muslim art forms and cultures, as compared to the pre-assessment writing. Students wrote about many different aspects of Muslim culture that we discussed in class. Students also used specific vocabulary to describe both art and culture. The students’ art reflects an overall understanding and enthusiasm for the project. In the student essays all said that making the life map was fun and insightful, and that they learned about their peers and felt we had a stronger learning community because of the unit. I observed a high level of peer support during studio sessions. I observed students giving each other feedback about the composition, and students evaluating and applying the feedback. Are we prepared for the next stage? The next visual art unit explores four Modern Art movements and how these movements relied upon the relationship between literary critics, art dealers, artists, patrons, scientists and philosophers. I feel this unit prepares the students by building their awareness of how an artist can be inspired by literature. Additionally, students gained an appreciation of how one can examine a concept from multiple perspectives. Data collection: How did we decide on the data to collect? Was it useful? I collected planning sheets, presentation notes and critique records. I was able to evaluate the students’ understanding of topics discussed in class and offer feedback that later supported the creation of their maps. The Language A teacher used several of the planning sheets when developing the students’ personal hero essays.
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 45
Example 2: The sum of the parts—curiosity of the ancients still shapes how we understand the world today Sciences
MYP year: 4
Rationale The school Qatar Academy is a private, non-profit, selective educational institution in Doha, Qatar. The school has its own international curriculum based on standards and benchmarks that support the PYP, MYP and Diploma Programme. Around 60% of our students are from the Middle East while the other 40% come from other countries. Faculty members are from various countries around the world.
Context of the unit in the curriculum The unit is called “The Sum of the Parts”. It is the first unit of the grade 9 course (MYP 4) and aims to lay the foundation of chemistry concepts needed for the rest of the integrated science units that make up the science course at Qatar Academy. It is followed by a unit called “Making and Breaking”, which looks at natural and synthetic polymers and the chemical processes that take place during digestion. “The Sum of the Parts” is a chemistry unit that looks at how elements combine to form compounds. The main focus of study in this unit is the compounds found in crude oil. Crude oil is a mixture of various compounds and the techniques for separating crude oil compounds—simple and fractional distillation—are explained to students. Such techniques were used as far back as the 8th century and were perfected by the Arab scientist Jabir Ibn Haiyan. The global impact of using crude oil, a non-renewable energy resource, in generating electricity was explored, as well as renewable alternatives.
Developing the unit The current unit was developed in collaboration with the grade 9 teachers at Qatar Academy. The science department at Qatar Academy firmly believes in making science a hands-on, minds-on subject that helps to fuel the natural curiosity of students. Science teachers are encouraged to use historic examples of scientists in their lessons as it engenders respect for other cultures. The grade 9 teachers researched extensively before settling on Jabir Ibn Haiyan, whose work has made significant contributions to modern-day chemistry.
Suggestions and feedback by participants in the project were highly appreciated as it helped in improving the unit planner to a great extent.
Muslim context As the area of interaction is human ingenuity, the work of Jabir Ibn Haiyan fits naturally into this unit as many of his chemical techniques are still in use today. We therefore decided to allow students to research the work of Ibn Haiyan and to choose one of his chemical techniques to be presented as a “One World” poster assessment.
As the unit explores current techniques for separating compounds from crude oil, it ties in well with the work of the 8th century Muslim scientist Jabir Ibn Haiyan, who perfected many chemical techniques, including distillation. This unit offers an interesting way to acknowledge the importance of Muslim scholars to science and society. Jabir Ibn Haiyan invented and perfected several chemical techniques that are still being used globally in this day and age. Fractional distillation of crude oil, manufacturing of perfumes and steel making are a few such examples.
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 46
By considering the work of other scientists, there is the possibility of extending the exploration of Muslim contexts to other subjects. For example, Ibn al-Haytham was an Iraqi-born mathematician and astronomer living in the 10th century “who made significant contributions to the principles of optics and the use of scientific experiments.” 1 This scientist’s discoveries could be looked at in the context of physics, for example.
Global transferability of the unit Jabir Ibn Haiyan’s contributions span all areas of chemistry and can be used in almost any chemistry unit. By using him as an exemplar scientist, students’ curiosity might be aroused and they may consider finding out about other scientists who have made such a significant contribution.
Sometimes finding resources can be a challenge; however, it is possible to find resources that include non-Western perspectives. For example, resources such as the website www.actionbioscience.org can provide examples from other cultures and periods that can contribute to students’ understanding of the developments of scientists, male and female, from various cultures.
1 Ibn al-Haytham,. Encyclopædia Britannica Online,http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/738111/Ibn-al-Haytham. Accessed 10 November 2009
MYP unit planner
Adapted from planner provided by, and in collaboration with, Qatar Academy.
Unit title The Sum of the Parts
Teacher(s) Science team – Qatar Academy
Subject and grade level Science, Grade 9 (MYP 4)
Time frame and duration 6 weeks
Stage 1: Integrate significant concept, area of interaction and unit question
Area of interaction focus Which area of interaction will be our focus?
Why have we chosen this?
Significant concept(s) What are the big ideas? What do we want
our students to retain for years into the future?
Human ingenuity – understand that innovation is driven by curiosity and the
need to develop change.
Curiosity of the ancients still shapes how we understand the world today.
MYP unit question
How is knowledge organised and communicated over time?
Assessment What task(s) will allow students the opportunity to respond to the unit question?
What will constitute acceptable evidence of understanding? How will students show what they have understood?
Students investigate how a global issue is solved by using a specific chemical technique that was originally developed by Jabir Ibn Haiyan and express their opinions, supported by scientific knowledge and reasoning. Students communicate their findings and opinions by creating and presenting a poster, including a bibliography of supporting resources. Students design an investigation to find out the energy content of the alcohol series and communicate their findings via a lab report Students are tested on the knowledge and applications of this unit (end of topic test).
Which specific MYP objectives will be addressed during this unit?
Objectives A and B: (One world and Communication – Contributions of Jabir Ibn Haiyan to Chemistry purification e.g. separation processes, how we use such a process to solve a current global issue and its impact – poster) Objective C: (End of Topic Test) Objectives D, E and F: (Design and implement lab – compare energy content of different fuels)
Which MYP assessment criteria will be used?
A, B, C, D, E and F
Stage 2: Backward planning: from the assessment to the learning activities through inquiry
Content What knowledge and/or skills (from the course overview) are going to be used to enable the student to respond to the unit question?
What (if any) state, provincial, district, or local standards/skills are to be addressed? How can they be unpacked to develop the significant concept(s) for stage 1?
ATOMS AND MOLECULES Identify the three fundamental particles, protons, neutrons and electrons, and their relative charges
and masses; appreciate that electrons move around the nucleus; know how to represent an atom (aXz notation, shells model)
Understand and be able to define proton number and nucleon number; know that the former identifies an element and locates its position in the Periodic Table
Understand that atoms bond owing to the interaction of their outer electrons
IONIC AND COVALENT BONDING Appreciate that compounds can be classified into two broad types, ionic and covalent Understand how atoms from Groups I, II, VI and VII form ionic compounds Understand how the sharing of outer electrons can give rise to small and large covalently bonded
molecules
CRUDE OIL Understand why fossil fuels are a non-renewable energy resource and the current need to look for
renewable energy resources Appreciate that hydrocarbon fuels are derived from crude oil (petroleum) and that crude oil
(petroleum) is a mixture of hydrocarbons Understand the processes of simple and fractional distillation
MUSLIM HERITAGE AND MODERN DAY CHEMISTRY
Understand the nature and purpose of science Understand that innovation is the result of human curiosity and exists in every culture Understand the contribution of the 8th century Muslim alchemist Jabir Ibn Haiyan to current
chemical techniques
Approaches to learning How will this unit contribute to the overall development of subject-specific and general approaches to learning skills?
Knowledge acquisition skills (extra reading and research to complete homework tasks; research on Jabir Ibn Haiyan and the impact of one of his chemical techniques in modern-day application of chemistry; research for writing a detailed lab report on energy in fuels)
Collaboration (work with a lab partner, recognise the contribution of others)
Responsibility (work safely during practical sessions)
Integrity (acknowledge resources used for poster and lab report task)
Information-processing and organisational skills (collect and sort information and data for fuels lab, keep to deadlines for One World Poster and Lab Report)
Scientific inquiry skills (design and implement the fuels lab)
Analysing skills (recognise and explain patterns in data collected for lab report; critically evaluate the relationship between an ancient and modern chemical technique)
Communication skills (explain ideas and concepts via class work and homework tasks)
Reflection (reflect on their understanding of the scientific processes and concepts upon completion of poster, lab report and test)
Evaluating skills (draw conclusions and evaluate the poster experience; draw conclusions from fuel lab data and judge the value of data collected; suggest future improvements/experiments)
Learning experiences
How will students know what is expected of them? Will they see examples, rubrics, templates?
How will students acquire the knowledge and practise the skills required? How will they practise applying these?
Do the students have enough prior knowledge? How will we know?
Teaching strategies
How will we use formative assessment to give students feedback during the unit?
What different teaching methodologies will we employ?
How are we differentiating teaching and learning for all? How have we made provision for those learning in a language other than their mother tongue? How have we considered those with special educational needs?
Principal student engagements during the unit:
• Class discussions to elicit prior knowledge of atomic structure.
• Class discussion on how atoms are organised in the periodic table; identify the group an atom belongs to if its atomic number is known. Text book and worksheets used to consolidate learning.
• Work out arrangement of electrons for the first twenty elements of the Periodic Table. Connect the pattern seen in diagrams to the periodic table.
The AOI of ‘Human Ingenuity’ can be made explicit in several lessons in this unit e.g.: when discussing the atomic model, types of bonding, using crude oil and ancient/current scientists’ inventions.
Class work and homework assignments to be marked by teacher, student or whole class, to give timely feedback.
Make special accommodation, such as time dispensation, for students with learning difficulties
• Outline historical aspects in the development of our current understanding of the atomic model. Develop the idea that the current model may change over time.
• Draw Lewis diagrams to show electron configurations in ions and work out the formula of ionic compounds and think about challenges in using such models.
• Draw Lewis diagrams to show sharing of electrons in simple covalent molecules like O2, Cl2, HCl, CH4 and think about challenges in using such models.
• Simulations on ionic and covalent bonding.
• Explain findings of qualitative observation activity of ionic and covalent compounds.
• Use MolyMods™ to explore the nature of hydrocarbon molecules, allow student-generated solutions to help in understanding giant covalent structures
• Use MolyMods™ to create hydrocarbon molecules, group discussion on student understanding of hydrocarbons and how the general formulas of alkanes and alkenes were deduced. Students explore whether small molecules can be created from large hydrocarbon chains.
• Independent research on how fossil fuels are formed, why we use them, the consequences of using them, solutions to protect these resources.
• Lab activity on simple distillation of ink and water. Extend the principles to fractional distillation. Class discussion on when the process was first invented and for what purpose.
• Outline the products and uses of the different fractions of crude oil. Outline combustion reactions of alkanes. Class discussion on consequences of using alkanes for fuels and whether other alternatives should be invented and why.
• Group discussion on the ‘Nature of Science’, how it is intrinsic to human curiosity and how it allows us to connect the past with the present.
• Conduct research on the impact of a current chemical technique originally developed by the 8th century Muslim scientist Jabir Ibn Haiyan. Celebrate his contribution by sharing his invention/technique with other members of class.
• MYP criteria/rubrics to be presented and explained
to students on setting of Poster and Fuel Lab task
• Provide feedback of assessed lab report
• One World poster to be assessed and feedback provided
Resources What resources are available to us?
How will our classroom environment, local environment and/or the community be used to facilitate students’ experiences during the unit?
• Online animation of Rutherford’s experiment showing structure of atom
• ExploreLearning Gizmo “Element Building”, “Ionic Bonds” and “Covalent Bonds” http://www.explorelearning.com
• Muslim Heritage http://www.muslimheritage.com/
• 1001 Inventions Muslim Heritage in Our World, 2nd Edition, ISBN: 9780955242618 Editor: Al Hassani, Salim (2006)
• Science and Mathematics in Medieval Islamic Cultures http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/ScienceMath/Science_and_Math.html
• Chemistry for You by Lawrie Ryan; Publisher: Nelson Thornes; Revised edition (10 Sep 2001) ISBN-10: 0748762345 ISBN-13: 978-0748762347
Ongoing reflections and evaluation
In keeping an ongoing record, consider the following questions. There are further stimulus questions at the end of the “Planning for teaching and learning” section of MYP: From principles into practice. Students and teachers
What did we find compelling? Were our disciplinary knowledge/skills challenged in any way?
What inquiries arose during the learning? What, if any, extension activities arose?
How did we reflect—both on the unit and on our own learning?
Which attributes of the learner profile were encouraged through this unit? What opportunities were there for student-initiated action?
Possible connections
How successful was the collaboration with other teachers within my subject group and from other subject groups?
What interdisciplinary understandings were or could be forged through collaboration with other subjects?
Assessment Were students able to demonstrate their learning?
How did the assessment tasks allow students to demonstrate the learning objectives identified for this unit? How did I make sure students were invited to achieve at all levels of the criteria descriptors?
Are we prepared for the next stage?
Data collection How did we decide on the data to collect? Was it useful?
What worked well in the delivery of the unit? The unit worked well because models, experiments and thinking skills were used to consolidate learning. Examples of Greek, Muslim and Western scientists were used when discussing the historical advancement of our understanding of materials. Students found this approach stimulating as it made them aware that science is a cooperative venture and that the work of other cultures should be valued and celebrated.
Students were amazed at the contributions of the Muslim scientist that they were asked to research. The research culminated in a poster assessment for Criteria A and B. Students were genuinely engaged and interested during their research session and enjoyed creating their One World poster. The AOI of Human Ingenuity was discussed within the context of solving the global issue of obtaining useful products from crude oil. This helped in their understanding of what was expected from the poster task.
Interestingly, for the poster task, students came up with current applications of various other techniques developed by Jabir Ibn Haiyan (e.g. crystallization, discovery and applications of HCl, H2SO4 and Aqua Regia, making steel, making manganese dioxide). This proved a great opportunity for students to share and teach applications of chemistry to other students. Teachers also realised that they could learn something new from their students.
What was challenging in the delivery of the unit? The fact that Qatar Academy started its new academic year on the 4th Oct 09 due to Swine Flu outbreak meant that some of the concepts needed for the understanding of Crude Oil formation and its fractions were fast-tracked. This proved stressful for the students.
What changes would be made to the unit in retrospect? In future, I would like students to carry out an investigation into separation techniques before researching about Jabir Ibn Haiyan as it would make students understand the problem-solving process and the need for creating a viable solution to a global issue.
What was successful or challenging in the process of developing the unit? It was challenging to create a link between how elements form compounds and the rationale behind our focus on a specific group of compounds in crude oil. However, students understand that crude oil is the choice energy resource in most countries and that it is a non-renewable resource. This approach allowed us to justify the study of this specific group of compounds.
The grade 9 teachers had to think really hard about how to incorporate the contribution of Muslim culture into a chemistry unit, After searching for a natural link on this aspect, Jabir Ibn Haiyan was chosen as the scientist for detailed study.
JABIR IBN HAIYAN ONE WORLD ASSIGNMENT – Grade 9 In class we have studied about distillation and fractional distillation. Such techniques were used as far back as the 8th Century by Jabir Ibn Haiyan (700–800 AD), who is known as the father of modern chemistry.
You will be given 1 piece of A3 paper. Your job is to make a poster to outline the work of Jabir Ibn Haiyan and explain how one of his chemical techniques is currently used to solve a global issue.
You will also need to show some of the benefits and limitations of this chemical technique, and how the current application of this technique interacts with society, economics, politics and environment.
You should include diagrams to help explain your ideas. Your poster should be:
AREA OF INTERACTION: Human Ingenuity
GRADE 9 MYP CRITERIA Level
A One World
B Communication
1–2
You describe how science is applied to a local or global issue.
You state some of the benefits or limitations of science in addressing the issue.
You try to communicate scientific information using some scientific language. You make mistakes in the format of your information. You acknowledged sources of information, but with mistakes.
3–4
You describe how science is applied to address a specific local or global issue. You describe some benefits or limitations of science in addressing the issue. You describe how science and its applications interact with at least one of the following factors: social, economic, political, environmental, cultural or ethical.
You communicate scientific information using scientific language. Most of your information is presented in an appropriate way. You acknowledge your sources of information, but with mistakes. You have used in-text referencing.
5–6
You explain how science is applied to address a specific local or global issue. You describe and explain some of the benefits and limitations of science in solving the issue. You describe and explain how science and its applications interact with some of the following factors: social, economic, political, environmental, cultural and ethical.
You communicate scientific information correctly and accurately. You present all the information in an appropriate way. You use a variety of sources and you reference these accurately. You use in-text referencing and a properly formatted bibliography.
Experiment to Investigate Fuels Criteria Assessed: B,D,E,F AOI Link: – Human Ingenuity – the development of new ideas and understandings, and creativity in designing new technologies which make use of different types of fuels You are provided with a number of different fuels which have been extracted from oil. The fuels vary in their chain length.
Task: Compare the energy output of the fuels and relate this to their physical properties.
Level
B Communication
D Scientific Enquiry
E Processing Data
5–6
You communicate scientific information correctly and accurately. You present all the information in an appropriate way. You use a variety of sources and you reference these accurately. You use in-text referencing.
You define the purpose of the investigation You can write a testable hypothesis, with a scientific explanation. You can identify the variables and describe how to manipulate them. You can evaluate your experiment and comment on its reliability and validity. You suggest meaningful improvements. You suggest how the investigation can be extended.
You collect and record data using appropriate forms of measurement. You can independently organize and transform your data appropriately. You can present data in a variety of ways You can analyse and interpret data. You draw conclusions that are supported by scientific explanations and reasoned interpretation of your data.
What I need to do to improve my level: -
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 57
Example 3: State of the nation—defining boundaries in geography, culture and community Interdisciplinary (humanities and arts)
MYP year: 5
Rationale The school J.E.B. Stuart High School serves approximately 1,400 students in suburban Fairfax County, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC. The 13th largest US public school system, Fairfax has implemented IB programmes in 20 schools. Students at J.E.B Stuart complete years 4 and 5 of the MYP, in partnership with nearby Glasgow Middle School. At Stuart, IB programmes are open to all students in a diverse community comprising many ethnicities, languages and nationalities. The majority of students are economically disadvantaged, and a significant minority have limited proficiency in English.
Context of the unit in the curriculum This unit was developed for use with honours students who are expected to continue on to the IB Diploma Programme.
The study of modern world history in most American high schools includes some discussion of 19th century developments in European political philosophy, often focusing on the unification of Italy and Germany as hallmarks in the emergence of the contemporary nation state. Emerging patterns of nationalism and state-building in Europe are seen as the backdrop against which the Ottoman and Austro–Hungarian empires set the stage for the two world wars (1914–1918, 1939–1945) and the Cold War that followed.
The standard narrative treats Germany (Bismarck) and Italy (Garibaldi), often in relation to the constitutional democracies of France and the United States, as members of a global system progressing through time. The world’s peoples are seen as having organized themselves in phases by tribe, then city–state and regional leagues, through a long era of clashing kingdoms and empires, ending with our current dynamic system of modern nation states.
Developing the unit and Muslim context This unit is enriched by careful attention to non-Western contexts, especially the political institutions created in traditionally Muslim cultures. It uses the teaching process to build further background knowledge of Muslim cultures, offering an exemplar of the summative assessment task that features the diverse peoples whose lands touch the Indian Ocean. By exploring the case study of an imaginary new nation state (“the Islamic Republic of Baharia”), students build cultural competency as they learn about the art, music, trade, faith, geography and political institutions of that region. The example invites reflection and discussion on what it means to be a nation, on the consequences of colonialism, and on the adaptability of economic and religious systems in a global context. (See teaching note 1 following the unit.) My art colleague was instrumental in helping to find images to support humanities content knowledge, developing the arts criterion A rubric, and collaborating on the visual components of the assessment task and exemplar.
We developed the unit in light of MYP fundamental concepts.
• Intercultural awareness: helping older students begin to make sense of the modern world’s geopolitical systems. By inviting year 5 students to consider not only the historical development of the nation state in Europe, but also parallels in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, this study opens the door to powerful discussions about similarities and differences—a high yield instructional strategy and a key approach to learning.
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 58
• Holistic: posing a clearly-framed problem that students address by bringing together a variety of perspectives through interdisciplinary instruction and assessment.
• Communication: offering students many opportunities to strengthen their capacity to share information and ideas. Using world languages, art, maps, and persuasive writing, students create performance of understanding.
Global transferability of the unit While this unit is presented in the context of an upper school course in world history, with specific content framed by generally accepted US state and national learning standards, teachers can adapt the time frame, instructional strategies and essential content to meet local curriculum guidelines. Also, the specific information used to fill out the unit’s inquiry and its significant concept might well be developed in other humanities courses and at other developmental levels. Courses in human and natural geography, cultural studies, civics/government, and integrated humanities can all fruitfully explore the problem of political organization and its cultural determinants and consequences.
Traditional studies rarely consider non-European contexts or the conflicts that can arise between secular democratic political units and alternative cultural and political systems. Particularly acute is the gap between what most Western history courses teach about the rise of nationalism and what students know about the history of nation states that encompass Muslim cultures. The interplay of nation states, non-state actors, and supranational institutions frames the history of the 21st century, and traditionally Muslim nations are at the heart of key international issues from the Middle East to central and south-eastern Asia, to Europe and North America.
MYP unit planner
Adapted from planner provided by, and in collaboration with, J.E.B. Stuart High School.
Unit Title State of the Nation
School J.E.B. Stuart High School – History and Art Departments
Subject and Grade Level Humanities (MYP 5) Visual Art (MYP 5) – interdisciplinary unit (Teaching note 2)
Time frame and Duration 2–3 weeks (5–8 x 90 minute classes) (Teaching note 3)
Stage 1: Integrate significant concept, area of interaction and unit question
Area of interaction focus Which area of interaction will be our focus?
Why have we chosen this?
Significant concept(s) What are the big ideas? What do our students need
to retain for years into the future?
Human ingenuity (Teaching note 4)
Students will consider how the creation of the modern nation-state has influenced the
world, exploring the consequences of human thought and action in history,
political science, and the arts.
We organize the world politically as a changing family of nation-states. Visual arts can communicate political identity, power, and aspiration. We can use both of these
realities to create a better and more peaceful world.
MYP unit question
Where should we draw the line?
Assessment
Students will develop the case for the creation of a new nation-state and create a patriotic visual image (or musical text/composition, or dance, or short film) to portray and elicit its citizens’ allegiance. In the case study, students will draw on historical examples and conceptual understanding to decide (and justify their decisions about) where the state should be created, how its national community(ies) will be defined, and what its stance will be toward both the surrounding region and the larger international community.
Which specific MYP objectives will be addressed during this unit?
Humanities: Concepts – systems in national and global societies/cooperation within and between systems; global awareness – issues facing the international community
Arts: Knowledge and understanding – knowledge of the art form in relation to societal, cultural and historical contexts
Which MYP assessment criteria will be used?
Humanities Criterion B/Arts Criterion A
Stage 2: Backward planning: from the assessment to the learning activities through inquiry
Content
National World History Standards – (Era 7.4) Describe patterns of nationalism in 19th and 20th century Europe; (Long-term Change and Recurring Patterns 7) Analyze the development of the nation-state.
http://nchs.ucla.edu/standards/world-standards5-12.html
National Art Standards – (4) Understand the visual arts in relation to history and cultures [Students analyze relationships of works of art to one another in terms of history, aesthetics, and culture, justifying conclusions made in the analysis and using such conclusions to inform their own art making]; (6) Make connections between visual arts and other disciplines [Students compare characteristics of visual arts within a particular historical period or style with ideas, issues, or themes in the humanities or sciences]
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teach/standards.cfm
Specific content knowledge
□ European perspectives o Treaty of Westphalia o French Revolution o Revolutions of 1848 o Bismarck and Garibaldi
□ Euro-Asian perspectives (Russo-Japanese War; the Salt March) □ Muslim perspectives (pan-Arabism; Atatürk, Jiinnah, Nasser, Kenyatta);
Shari’ah and ummah (including the inherent tensions between theological principles and political practice)
□ Nation/state/dynasty/tribal agglomeration/empire □ Parochialism, patriotism, nationalism, cohesion, homogeneity, cosmopolitanism, internationalism □ Right of self-determination; sovereignty; triumphalism □ Problem of the minority □ Repatriation (art) □ Symbolisation/personification □ Verdi, Elgar, Delacroix, Tagore
Content questions/inquiry into (inter)national systems
□ Should every ethno-nation be a state? □ Are there any practical alternatives to nationhood? □ What is the role of pan-national organizations? □ What actions are appropriate in securing sovereignty? □ How should nation-states balance diversity and homogeneity? □ In the nation-state, how do artists balance creative freedom with a responsibility to preserving
culture? □ What is the political role of art?
Approaches to learning How will this unit contribute to the overall development of subject-specific and general approaches to learning skills?
Humanities – Analytical skills (identify key problems and issues); decision-making skills (draw conclusions including implications); investigative skills (carry out and present group investigations)
Arts – What skills and knowledge can I take from other subjects and use in my art or my learning in art?
General – Collaboration (roles/responsibilities, teamwork); thinking (inquiring, applying, creating novel solutions); information literacy
Learning experiences Teaching strategies
Analyse icons (Liberté, Mother India, Statue of Liberty, Turkish independence)
Analyse patriotic musical texts (Elgar, “Pomp and Circumstance” and Verdi, “Triumphal March” from Aida)
Construct classroom map of nations, nation-states and ethnicities; discuss politics/geography
Class debate (“Resolved: The development of nation-states brought prosperity and stability to the modern world”)
Art show-values search (guest lecture by art teacher, reviewing slides to identify art forms and cultural traditions; inferring artists’ values from their work)
Elgin marbles case study
Collaborative or teacher-provided research to develop “Nationalism Hall of Fame” featuring key figure biographies (including 19th/20th century Muslim leaders)
Interim synthetic assessments: people, places, dates quiz; concepts short-answer test
Establish cognitive set – examine how images and music inspire patriotic feelings
Create purpose for learning – assign task and explain rubric at the beginning of the unit; discuss exemplar
Build real-world connections – examine daily news reports for international “hot spots” in which nationalism is part of the ongoing debate
Mini-lectures on growth of nationalism in 19th century Europe, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East; comparing 20th and 21st century Muslim contexts
Use formative assessments to monitor essential vocabulary acquisition and concept attainment (quizzes and quick writes; “numbered heads together” reviews)
Develop protocol for analysing visual images
Chart learning by developing a wall-sized concept map of international systems
Promote inquiry with a question wall
Multi-level texts for a range of reading levels; peer review; tiered assignments; options for multiple intelligences (visual, musical, kinaesthetic)
Resources
World history textbook – World History: Connections to Today (Prentice Hall, 2007) – Chapter 10; reference works (atlas, gazetteer, etc – either print or electronic)
Art sourcebooks or internet resources – Museum Without Frontiers (http://www.discoverislamicart.org/exhibitions/ISL/)
Recordings of nationalistic songs and examples of nationalistic visual images
Current news sources (print or electronic) – www.bbc.co.uk; www.nytimes.com; www.english.aljazeera.net
Portraits and essential biographies of key figures (ABC-Clio; Discovery Learning)
Exemplar created by teacher – Nation-State of The Islamic Federal Republic of Baharia
Stage 3: Ongoing reflections and evaluation
Possible connections
1. There are additional connections to develop between nationalism (and challenges to nationalism) with language A.
2. Additional humanities and arts objectives could be assessed with this performance task. If time permits, it could easily support humanities criterion D (organization and presentation) and arts criterion B (performance).
Praise and polish
1. What worked well: The unit was very engaging for students because it provided a real-world and contemporary context for the study of emergent European nationalism. Students strengthened their understanding of geography and world events as they developed a map that identified current nationalistic conflicts around the globe. Classes enjoyed lectures with music and art and responded well to creative aspects of the summative assessment task. Students began to make important connections between political systems and current international conflicts.
2. Challenges: The unit challenged teachers and students because of the severe time constraints imposed by a very broad state curriculum. The unit’s content went well beyond required knowledge for the course. In order to build background understanding of traditional Muslim states, additional time and energy inside and outside of class were required. Learning about so many new things at once placed students under an extensive cognitive load.
Exploring European nationalism as an exercise in comparative history opened many interesting points of comparison. Encountering Indian Ocean civilizations significantly broadened its scope and impact. Finding concise and developmentally appropriate resources to support students’ inquiry—always a challenge—is particularly difficult for modern, predominantly Muslim nation-states.
3. When teaching this again: To support a more differentiated classroom, in future teachers will need to develop a range of resources to scaffold students’ inquiry into world conflicts surrounding the development of nation states. When possible, organizing the curriculum more topically would relieve tensions between developing a primarily European narrative and exploring larger issues of political organization. The core exploration of nation-state building would be easier following a basic introduction to post-Ottoman history in Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. The unit might be re-developed as a culminating experience that ties modern world history to current global conflicts.
In more advanced classes, students may be ready to engage in more formal discussions about the historiography surrounding the concept of the nation-state.
4. Some of the ideas and resources that helped with developing this unit could be further explored:
Nationalistic processes at play in formation of states emerging from the Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire (for an overview, see http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/questions/nations/index.html)
Unification – Arab nationalism (pan-Arabism)
1960s, socialist, secular (not Islamist – some leaders were not Muslims)
Cultural, focused on north Africa and the Middle East, opposed to colonialism
Sharif Hussein ibn Ali (1915)/Gamal Abdul Nasser (1960s)
In more extreme versions, early Muslim Brotherhood (al-ikwan)/Sayyid Qutb’s philosophy
Saudi Arabia – Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud’s unification of Arabian peninsula tribes
Separation – formation of Egypt
Ahmad Lutfi al-Sayyid, moderate educator and journalist of the Ummah party; Mustafa Kamil – Egyptian nationalist party
2006 Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian National Charter (http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1780)
Contemporary processes among Kurds in Iraq and Turks in Central Asia
State-building – modern Turkey
Successor to the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of WW1; “National Pact” 1920
Mustafa Kamal Atatürk, 1923; Kemalism
Political institutions and the role of education (Republican People’s Party and “People’s Houses”
Current debate:
Juan Cole, Engaging the Muslim World (MacMillan, 2009, esp. chapter 2) – distinguishing between Muslim activism and Muslim radicalism; “The diverse cultures and polities of the Muslim world and those of the North Atlantic have had conflicts at times and achieved mutually beneficial forms of cooperation at others. . . . doing so will require a setting aside of Islam anxiety. . . and a spirit of compromise on all sides.”
Christopher Caldwell, Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West (Doubleday, 2009) – arguing that post-WW2 Europe’s political tradition has focused on purging nationalism (understood as the basis for “racism, militarism, and cultural chauvinism—but also patriotism and pride”), leading to the development of the EU; these understandings of history are often not shared by immigrant communities, leading to a sharp clash in values, confused thinking about the meaning of multiculturalism/diversity, a new kind of Islamic tribalism, and a fear of political Islam.
Khaled M. Abou El Fadl, The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists (HarperOne, 2007, esp. chapter 2) – suggesting that the loss of traditional Muslim institutions of religious authority (largely a consequence of colonialism and the rise of the modern secular nation-state) has allowed Islamic puritans to usurp shariah as a source of ideological legitimacy; these mass movements, arising in a vacuum of religious authority, became the focus of “resistance to Western hegemony as well as a means of voicing nationalist aspirations for political, social, and cultural independence throughout the Muslim world.”
Teaching Notes:
1. To increase appreciation of Muslim cultures, other units can provide key points of contact in traditional courses of study for U.S. and world history, as well as civics and comparative government: the perspectives of traditionally Muslim countries are often unexplored when considering
the role of religion in the political process, the nature of civil society, colonialism and its aftermath, the Cold War and the impact of socialism, and the effects of World War I;
course can explore general humanities concepts like public opinion, cultural identity and diffusion, and environmental influences on society by considering test cases from countries with significant or majority Muslim populations;
teachers can challenge preconceptions by posing alternative analogies with Muslim contexts to help students understand events in contemporary Western societies. For example, the clash of cultures in the American civil rights movement might be a better way to understand contemporary conflicts in Muslim societies than the easy substitution of the global war against (Muslim) terrorism for the threat of communist expansionism that fuelled the Cold War;
in the course of exploring U.S. history and society, teachers can highlight often unseen connections with a rich diversity of Muslim cultures including African-American musical traditions, 19th century transcendentalism, and contemporary art, fashion, and culture.
2. This unit is interdisciplinary because it both pursues learning objectives in two MYP subject areas (arts and humanities) and develops new integrated understandings that emerge from the collaboration. Politics and artistic expression are often intertwined, and students enrich their understanding of both disciplines by treating them in an integrated study. A single focus area of interaction forms a conceptual context for teaching and learning. Human ingenuity frames students’ inquiry into some of the key issues and consequences that underlie the development the idea of the nation-state. For art, the unit’s emphasis is not so much on the application of artistic technique as it is on the way we think, create, and transform ideas. The integration of the arts into the unit is by the humanities teacher with collaboration from the arts teacher.
3. The length of the unit can be extended and has a range of content from which teachers can choose to craft a learning experience that meets local requirements.
4. Other areas of interaction might be developed to provide alternative or additional insights. Community and service offers the opportunity to explore the “complexities of community and its different forms”; health and social education invites the exploration of social structures and political decision making at personal and national levels; environments frames inquiry into the dynamic interaction between social values, political history, and landscapes of human and physical geography.
Assessment rubric Arts Criterion A (Knowledge and understanding) Achievement level
Descriptor
7–8
You displayed well-developed knowledge and understanding because you… Thoughtfully use authentic cultural traditions and art forms and explain how they could
inspire national allegiance Critically combine a variety of artistic elements from the historical-social context of
your new nation 5–6
You displayed good knowledge and understanding because you… Use authentic cultural traditions and art forms Use multiple artistic elements from the historical-social context of your new nation
3–4
You displayed satisfactory knowledge and understanding because you… Connect your work with some aspect of appropriate cultural traditions or art forms Use some artistic element from the historical or social context of your new nation
1–2
You displayed only limited knowledge and understanding because you… Don’t connect your work with any appropriate cultural tradition or art form Only use artistic elements that lie outside the historical or social context of your new
nation
Humanities Criterion B (Concepts) Achievement level
Descriptor
9–10
You demonstrated extensive understanding of systems and global awareness when you… explain in detail the structure of systems in local, national, and global societies consider cooperation between and within systems (inter-relationship) on multiple
scales prioritize and explore in-depth key issues facing the international community discuss implications of equality, justice, and responsibility
7–8
You demonstrated a well-developed understanding of systems and global awareness when you… describe the structure of systems that exist in local, national, or global societies consider the cooperation between or within social systems (inter-relationship) develop at least one of the issues facing the international community recognize some implications for equality, justice, and responsibility
5–6
You demonstrated a proficient understanding of systems and global awareness when you… recognize some of the systems that exist in society note some of the issues facing the international community attempt to point out the relationships between various national systems
3–4
You demonstrated a basic understanding of systems and global awareness when you… observe that systems exist in national and global societies recognize relevant issues that face the international community
1–2
You demonstrated a minimal understanding of systems and global awareness when you… don’t write about societies as systems fail to consider the international dimension of society
A Proposal to Establish the New Nation-State of
_______
Language, “Meaning” Geography: Explain where the new nation will located and why. Describe what people(s) will be included and how the new political system you’re creating will deal with issues of language, ethnicity, and nationalism. Include a map the shows the new country’s extent. International Dimensions: Discuss how your nation-state will fit into the world. How will its inhabitants work together as global citizens? What will be its role in the global economic system? Issues: Explore the consequences/effects of your new country’s creation. What problems will need to be resolved? How will its governance work in the context of civil society? How will it deal with pluralism? What are the implications for culture? Flag: Describe the new country’s flag. What is its significance? Why do its symbols “work?” Art: Interpret the national icon you’ve developed for your new country. What art forms and traditions do you use? Why? How will your symbol inspire patriotism or allegiance?
create a new flag
map
As new employees of the United Nations, you have been charged with proposing to the Secretary General the creation a new nation-state whose existence will make the world a better place. Use what you know about the emergence of nation-states and tensions within the idea of nationalism. Justify your decision using this template to frame your argument. Make your case by analyzing social systems and thinking from a global point of view. Create a new flag for your country and develop a national symbol that expresses its values and identity. For your art, draw on the traditions and forms that have meaning for the new country’s people(s). Clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of each member of your four-person team. Each person must contribute a specific section of the proposal. Your proposal is limited to 1,200 words. It will be hard to make an effective argument with fewer than 700 words.
Teacher exemplar A Proposal to establish the new Nation-State of
The Islamic
Federal Republic of Baharia Kiswahili, “Ocean Land” “Among His signs is the diversity of your languages and cultures.” (Quran 49:13)
Geography: Baharia will comprise all landforms surrounded by the Indian Ocean, as well as a zone extending 20 kilometers inward from the sea from southern Africa, across the Arabian peninsula, around the subcontinent of India, along the south-western coast of southeast Asia, ending down the coast of western Australia.
International Dimensions: The vast size of Baharia and its connections to many important natural resources will help to guarantee its prosperity in global trade. Economic systems will be supported by emerging markets in India and China, with development in education and infrastructure creating higher standards of living in coastal Africa as well. With the former Indonesia at the heart of a new global financial system, with skilled labor from India, and energy resources from the Gulf States, Baharia will be connecting point and transportation hub for a majority of the world’s population. Peoples of many heritages and races—most of them representing Muslim cultures—will support common goals, living together based on their history of tolerance and acceptance that is based on a peaceful mercantile maritime culture that reaches back for centuries. The organization of this new state will be easier thanks to the work of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), founded in 1997. Its core mission of creating trade relationships, as well as business and academic partnership, has laid the foundation for successful international cooperation. Member countries already include Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kenya. Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Issues: Since Baharia will encompass part of many nation-states, there will be many issues regarding changes in national sovereignty. Border control will difficult. With such a huge and potentially disconnected area that cuts across three continents, the citizens of Baharia will have to work at maintaining common interests. The nation will be an Islamic republic; but with power shared between national and state-zone levels, people of other traditions will have great determination over their own affairs. Non-Muslims will be subject to shariah law that is interpreted in light of the U.N.
Declaration of Human Rights and will be subject to a 2.5% tax that will support state-zone development foundations. Flag: Baharia’s flag is bright blue, recalling the Mare liberum Indian Ocean. A rising sun speaks to the nation’s great hope for the future, and it also might be seen as a sign of wealth and a reminder that in Baharia, what matters is not the tone of your skin but the color of your gold. Sailing across the banner is the famous dhow, Baharia’s ancient means of profitable trade and exciting cultural interaction. The close connection on people across diverse lands, the importance of commerce, the vast riches of the ocean, the need for constant interchange and communication—these are the ideas reflected in new nation’s flag. Art: With so many rich traditions, it is difficult to identify any single image that might inspire national allegiance among all the peoples of Baharia. So, we have reached into the past to highlight a great naval and commercial hero whose travels across the Indian Ocean were remembered for centuries: Zheng He. Zheng He, the fifteenth century Chinese admiral who explored most of what will be Baharia, is a kind of neutral figure on whom the people of the new nation can project their hopes and dreams. He was a Muslim, originally named Ma He (Chinese for Mohammed), a master of the sea, and a brilliant trader, and a keen observer of the many cultures of Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania Images of Zheng He usually cast him in a heroic pose before his famous and enormous treasure ships that dwarfed the ships of Christopher Columbus.i He is a model for inspiring allegiance: he symbolizes adventure, wealth, power, openness to other cultures, and trade. In our portrait, we have adopted a typical depiction and added to its meaning. The proud and confident admiral is clothed in gold embroidery and surrounded with symbols that are important for the new nation: a four-part geometric design, a green crescent and star, and an astrolabe. These symbols represent the four continents of Baharia, the wealth that comes from cooperation between them, the faith that sustains the people, and the legacy of invention and innovation that connects Baharia’s past with its future. In Islam, representational art has sometimes been suppressed, but it is not forbidden. In our image, though, the astrolabe design and the patterns of Zheng He’s robes reflect the importance of geometric design in Muslim cultures. i http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200504/the.admiral.zheng.he.htm http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/dip/dip0607/dip060700015/481152.jpg http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sultan/expl2_01.html
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 69
Appendix 1
Stages of the project development The project process included the following stages.
• Selecting five PYP teachers and five MYP teachers through an application and screening process based on units of work submitted to the IB.
• Participating in a field experience including immersion into a Muslim cultural context and an intense curriculum planning process.
• Modelling the collaborative planning and reflection process though all stages of unit development.
• Trialling the units in schools, gathering feedback and refining the resources.
• Developing a pilot publication to be made available to all IB World Schools, Aga Khan Academies and the Aga Khan community.
Table 1 The project timeline
Stage Date
Call for IB teacher applicants and selection of successful applicants November 2008
Cultural and curriculum field work in Zanzibar; development of planners and units of work April 2009
Trialling of planners and units of work by teachers in their schools, process of collaborative review through technology
May–October 2009
Publication of article in IB World October 2009
Follow-up working party to finalize planners, units of work and resource materials November 2009
Planners and units of work and resources posted on OCC February 2010
Invitation to teachers to provide feedback on sample planners and units of work
March–December 2010
Exploration of opportunities for professional development activities March–December 2010
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 70
Appendix 2
Multicultural communities The study of what makes a society culturally diverse and of the ways in which individuals and groups respond to this diversity. • Equity and social justice • Citizenship (rights and responsibilities) • Fusion and innovation • Belonging and globalization • Tolerance and cross-cultural relations • New thinking and creativity
Global
Students explore the strand from self to global.
Global, regional, national and local spheres influence the students’ lives. Regional
National
Personal
Local
Heritage, cultural change and continuity The study of how rich cultural heritages evolve, are interpreted and reproduced. A critical examination of the interaction of changing culture and globalization • Cultural transmission (arts, architecture,
literature, rituals, oral traditions, etc) • Civilisation • Cultural preservation • Globalization • Cultural interpretations and representations
(media, education) • Religion • Institutions and political influences
Cultures diagram Developed by the Aga Khan Academies in collaboration with other IB educators (2007)
Cultural encounters The study of how cultural groups interact with, and influence, each other across space and time. A critical examination of the impact of these encounters on individuals, communities and nations. • Movement of people • Diversity and difference • Interchange of ideas and enculturation • Power (colonization, cultural hegemony, in- and
out-groups) • Cultural influences and conflicts • Stereotypes • Evolution of language • Media • Cross-cultural communication
Cultural identities The study of how identities are acquired and expressed at individual and group levels. A critical examination of the nature and pathologies of these identities. • Language and behaviours (dress, etiquette) • Ways of knowing • Values and norms (ethics, gender, race) • World views (myths, stories) • Traditions and symbols • Primary, secondary, multiple identity • Institutions and groups (family, tribe, religion,
etc) • Ethnocentrism, patriotism • Identity crises
Intercultural understanding: Exploring Muslim contexts to extend learning 71
Appendix 3
Guiding questions to engage the learning community in a school • Why is it important to understand culture?
• How do I define culture?
• How does culture influence behaviours?
• How do artifacts distinguish cultural groups?
• What are common characteristics of different cultures?
• How is unity developed within and among cultures?
• What is the role of diversity within a culture?
• What is the role of diversity within a school community?
• What defines the culture of our school community? Organizational community?
• How do we value cultures in our school community?
• How does our school promote international-mindedness?
• What emphasis is placed on building an inclusive curriculum in our school?
• Why should we consider varied cultures in the curriculum?
• How do we design a curriculum that meets the needs of our students?
• In what ways can we incorporate varied cultural contexts into our curriculum?
• What are the challenges of incorporating varied cultural contexts into our curriculum?
• In what ways do my units enable students to explore varied cultures and perspectives?
• What unique cultural experiences and resources do I think children will bring with them to school as a result of growing up in our community? How might I build upon these in my teaching?
