The document outlines the programme of inquiry for Briargrove Elementary School. It includes the central ideas, lines of inquiry, and key concepts for each grade level from Kindergarten to Grade 5. The central ideas focus on topics like human identity, communities and citizenship, the natural world, and systems and order. For each grade, it lists the central ideas that will be explored, along with the lines of inquiry and key concepts that structure the learning units for that year.

1. Briargrove Elementary
Programme of Inquiry
Who we are
Where we are in place
and time
How we express
ourselves
An exploration of the nature of
the self, of our beliefs and
values; of personal, physical,
mental, social and spiritual
health; of our families, friends,
communities and cultures; of
our rights and responsibilities;
of what it means to be human.
An exploration of our
orientation in place and time;
of our personal histories; of
history and geography from
local and global perspectives;
of our homes and journeys; of
the discoveries, explorations
and migrations of humankind;
of the contributions of
individuals and civilizations.
An exploration of the ways in
which we discover and express
our nature, ideas, feelings,
beliefs and values through
language and the arts.
10-11
Central Idea: Human migration
produces economic, social, political,
and cultural change in the country of
origin and the receiving country.
Inquiry into:
Grade 5
Central Idea: People’s beliefs and
values impact societies.
Inquiry into:
●
●
●
Aspects of belief systems
Individual rights and
responsibilities within a
society
How to govern values and
beliefs
Key Concepts: Causation,
Function, Perspective
●
●
●
How migration can be
represented geographically
The motivation behind why
people explored and
migrated
The point of view of the
immigrants and established
communities
Key Concepts: Perspective,
Causation, Form
Central Idea
Rituals, traditions, and artifacts
provide a window into the beliefs and
values of cultures.
Central Idea
Grade 4
Identity is cultivated by changes,
choices, and values.
WORK IN PROGRESS
WORK IN PROGRESS
● The physical design of a colony
reflects its cultural beliefs
Function, connection, form
Function, Perspective, Reflection
Related Concepts
The diversity of economy
depends on supply,
demand, and available
Exploration, prediction, process,
context, culture, metamorphosis
Diversity, Beliefs
Inquiry into:
Lines of Inquiry
●
Traditions of a place define
its culture
●
Passion leads to
Central Idea
Living and nonliving things in an
ecosystem are interconnected
through systems and cycles within
the environment.
Key Concepts
Key Concepts
Central Idea
Expression of identity can be
represented through culture,
action, and citizenship.
An exploration of our rights
and responsibilities as we try
to share finite resources with
other people, with other living
things; of communities and of
the relationships within and
between them.
Lines of Inquiry
●
Components of an
ecosystem
●
Interactions within the
ecosystem
●
Human effects on an
ecosystem
● Significance of songs and stories
in culture
Central Idea: Progress is
determined by decisions, resources,
and roles.
Sharing the planet
An exploration of human
systems and communities; of
the world of work, its nature
and its value; of employment
and unemployment and their
impact.
Related Concepts
●
Inquiry into:
An exploration of the physical
and material world; of natural
and human-made phenomena;
of the world of science and
technology.
How we organize
ourselves
Lines of Inquiry
● Forming a colonization
Related Concepts: Migration,
Exploration, Geographical impact,
Borders
9-10
How the world works
WORK IN PROGRESS
Central Idea
Changes, improvements, and
processes can impact the
interdependence in a system.
Lines of Inquiry
●
Being responsible produces
reliable results.
●
Efficiency is the product of
improvement.
• Briargrove Elementary School • 6145 San Felipe Street • Houston, Texas • 2013-2014 • Update: 8/25/2013
WORK IN PROGRESS

2. ●
●
●
Identity can be
interpreted by multiple
points of view
Voluntary change vs.
forced change
Values define order or
chaos of a system.
Key Concepts: Perspective,
Change, Function
8-9
WORK IN PROGRESS
●
●
resources
Challenges have impacted
the growth of Texas
A community is defined by
the strength of its people
Key Concepts: Causation, Change,
Connection
Related Concepts: Challenges,
Decisions, Independence, Diversity
WORK IN PROGRESS
Grade 3
●
self-expression
Effective leadership should
consider public opinion
Key Concepts
Connection, Perspective, Reflection
Related Concepts
Central Idea:
Symbols and actions communicate
cultural identity.
Key Concepts: Causation,
Reflection, Connection
Grade 2
Central Idea:
Choices of citizens lead to change.
Inquiry into:
●
Roles and responsibilities of
citizens
●
Identify characteristics of
citizenship
●
Recognition and influence
of contributions made by
historical citizens
Key Concepts: Responsibility,
Causation, Change
Government is accountable
for the welfare of its
people.
Key Concepts
Responsibility, Function, Reflection,
Related Concepts
Loyalty, courage, citizenship,
patriotism, research
Inquiry into:
●
Importance of expression
●
Culture as a community
●
Relationship between
personal and cultural
identity
7-8
●
Transition, Changes,
Interdependence, Connectivity,
Processes, Responsibilities,
Reliability
Central Idea: Systems in our
universe mold the environment.
Inquiry into:
●
Orderly changes to the
Earth’s surface
●
Differentiate the
operations of a system
●
Orderly changes impact
society
Key Concepts: Change, Function,
Connection
Central Idea
Organizations help citizens meet
their needs and wants.
Lines of Inquiry
● Our responsibilities as citizens.
● Economic trends affect the
quality of life.
● Levels of government work
together
Central Idea
Living things are connected within
their place on Earth.
Lines of Inquiry
● Animal communication.
● Interdependence of energy
flows.
●
How organisms adapt to change
WORK IN PROGRESS
Key Concepts
Responsibility, Connection, Function
Related Concepts
Needs and Wants, Supply and
Demand, Infrastructure
Function, Connection, Change
Central Idea
Earth’s cycles affect and connect
with one another.
Central Idea: Leaders and citizens’
decisions establish and maintain
order in the community.
Central Idea
All living things evolve and adapt with
a changing environment.
Lines of Inquiry
● Changes in states of matter
WORK IN PROGRESS
Key Concepts
Inquiry into:
Lines of
●
●
●
Related Concepts: Geography,
Settlements, Ecosystems,
Dependence
● Steps of the water cycle and
connection to weather
● Patterns in the night sky
Key Concepts
Connection, Causation, Function
Related Concepts
Matter, Weather, Nature, Systems
(solar, water cycle, weather)
●
●
●
●
Characteristics and roles
of leaders in our
government
Structure of communities
Organization and
structure of government
positions
Impact of government
decisions on
governed society
Key Concepts: Form, Function,
Causation
Related Concepts
Research, adaptation
●
Inquiry
Basic needs of living things
Adaptations of living things
Human impact on
environment
Food chains
Key Concepts
Responsibility, change, perspective
Related Concepts
Living things, adaptations, natural
resources
Related Concepts: Government,
Legislation, Production
• Briargrove Elementary School • 6145 San Felipe Street • Houston, Texas • 2013-2014 • Update: 8/25/2013

3. 6-7
Grade 1
Central Idea:
Group membership impacts who we
become.
WORK IN PROGRESS
WORK IN PROGRESS
Inquiry into:
●
Groups we belong to
●
Characteristics of the
groups
●
How groups influence who
we are
Central Idea: Changes in our
environment are interrelated and
can be measured.
Inquiry into:
●
Reasons for change
●
Cause and Effect of
environmental change
●
Natural and physical
changes in our
environment
Key Concepts:Responsibility,
Causation, Connection
Key Concepts: Causation,
Connection, Change
Related Concepts: Cause/effect,
Physical Changes, Matter,
Interdependence, Climate
Central Idea
Individuals and organizations make
decisions based on wants and needs.
Lines of Inquiry
●
Compare and analyze
wants and needs
●
Producers and consumers
are dependent on each
other
●
Community leaders’
decisions influence
economic activities
Central Idea
All plants and animals have life cycles
and characteristics within their
environment.
Lines of Inquiry
● Animals and plants have unique
parts that serve a purpose.
● Animals and plants follow life cycles
with different repeating stages.
● Animals and plants depend on
each other for survival.
Key Concepts
Grade K
Inquiry into:
●
Who we are, your beliefs,
your values
●
How communities work
together
●
Responsibility within your
roles and others
Key Concepts: Reflection,
Responsibility, Perspective
WORK IN PROGRESS
WORK IN PROGRESS
Central Idea: Patterns in the
environment influence the world.
Inquiry into:
●
Patterns and cycles in the
world
●
Visible changes when
cycles occur
●
Effect patterns have on
the world we live in
Form, change, connection
Communication, Governments,
Interdependence
Central Idea:
Others influence our understanding
of ourselves.
Key Concepts
Related Concepts
5-6
Responsibility, Perspective, Function
Related Concepts
Central Idea
Communities need people to fulfill
roles and provide resources.
Central Idea
Living and nonliving things share the
planet’s resources.
Lines of Inquiry
● Roles in communities
Lines of Inquiry
● Recognize differences between
living organisms and nonliving
materials
● Responsible citizenship
● What makes a community
● Group plants according their
observable features such as
appearance and size, etc.
Key Concepts
● Methods for conserving Earth’s
resources
Key Concepts: Form, Change,
Connection
Related Concepts: Adaptation,
Plants, Seasons, Systems (solar
cycle/weather), Interdependence,
Climate
Animals, plants, habitats,
interaction, cycles
Connection, Responsibility, Function
Key Concepts
Related Concepts
Safety, Community, Citizenship,
Rules, Organization
Function, connection, form
Related Concepts
Consequences, structure, initiative
• Briargrove Elementary School • 6145 San Felipe Street • Houston, Texas • 2013-2014 • Update: 8/25/2013