Unit 3 inquiries at JVLR

1. Grade 1: How We Organize Ourselves
Central Idea: Products we use and consume go through several stages of production.
Concepts: Production, Resources, changes of state
Key Ideas (identified by grade 1 teachers):
We want students to understand that there everything we use goes through a chain of production
and a process. (source of products and stages of production) We want students to understand
what consumption is and what are needs and wants. We want them to understand the effort it
takes to make things and to appreciate what we have. This understanding of the complexity of
processes it takes to produce the things we use and buy will then lead hopefully to
action...possibly later on during the sharing the planet or maybe now. We want students to
understand the interconnectedness of everything. (interdependence of stages)
What actions do we hope students will take?
We want students to start making informed choices about buying things (or their parents). We
hope to get feedback from parents on how students have changed their wants. We hope that
students will recognize that many of their wants are actually needs. We hope they’ll show curiosity
as well as an understanding of what and how they use things.
How we will know that students understand these ideas? By their actions, through parent
feedback. Students will be able to explain/show the different local and global products are made.
Students should be able to show some responsibility about what they consume. Action?
What attitudes and learner profile: Attitudes appreciation, curiosity, commitment, respect,
empathy, cooperation. Learner profile: thinkers, knowledgeable, principled, inquirers.
Provocation/Excitement: Gallery walk with everyday products.
More questions to provoke thinking (in addition to above):
What do you need?
What do others need to survive on Earth?
What are things you consume in your daily life?
Do people in different countries consume the same as us?
Where does this come from?
What are things you want?
Why?
Skills: Self-management skills are important: time management, healthy lifestyle, codes of
behavior, informed choice.

3. Grade 2 Sharing the Planet
Central Idea: Finding peaceful solutions to conflicts can help us live harmoniously.
Concepts: Fair play, conflict, peace
Key Ideas (identified by grade 2 teachers): Students should be able to identify problems
(causes of conflict) and find solutions to them (resolving conflicts). To do this they need to
understand how and why problems arise. They need to be aware and understand the everyone is
different. They need to understand needs and wants and how this affects or causes conflict.
They need to understand what happens with closed-mindedness and inflexibility and the
importance of being flexible and open. Students need to be able to reflect on themselves and
be able to communicate that reflection and communicate with each other. They should practice
acceptance. (living and working together peacefully)
What actions do we hope students will take?
We want students to be different, do something different. They should be able to discuss their
problems and show that they can problem solve. They should be able to think about the
consequences before acting upon them. They should be able to think through alternatives and
show decision making to choose the best one.
How we will know that students understand these ideas? Role plays, tracking sheet,
observations, parent feedback, videos
What attitudes and learner profile: Most seem applicable. Agreed that students would choose
their learner profile and attitudes that seem to fit with this unit. This will be done after the
provocation and a beginning understanding of the unit during the tuning in phase.
Provocation/Excitement: Role play an argument...Realistically. Maybe an argument between
teachers. Could be a fishbowl activity (ask Kristen about this) Use questions to provoke students’
thinking:
Why did it happen?
What was the conflict?
How did you feel? How did the people in the conflict feel?
How did they deal with it?
What were the needs of each person?
What did they want?
More questions to provoke thinking (in addition to above):
Is this the best way to resolve a conflict?
How do we react when we have a problem?
What are the alternatives/options?
What is my role in this conflict?

5. Grade 3 Sharing the Planet
Central Idea: Biodiversity relies on maintaining a balance between systems.
Biodiversity: The variety of plants and animals on earth
Balance: An equilibrium, everything is in proportion
Concepts: interdependence, ecosystems, adaptability, food chain
Key Ideas (identified by grade 3 teachers): Students should understand what is biodiversity and
what is an ecosystem (factors that contribute to biodiversity). They should have an understanding
of the importance of the food chain. They should also understand the role of the individual in
protecting an environment (issues affecting biodiversity). We want students to understand that
every living thing is different yet relies on each other (interconnectedness of organisms). The
importance of nature should be understood and how our actions impact it. We want students to
have an understanding that they can help. Connection, Responsibility
What actions do we hope students will take?
We want students to be able to discuss their role in helping the planet. They should be able to
discuss and take some responsibility to help out the planet. We want them to take an action that
saves the earth. We want them to be reflective about their actions and how they help/harm the
environment.
How we will know that students understand these ideas? They would show their
understanding in some way. They would have a plan to save some part of the planet in their own
little way.
What attitudes and learner profile: Most seem applicable. Agreed that students would choose
their learner profile and attitudes that seem to fit with this unit. This will be done after the
provocation and a beginning understanding of the unit during the tuning in phase.
Provocation/Excitement: Series of videos, photographs, stories about biodiversity, food chain,
impact of human actions, ways to help. Need some photos from Smart Ecopark. What do you See,
Think, Wonder
More questions to provoke thinking (in addition to above):
What is a species?
What are living organisms?
What is the role of different parts of an ecosystem?
What is a habitat?
What is balance?
Why is balance important?
What role do small things have in the system? Why are they important?
What is dependency?
What can you do?

7. Grade 4: How We Organize Ourselves
Central Idea: The ways organizations make decisions affect our lives.
Related Concepts: Systems, cooperation, government, problem-solving, conflict
Key Ideas (identified by grade 4 teachers): We want students to understand that organizations
impact them, yet they aren’t powerless and can affect the organization. They should
understand there is choice and a decision making process. Students should understand
something about leadership and that there is a process involved. They can look at differences in
societies: family, roles, groups, culture, supernatural powers. They can look at school, family,
cafeteria, NGOs and bigger organizations (depending on interest). Overall, we want them to
understand that even at their age, they can make an impact.
What actions do we hope students will take?
We hope that students will take action. They will decide what they can do by the end of the unit.
This will start with helping to create the rubric. They will decide on the skills, attitudes and learner
profile that will help them understand the unit. By the end maybe they’ll be able to organize a
school-wide event that shows they have understood about organizations.
How we will know that students understand these ideas? They will decide how they want to
show their learning. They will help decide on how they are assessed.
What attitudes and learner profile: Students will decide.
Provocation/Excitement: On Nov. 22nd, students will go to choir practice and then will
experience a lack of order. No one will pick them up. Teachers will be gone, including their music
teacher. They will have to figure out how to organize themselves and we will see what happens.
Kristen to drop in to see how things are going.
More questions to provoke thinking (in addition to above):
Which organizations do you know?
Why are those organizations important?
How do you make decisions?
How did you make the decision to join OIS?
What is the first step to begin organizing something?
Who is in charge? How do you know?
Who makes decisions in your family? The school? The government? The world?
Possible Resources:
Talk with Bindu, OIS people
Action group: ACORN to visit
Advertising people
NGOs
Team-building centers/ropes course
Student-led organizations (maybe at OGC)?
Trans-disc. Learning:

8. Identity and interactions: PE
Music: Choir and performing

9. SKG: Sharing the Planet
Central Idea: Plants are a resource for other living things.
Concepts: Plants, growth, resources, interdependence
Key Ideas (identified by SKG teachers):
We want students to understand how plants grow and their needs. How plants grow. We want
students to have some knowledge about plants and the parts of plants. In addition, we wants
students to understand the different uses of plants and a bit about renewable and non-renewable
sources. How plants can be used as a resource. Plants are important living things, and we want
students to understand our responsibility toward maintaining a balance in nature in relationship to
plants. Our responsibility towards plants
What actions do we hope students will take?
We hope that students will take some actions toward waste and not wasting resources (maybe
food in particular?) We want students to be able to show their knowledge about plants and the life
cycles.
How we will know that students understand these ideas?
Students can have an exhibition on plants--like a plant fair where they display their knowledge. We
hope that parents will be able to contribute to assessing their children--meaning that they report
back on observations of changed behavior toward plants and plant resources.
What attitudes and learner profile: Attitudes: Respect, appreciation, commitment.
Provocation/Excitement: Visit to the park next door with some reflections.
More questions to provoke thinking (in addition to above):
What are things we use every day and where do they come from?
What are the uses of plants?
What are similarities and differences of plants?
Why are plants important?
How are plants connected to other things?
Skills: Research skills
Community resources: Nurseries, field trips, guest speakers on gardening, botany?