C38 (Challenge): Unpacking the Themes in the POI

Welcome to the second transdisciplinary challenge!

​​In this challenge, we are going to examine the connection between the themes with your program of inquiry (POI).  We will begin by looking at a sample grouping of content standards for second grade that are being taught at my school.  This is like gathering and mixing the ingredients of your cake together. 

Take a look at these standards.  What stands out the most?  Are your units driven by a balance of science and social studies, regardless of the unit of inquiry? Do you have standards that feel out of place? 

There are multiple possibilities on how you can teach these standards.  A large part of choosing a theme is deciding which subject is driving the learning.  In this case, I chose How We Organize Ourselves, since social studies stood out to me more. 

Now let’s take a deeper look at the theme descriptor to determine which concepts will be our anchor to create the central idea, lines of inquiry, teacher questions, and connect our key and related concepts.  

How We Organize Ourselves:  An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.

The one I am choosing to guide my content above is the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities.  This will help me to bridge the idea that human-made systems impact the communities of all living things, which connects my science with the social studies in a cause and effect relationship.  Amazing, eh? 

Your Task (should you choose to accept it)

New to PYP:   Repeat the process above if you are beginning to map your content standards and choose your concepts from the transdisciplinary theme descriptors. 

Established PYP:  Review your program of inquiry (POI) by answering these questions.

• Have all the concept families been allocated throughout the POI?
• Is there a connection between your theme concept and your standards/guidelines
• Are there any duplicate concepts?  If so, is the spacing 2-3 years apart? 
• Can you identify and list the missing concepts?
• How will you present it to your team and coordinator? 

Post it on Twitter @thinkchat2020 or Linkedin at Lu Gerlach.  I will create a video message of our challenge and you can tag your response to it. 

Remember, we create our own meaning from learning, so there is no one right answer.  Have fun with it and I can’t wait to see what you create!