During my ten week practicum I taught a Unit of Inquiry with the central idea “Adaptation impacts survival.” This was a really fun Unit of Inquiry under the Transdisciplinary Theme, Sharing the Planet. The unit started with a provocation in which the students visited various stations and had to record and explain in a personal research booklet if the animal at that station could survive in the environment at that station. This provocation launched the class into a discussion about the possibility of a dolphin living in a river, what a pangolin is and where it lives, and what a platypus is and where it lives. From this provocation the unit was launched and investigations and action were taken. Throughout the unit the students began to learn about adaptations and how they aid animals in surviving in particular environments. Along our journey, the students, as well as myself learned about various cool adaptations (ex. the mimic octopus). It was clear the students understood adaptations when we played a “Adaptation Game Show” in table groups and the students had to figure out what the mystery animal was, where it lived, and what adaptations it had. Please see the image of the “Bearhawk” below.

Unfortunately, my practicum ended before I was able to see the final lessons of this unit, but I will be visiting my class to see their final projects in a few weeks.

A few key learnings I took out of this experience:
– When teaching through inquiry, you need to learn how to ask good, deep questions
– Teachers will learn alongside their students
-Teaching through inquiry allows students to learn and retain the information better than through teacher-directed instruction

During my 10-week practicum my students were inquiring into the concept of lifecycles. The students were able to see first hand the lifecycles of various plants and animals. Each student was growing their own bean plant, their own marigold plant, as well as their own grass plant. The classroom also had meal worms, chickens, butterflies, and fish. The students had many questions that they were able to investigate and discover the answers to during this Unit of Inquiry. The highlight of this experience was seeing chicks hatch in our classroom. Please see the picture below of a Rhode Island Red chick hatching.

Today, we started our day off with a morning message about the students’ new Unit of Inquiry (U of I) on how environments affect communities. What a great way to start the day! The students were very excited about this new U of I and had so much to talk about and share. The conversation went on to inquire about homes in Africa. Since I have been to Kenya, I shared some of my knowledge. The students were surprised to know that not all people in Africa live in mud houses. The conversation also involved a discussion about the differences between living on the coast versus living inland. We also discussed how living near the equator may impact our clothing choices. The students had some great ideas and justifications for their thought processes.

To follow up on this morning discussion, in the afternoon, I pulled up some of my pictures of Kenya so the students could see. I had a picture of a house in the city of Nairobi, and a boma (straw/mud house) in the Maasai Mara. I also showed them the physical environment in the Mara, and a school I visited within it. The students were very curious about the differences between the Mara school’s recess environment and the one they have at their school in Vancouver. They also inquired into the animals, how students in the Mara get to school, the ages of the students in the school, the hazards, and the safety procedures. We also looked at some pictures of the drinking water available in the Mara, and discussed how this differs from Vancouver. It was a great inquiry discussion to be involved in!
Please see the pictures below of my pictures from Kenya that I showed the students.

A boma in the Maasai Mara

A view of the Mara

A lion drinking from water

A school in the Mara

A house in a gated community in Nairobi

A hippopotamus in the Mara

When I first chose to go into the IB program, I did not know all that much about the program. I knew that it was a different approach to teaching then the one I experienced in elementary school, and I knew it meant I could go internationally, but that was about it. During these past four months I have been learning all about the IB PYP program. I have been understanding the different aspects of the program so far, but I had not had my “AHA!” moment of clarity in grasping the whole concept of the IB PYP program. This all changed my first week back to school this January. I had been reflecting on the program during my winter break, telling others about it, and capturing what I believed the program to be in my own words. This reflection coupled with my first EDCP 331 (Socials) class this term really allowed me to experience my “AHA!”moment. In this Socials class, we were asked to create a vision for the year, complete with themes (units), critical thinking skills, guiding questions, etc. It was during this process of planning a vision where the IB PYP program came into effect. I saw the whole vision for the year through an “IB lens.” I imagined my “units” or “themes” as the six PYP transdisciplinary themes, or Units of Inquiry. From there it was easy to see where the PLOs would fit into each Unit of Inquiry (U of I). The guiding questions could then be seen as the lines of inquiry, and the critical skills as the PYP Approaches to Learning (Trans-disciplinary Skills). It was from this moment on that I truly saw the IB PYP program as a whole, and not just the parts I had been learning about. I am so excited that I had a moment like this and it has only confirmed my  belief that this program is fantastic. I am very excited to move forward with this program and to continue to learn more about the IB PYP program and all of its benefits.

In our class the students have been working on a bunch of great activities. A few of my favourite activities have been creating sock stuffies and creating purses. Our current central idea is “Imagination inspires creation.” Please see the picture below showing our central idea in action! The kids loved this activity!

Imagination inspires creation. The students were given the opportunity to create any sock stuffed animal they could imagine. They all turned out great. This is my favourite activity to do with kids!