Dear Parents, September 8, 2014.

This is an exciting time of year as we have settled in our classrooms. This term, we will
inquire into, and learn about how people learn in the context of our first Unit of Inquiry
which commences next week.
In the PYP a balance is sought between acquisition of essential knowledge (guided by the
Common Core Standards and Benchmarks) and transdisciplinary skills, development of
conceptual understanding, demonstration of positive attitudes, and taking responsible
action.
Each Unit of Inquiry takes about six weeks and addresses a Central Idea relevant to a
particular theme. Themes are supported by knowledge, concepts and skills from the
traditional subject areas but utilized in ways that transcend the confines of these
subjects.
It will be rewarding to see how students make connections when inquiring during
Homeroom time (English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies & Personal Education),
Arabic Language & Arabic Social Studies, Visual & Performing Arts, Sports and fieldtrips.
Please support your children, as they show commitment to their learner profile traits:
Caring, Open-minded, Principled, Reflective, Thinkers, Balance, Communicators,
Courageous, Inquirers and Knowledgeable.
I am sure it will be a wonderful year of growth for your child.

Your partners in education,


Ami Wolsey and Dan McKechnie




Unit 1 - Who We Are
Central Idea:
Understanding different ways of learning enables people to respond to their own learning style.
Key Concepts:
function, perspective, responsibility
Related Concepts:
diversity, motivation
An inquiry into:
how learning communities function
the ways people construct knowledge
different learning styles
how learning styles impact the way people engage in a learning
community
Teacher Questions:
How do learning communities work?
What are the different learning styles?
How does your learning style impact how you are learning?
Why should we care about learning styles?
Summative Assessment
G.R.A.S.P.

Goal: The students will design a lesson plan to teach a basic skill based
upon one of the eight multiple intelligences.

Role: You are teachers using your strengths/abilities to teach the rest of the class your ability.

Audience: Grade 5 Classes

Product, Purpose, Performance: Students will use iPods to record their lesson and then upload their
video onto iMovie or Movie Maker. Using their program, the students will make links between their
multiple intelligence and the way the student learned the intended basic skills.
Vocabulary
Learning
Theory
Howard Gardner
Brain
Knowledge
Intelligences
Impact
Left Brain
Right Brain
Creativity
Logical
Linguistic
Kinesthetic
Existential
Intrapersonal
Interpersonal


Common Core Standards and Benchmarks for How We Express Ourselves
Reading
They build strong content knowledge.
Read and comprehend informational texts including history complexity, proficiently with
scaffolding as need to reach targets.
Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print
and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work,
and provide a list of sources.
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases
based on grade/ age appropriate reading.
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, building on others ideas and
knowledge.
Writing
Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English such as capitalization,
punctuation and spelling when writing.
Spell grade appropriate words correctly using references as needed.
Write an opinion piece on a topic supporting a point of view with reasons and
information.
Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
Provide a concluding statement or sections related to the topic.
Develop a topic with facts, definitions and concrete details.
Listening and Speaking
Come to discussions prepared having read or studied required material; explicitly draw
on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas
under discussion.
Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using
appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes;
speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Social Studies
Identify and use primary and secondary sources
Technology Integration
They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact
and collaborate with others.
Math
Use parenthesis, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions, and evaluate expressions
with these symbols.
Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and interpret
numerical expressions without evaluating them.
Comparing the size of a product to the size of one factor on the basis of the size of the
other factor, without performing the indicated multiplication.
Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by
powers of ten.

PYP Scope and Sequence
Learners have an awareness of themselves and how they are similar and different to
others.
They can describe how they have grown and changed, and they can talk about the new
understandings and abilities that have accompanied these changes.
Learners reflect on their experiences in order to inform future learning and to
understand themselves better.
talk about similarities and differences between themselves and others
identify and explore strategies that help them to cope with change