The International Baccalaureate Programme

1. The International Baccalaureate Programme Fernway School PTO Meeting January 15, 2014 Michelle Berggrun Adrian Lewis Lena Paskewitz Jean Reinhold

2. Main idea! • We are: • all working and planning together • using common (and creative) instructional and assessment methods • around a core set of common themes • soliciting and responding to students’ inquiries • so that each of us embodies strong learner attitudes and attributes • which will lead to success across all time and place.

3. What is IB? Mission: • The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. • To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. • These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. www.ibo.org

4. IB in the district • PYP (Primary Years Programme) • Pre K-4 • MYP (Middle Years Programme) • 5-10 • DP (Diploma Programme) • 11-12 Shaker Heights has an authorized DP high school; every PYP school has been authorized; MYP to follow.

5. PYP attributes, skills, attitudes • Attributes: • Learners are… • Thinkers • Knowledgeable • Open-minded • Inquirers • Communicators • Risk-takers • Principled • Caring • Balanced • Reflective • Skills: • Thinking • Research • Social • Self-management • Communication • Attitudes • Curiosity • Creativity • Confidence • Cooperation • Enthusiasm • Integrity • Tolerance • Respect • Empathy • Appreciation • Independence • Commitment

6. Transdisciplinary Themes • Who we are • Citizens/Innovators • Where we are in place and time • Homes/Immigration • How we express ourselves • Literature/Art and music/Artifacts • How the world works • Cycles/Shaping and reshaping Earth • How we organize ourselves • Signs and Tools/Economics/Justice • Sharing the planet • Natural resources/ Survival and adaptation

7. The crucial IB/ ODE/CCSS connection • Each of these addresses: • A theme • A central idea • Lines of inquiry • Concepts and skills • Learner attitudes and attributes • AND, importantly, • Ohio Department of Education Science, Social Studies and Reading and Math Common Core Standards!

8. Simple POI • This is the format we are using with parents and visitors.

9. Exhibition • Culminating project in the final PYP year that allows students to apply learning from previous years (4th grade) • An in-depth collaborative inquiry that starts from personal interests and passions, but extends into real world local and global issues. (This issue matters to me and affects my life, my community and my world. It’s Glocal!) • Includes written, visual, and creative sharing of knowledge, action and solutions.

10. 4. How best might we learn? What are the learning experiences suggested by the teacher and/or students to encourage the students to engage with the inquiries and address the driving questions? • The teacher provides the context for learning:Teacher organizes a brainstorming session about the systems within the community ; Teacher reads Roxaboxen to the whole class aloud;Teacher facilitates a discussion about the systems the Roxaboxen community has in comparison to their local community; Teacher frontloads functions and structure of local government through directed lessons; Teacher organizes a culminating walking field trip to local city hall and invites the mayor to speak ; Teacher facilitates a brainstorming about the people who have power and authority within the school, at home, within the community and how they get their power and authority and their position (discuss voting); Teacher creates scenarios for students to reenact the ideas of power/authority; Teacher leads a discussion about the differences between power and authority • Leading and facilitating student inquiry: • Organization of systems within a community • Students, in small groups, brainstorm the basic systems that communities have to survive • Students compare and contrast the different systems between Roxaboxen/Westlandia and their local community, Students brainstorm the systems that were missing from their systems list • Students brainstorm systems that might be added to local community to strengthen community • Students reflect on the systems within the school, within their classroom, within their homes • Look up relevant cities for students -- check website to confirm the existence of common systems • Students web the components of each system. • Students email someone from another culture (internationally) asking him/her if the same systems are in place in their community • Students look at various community websites (especially those relating to them) to discern common community systems • Implementing roles and responsibilities • Students, in small group, complete three-chart linking systems to roles and responsibilities within each system (even the systems within their classroom or their home) • Functions and structure of local government • Students take notes about the function and structure of local government • Students, in small groups, sort the key vocabulary and concepts (descriptors) into the three branches of government; students, in whole group, compare sorting charts • Use of power and authority • Students analyze pre-created scenarios about power and authority (recess time disturbances) • Students role play the pre-created scenarios • Students brainstorm and dramatize student-created scenarios • Students participate in a teacher-led discussion on power and authority • Students brainstorm, in small groups, a list of people who have power and authority (within school, at home , in the government, in the community, in entertainment) • What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for the development of the attributes of the learner profile? • Transdisciplinary skills: • Communication Skills –Students listen and speak to others to acquire knowledge in large and small group brainstorming sessions • Social Skills – Students learn about group decision making, and adopting various roles when they discuss roles and responsibilities and power and authority • Thinking – Students acquire knowledge and apply to different scenarios and community building activity • Learner profile: • Thinkers: Students brainstorm for a variety of reasons in small groups • Communication: Students present sorting charts, compare contrast charts and pamphlets • Knowledgeable: Students learn about the structure and function of local government PYP Planner • Four-page planning document: 2 pages of planning, 2 pages of reflection • Written in grade level teams • This is just one of the eight sections.

11. The Basic Components of Every Unit of Inquiry • Pre-assessment – previous knowledge and understanding • Provocation - an activity that makes students curious about upcoming learning • Learning experiences – varied and engaging • Formative assessments – checking student understanding throughout unit for adjustments • Summative – checking student understanding at conclusion of unit • Student reflection – students think about how they learn(ed) best

13. Let’s do the unit! Problem? No Problem! • Pre-assessment – previous knowledge and understanding - Michelle Berggrun (Learning inventory) • Provocation - an activity that makes students curious about upcoming learning • Learning experiences – varied and engaging • Formative assessments – checking student understanding throughout unit for adjustments • Summative – checking student understanding at conclusion of unit • Student reflection – students think about how they learn(ed) best

14. Results of Survey

15. Let’s do the unit! Problem? No Problem! • Pre-assessment – previous knowledge and understanding - Michelle Berggrun (Learning inventory) • Provocation - an activity that makes students curious about upcoming learning – Adrian Lewis (High Five ) • Learning experiences – varied and engaging • Formative assessments – checking student understanding throughout unit for adjustments • Summative – checking student understanding at conclusion of unit • Student reflection – students think about how they learn(ed) best

16. Let’s do the unit! Problem? No Problem! • Pre-assessment – previous knowledge and understanding - Michelle (Learning inventory) • Provocation - an activity that makes students curious about upcoming learning – Adrian (High Five ) • Learning experiences – varied and engaging - Lena (Build!) • Formative assessments – checking student understanding throughout unit for adjustments • Summative – checking student understanding at conclusion of unit • Student reflection – students think about how they learn(ed) best

17. Challenge: Bridge • Task: Build a bridge that is at least 24 inches apart that can support a container of golf balls (material provided) • Time limit: 15 • Success: The winning team will be the team that builds the bridge that can support the most golf balls. • Procedure/Plan – what will you do to get the effect you want? • Results for your team: _________________________ • Reflection: Reflect on the changes you would make

18. Let’s do the unit! Problem? No Problem! • Pre-assessment – previous knowledge and understanding - Michelle (Learning inventory) • Provocation - an activity that makes students curious about upcoming learning – Adrian (High Five ) • Learning experiences – varied and engaging - Lena (Build!) • Formative assessments – checking student understanding for adjustments – Adrian (Concept map) • Summative – checking student understanding at conclusion of unit - • Student reflection – students think about how they learn(ed) best

20. Let’s do the unit! Problem? No Problem! • Pre-assessment – previous knowledge and understanding - Michelle (Learning inventory) • Provocation - an activity that makes students curious about upcoming learning – Adrian (High Five ) • Learning experiences – varied and engaging - Lena (Build!) • Formative assessments – checking student understanding for adjustments – Adrian (Concept map) • Summative – checking student understanding at conclusion of unit – Lena (Write/tell a narrative story) • Student reflection – students think about how they learn(ed) best

21. Let’s do the unit! Problem? No Problem! • Pre-assessment – previous knowledge and understanding - Michelle (Learning inventory) • Provocation - an activity that makes students curious about upcoming learning – Adrian (High Five ) • Learning experiences – varied and engaging - Lena (Build!) • Formative assessments – checking student understanding for adjustments – Adrian (Concept map) • Summative – checking student understanding at conclusion of unit – Lena (Write a narrative story) • Student reflection – students think about how they learn(ed) best – Michelle (Connect to Learner Profile)

22. How have you used or stretched your learner profile attributes tonight?

23. Portfolios • Collection of: • student products • student reflections on products • trimester self-reflections on learner profile attributes • integration products- one for each grade level for each single- subject • Gathered over time to show growth in learning.

24. Fieldtrip Links • The PTO has supported field trips that link directly to student units of inquiry: • K: Library (How we express ourselves) • 1: Zoo trip (Sharing the planet) • 2: North Chagrin Reservation (Sharing the Planet - habitats) • 3: Hale Farm (Where we are in place and time) • 4: Lake County Historical Society (How we express ourselves – artifacts) • Planetarium and science labs are all integrated, as well

25. PTO arts integration funding • The PTO has supported arts integration that link directly to student units of inquiry. These were the experiences in 2012: • K: Ceramicist: making homes • 1: Mapmaker artist • 2: Song writing: each student went home with a CD! • 3: Ceramicist: invented clay animal with adaptations for survival • 4: The history of Ohio through storytelling • Puppet Lady, 3rd grade musical, and 4th grade poetry play are all integrated with IB as well.

26. PTO Meet the Community Expert Program • The PTO has supported student units of inquiry by providing community expert interactions. These are some examples from 2012: • 1: How the world works: Forces and motion day • 3: Sharing the planet: Radiation energy • 4: Who we are: Technology links in the corporate world, reading data

27. Integration Plan

28. Main idea! • We are: • all working and planning together • using common (and creative) instructional and assessment methods • around a core set of common themes • soliciting and responding to students’ inquiries • so that each of us embodies strong learner attitudes and attributes • which will lead to success across all time and place.

29. Q and A • Thanks for attending!