The 2011 PYP Exhibition: The Role of PE
The grade 5 students at ISPP this year have taken it upon themselves to use Poverty as a driving theme for this year's PYP exhibition with the central idea being "People are responsible for reducing levels of poverty." As we are currently working on a Movement to Music unit in PE, we feel that we can make strong connections to the exhibition by focusing on the concept that many poor regions of the world use dance to help heal the wounds caused by war and conflict. In general dance is used to elevate mood which results in greater happiness and joy.

Our Lines of Inquiry are as follows:
An inquiry into:
-the different forms of dance performed in poor regions of the world
-the similarities and differences between these dances
-the positive effects that dance holds for people living in poverty

Teacher questions guiding this inquiry are:
What forms of dance do poor communities use to lift their spirits?
What are the similarities and differences between these dances?
In what ways can dance alleviate the effects of poverty?

Preassessment Task
We will watch a ten-minute trailer from the award winning documentary "War Dance". Once complete the students will be put into groups and using chart paper will answer the following question:

How does dance make a difference in poor communities?

Learning Experiences:
The students will be introduced to a form of dance from a different poor region of the world each week. They will watch a You Tube clip of these dances and then identify the main features/elements. They will describe the mood of the dance and also pinpoint how these dances are similar and different. The formative assessment tasks the students will complete are differentiated in order to meet the needs of the ESL students.
Once the students have completed their formative assessment task, they will experiment on their own and in groups practicing some of the dance elements featured in the You Tube clip.
 
Formative Assessment Task #1

The students will answer the following questions each week on a table provided for them.

What are the main features/elements of this dance?
What are the similarities to other dances?
What are the differences?
Describe the mood created by the dance.

Formative Assessment Task #2

For ESL students they will be required to do the same thing but instead of writing in the answers can draw pictures of the main features or elements. The can use simple adjectives when describing the mood.

Summative Assessment Task (weeks 6 & 7)

In weeks 6 & 7 of this unit, the students will be required to start working on their summative assessment task which will require them to show their understanding of the lines of inquiry. They will accomplish this by choosing certain dance elements from the different dances we covered in this unit. Once they have chosen these elements they will choreograph their own dance that will be performed at the end of the unit. However, in order to differentiate, I am allowing the students to choose one of the following types of activities based on different learning styles.

Differentiated Assessment Tasks


Visual/Spatial Learners can show their understanding of the lines of inquiry by using a camera to video or take pictures of a group planning for and creating their dance.  Instead of having to perform the dance, they must put together a presentation aimed at showing their understanding of the lines of inquiry and share this presentation to the class at the end of the unit.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Learners will be able to join a group to create and perform a dance at the end of the unit.

Musical Learners will be able to create the beat using an instrument or some other apparatus to create sound. They are an active part of this performance.

Intrapersonal Learners can work alone or in small groups to research different dances performed in poor regions of the world and create a poster that shows their understanding of the lines of inquiry. The students must present their work at the end of the unit.
As the grade 5 students will be entering the MYP next year, I am going to introduce some simple MYP PE assessment criteria.

Single Subject Integration Outside the Program of Inquiry (POI)
PE provides many opportunities for integration with the units of inquiry that are happening in the classrooms. The challenge for single subject teachers is to authentically link to the UoI and plan appropriately. Something to consider is that there are also opportunities for stand alone single subject integration involving some or all of the single subject teachers.

It is the first time that a single subject integration such as this has be done at my current school (International School of Phnom Penh), but after much planning and prep, we are now a couple of weeks into the unit and it has worked very well. Kristin Anson, our school's art teacher and myself have worked closely together with our PYP Coordinator and our other PE teacher, Jarrod Monaghan, in ensuring that what we are doing is authentic and genuine for both the students involved (Early Years 1 & 2) and that we are accountable as teachers in regards to documenting this integration properly on Atlas Rubicon.

This is how are unit is shaping up at this point. Feel free to use any ideas. I have provided jpgs that you can download.


Early Years 1 & 2: Road Signs and Symbols

*PE and Art Integration*

The Learner Profile focus for this unit is:

The two Learner Profile attributes that we are trying to develop in our kids are 'Knowledgeable' and 'Communicator'. The key questions that we ask our students to tap into the Knowledgeable attribute are:

          1. Which road signs do you recognize?
                            2. Which actions need to be taken at each sign?
3. Why do we need these signs?

The key questions that the students are asked to help foster being a 'Communicator' are:
       1. Can you describe the main features of each form of transportation?
                                                 2. Can you describe the main features of the form of tranportation that you have chosen to do?
3. Can you explain the actions needed at each of the road signs?

A glimpse of integrated planning in PE and Art. The central idea, lines of inquiry, Learner Profile focus, and transdisciplinary skills.

Our art teacher, Kristin Anson, has been leading the early years students in their inquiry into modes of transport leaving their journeys as open-ended as possible. Although not complete, their forms of transportation our shaping up! Here we have an automobile that was altered to include wings in case a flight is necessary. Great thinking by the young ones.

The Rubric used to assess the students understanding of the roads signs and symbols learned throughout the 4-week unit.