P4 explore Primary Sources: Guest Speakers

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King

This is the first part in a three-part series that follows the Unit of Inquiry in P4.

Our MIS community’s knowledge was passed on to our learners in more ways than one. For our Who we are unit on human body systems, the P4 learners inquired into different body systems and the effects of a healthy lifestyle on our wellbeing.

The learning began with a guided inquiry into the digestive system. The use of the Kath Murdoch’s inquiry cycle and the steps for research were modelled to the learners.

Being a learner centric unit, the students used agency in the learning process by choosing the body system they wanted to learn more about. The research began by formulating questions and then moved to the actual gathering of information.

As per the IB: Principles into Practice, “Carefully considered resources extend students’ thinking, research and communication skills during the inquiry process…consider resources in the learning community to further extend their inquiry.” (IBO, 2018)

This is exactly what we did, after going through secondary resources in the form of eBooks, articles, and videos the learners used primary sources from our learning community.

Dr Ravi Shetty, a cardiac surgeon, Dr Varsha Tripathi, a paediatric neurologist, Ms Shweta Deokar, the head of the science department at MIS and Ms. Jodie O’Reilly, the CAS coordinator at MIS were all part of our learning in the week of September 14^th – 18^th.

Add the pictures here please

Our guest speakers gave the learners a contextual understanding by responding to their interview questions and by making learning relevant to them. To share their learning with the community, the learners wrote news articles and below are some excerpts.

‘I learned more about the heart from Dr Ravi, he explained how it works by drawing the pictures of the chambers.’ Adityavardhan

‘Ms. Jodi said she broke her back when she was doing a jump, I never knew that we could hurt ourselves like this. ‘Jiwon

‘My classmates and I interviewed Dr Ravi Shetty who explained to us heart health problems like a heart attack, and how to keep the heart-healthy.’ Anaya

‘From Dr Varsha I learned that the impulse travels very fast through to the spinal cord from the brain.’ Hayato

‘The interviews were interesting and helpful to P4 students now they could all understand body systems better.’ Jinyul

‘This interview was very informative; I learned a lot about the cardiovascular system and Dr Shetty’s life as a surgeon.’ Miraya

This social engagement allowed the learners to interact with the primary sources and this relationship gave rise to lifelong learning.

Teacher – Anne Bechara

Work Cited

From Associated Press. “King’s Widow Urges Acts of Compassion.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2000, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jan-17-mn–story.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20greatness%20of%20a%20community,a%20soul%20generated%20by%20love.%E2%80%9D. Accessed 11 Oct. 2020.

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Definition of Learning MIS 2018 adopted from Ambrose 2010

International Baccalaureate Organization. PYP: From principles into practice

“Programme resource center.’ December 2018. MY IB. Accessed. 30

September 2020.11 October 548322020.

Human systems and economic activities	The study of how and why people construct organizations and systems; the ways in which people connect locally and globally; the distribution of power and authority.
Social organization and culture	The study of people, communities, cultures and societies in the ways in which individuals, groups and societies interact with each other.
Continuity and change through time	The study of the relationships between people and events through time; the past, its influences on the present and its implications for the future; people who have shaped the future through their actions.
Human and natural environments	The study of the distinctive features that give a place its identity; how people adapt to and alter their environment; how people experience and represent place; the impact of natural disasters on people and the built environment.
Resources and the environment	The interaction between people and the environment; the study of how humans allocate and manage resources; the positive and negative effects of this management; the impact of scientific and technological developments on the environment.

Living things	The study of the characteristics, systems and behaviours of humans and other animals, and of plants; the interactions and relationships between and among them, and with their environment.
Earth and space	The study of planet Earth and its position in the universe, particularly its relationship with the sun; the natural phenomena and systems that shape the planet and the distinctive features that identify it; the infinite and finite resources of the planet.
Materials and matter	The study of the properties, behaviours and uses of materials, both natural and human-made; the origins of human-made materials and how they are manipulated to suit a purpose.
Forces and energy	The study of energy, its origins, storage and transfer, and the work it can do; the study of forces; the application of scientific understanding through inventions and machines. (IBO, 2009)

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