Grade 7 (French Immersion) Updated inquiry frameword

Overall Arching Inquiry Question
Who should we help?  Equitable distribution.

Overarching Critical Challenge:

The UN has created a sustainability fund for a Natural Resources Issue. Create a Proposal and a sustainable action plan.

 

INQUIRY SUB TASKS

 

Background Knowledge  (Hook:  Enbridge Article)

 - Natural Resources (B3. Definition, sustainable: first part of definition)

- Natural Resources Issues (definition- examples)
- Factors <---------------------------------------------> Natural Resources
                              Impact and significance
-  Who is involved?  Who's affected? Who benefits?  Pro/cons purpose?

• Political, Social, Economic, Geographic (environmental)

 Application:    (Japan Article)

Develop a list of natural resources (Canada and the World)

- News articles, pictures, videos: Identify the issues and the factors

                -  highlight impact in four factors, transfer to four square)

-  Connect to Criteria (Magnitude, Scope, Duration)

-  Questions-  Why does this matter?  Who Cares?

- The rank (good, better, best)

Not sustainable                                                                      Sustainable

                                          Continuum

       I--------------------------------------------------------------------------I

• how many, how much, depth, gravity, longevity, area,
• in end plot on the line (social, economic, political, geographic)

Inquiry
      -  mini-lessons  (paraphrasing, evaluating sources, mapping analysis, etc...)
      -  Teaching Critical Thinking
      -  Process of Inquiry
      -  Action Plan
     
 

Grade 7 (FI)

TFL- October 23^rd, 2013

In attendance: Melissa, Brad, Mario, Danny, Kevin, Stephen, Rob

Objective: Completion of Critical Inquiry Framework

- Review of what we discussed last session.

- Looked at TC2 lesson “Consider Significance” to help with criteria for Impact (discussed in
   previous session)
- Discussed having the three criteria (magnitude, scope of impact, duration) into all four areas
  (social, political, economic, geographic)
- Discussed the definition of sustainability- tried to determine if we should add in equity into the
   definition.

- Presented specific natural resources issues around the world.

- Stephen shared Fishing in Japan, Forest fire in Montreal
- Brad shared oil sands development in Alberta
- Rob shared forestry issues in Brazil, UN sustainability document
- Danny discussed giving the Aboriginal Perspective and how to create a reasonable
   sustainability plan.
- Kevin shared Embridge Oil pipeline affected rivers (aboriginal perspective),
- Melissa shared Yanomami (sample from curriculum). Presented from TC2 source docs

- Decided to use Enbridge Idea (local) to model Background knowledge

- Decided to use larger Issue (Japan: Nuclear affect on fishing) to get students to apply their
  learning
- Worked on connecting four factors to criteria using Japan as an example.
- Focus question to pull out criteria - Why does this event matter? Who cares?
- Discussed time line- Around 3^rd week of November
- Also, discussed type of teaching (team, independent, Co-teaching)
- Tools for Thought introduced – Thinking Strategies.

Inquiry

- Mini- Lessons

- Teaching Critical Thinking
- Action Plan

- Discussed the importance of mini lesson throughout the inquiry part. Avoid just letting them go.

Next Steps:

Grade seven team will start unit mid-November and work on background knowledge.

At that point they will decide if we need to meet and readjust or if they will just
continue through application phase. We will need to meet to go through the Inquiry
and action plan phase.

Here is the Delicious Bookmarking site that we talked about starting.

https://delicious.com/dunlop3339/Gr7inquiry

 

 

Grade Seven (FI)

• started looking at progress on critical challenge diagnostic
• going to add into science and geography lessons, upcoming novel study
• work still to be assessed
• Discussed overarching tasks and critical inquiry question
• Discussion on whether to limit their choice of location and issue
• Looked at skills we wanted students to develop in order to help us decide if we want to limit topic choice.
• Discussed goals for this overall session: To be able of transfer this framework to other units and curriculum

-  Developed framing below.

 

 

 

Overarching Critical Challenge:

The UN has created a sustainability fund for a Natural Resources Issue. Create a Proposal and a sustainable action plan.

 

INQUIRY SUB TASKS

 

Background Knowledge

 - Natural Resources (B3. Definition, sustainable)

- Natural Resources Issues (definition- examples)
- Factors <---------------------------------------------> Natural Resources
                              Impact and significance

• Political, Social, Economic, Geographic (environmental)

 Application:   

Develop a list of natural resources (Canada and the World)

- News articles, pictures, videos: Identify the issues and the factors
- Significance of sustainability
- The rank (good, better, best)

Not sustainable                                                                      Sustainable
                                          Continuum

- I--------------------------------------------------------------------------I

• how many, how much, depth, gravity, longevity, area,
• in end plot on the line (social, economic, political, geographic)

Next Steps:
-  Bring in specific examples of locations that are struggling with sustaining a natural resources
-  Think about what strategies we will focus on teaching in the final stage of the inquiry
-  Finish creating the framework so that it is ready to be implemented into the classroom

Focus- Integrating Critical Inquiry Throughout the Curriculum (Specifically Geography)

Attendance- Kevin, Stephen, Melissa, Mario, Brad, Rob

Overview

• Started the session discussing and trying to refine "If then" statement
• Looked at diagnostic (Explain the Image) as a group to see where they were strong and where they needed more support.
• Overall findings, were that students were usually making inferences first, then trying to support with observations.  Several groups still mixing up the two concepts. 
• We agreed that it would be good to have a follow up lesson where we just focused on Observations.  From there, they could build upon at and add in the inferences.  As well, we felt that they would need  more work on how to pull both of them together into an effective summary.
• At this point, we decided to determine where we should go based on what we observed during the lesson and in the activity.
• We agreed that we needed more clarification on the difference between critical literacy, inquiry and thinking.  We decided that this would be a good time to share our definitions based on the article, Exploring Inquiry.  We agreed that inquiry in more of a framework with an overarching question that drives the instruction.  As well, we discussed that their is a main inquiry task that students are working towards.  We also discussed that there needs to be a variety of smaller inquiries that lead them to developing the knowledge and skills to answer the overarching question.
• Looked at grade 4 example of critical inquiry unit.
• Decided that our over arching question would be; Which natural resource is most endangers human existence?  Need to tweak this.
• Overarching Critical Challenge: The UN has created a sustainability fund for natural resources. Create a proposal to convince them to fund your issue.  (Take the perspective of a representative of a specific country with a resource issue)

Next Steps:

• Teachers will continue their observation/inferences lessons.  Focussing on making clearer, observations.  They will complete the lesson using new pictures.  Breaking images up into sections. 
• Will try to think of more ideas to go towards the critical inquiry over arching question.

Grade Seven (French Immersion)

Focus- Integrating Critical Inquiry Throughout the Curriculum (Specifically Geography)

Attendance- Kevin, Danny, Stephen, Melissa, Mario, Brad, Rob

Overview

• Started of by trying to solidify "If then" statement.  Agree that we need the diagnostic result to help us refine where we need to go.
• Reviewed pictures selected by each member of the group to be used for 'Explaining the Image' lesson.
• Went with picture of person digging rubble after a disaster.  Decided to use this because it would really separate the different between observations and inferences
• Kevin and Melissa decided to co-teach the lesson the Kevin's  class.
• Kevin introduced the lesson and the image.  Students engaged in quick dialogue about what was going on in the image.  He then introduced the 5Ws and discuss where they are commonly used. Melissa modeled how to do one of the five Ws (who) with the class and worked to clarify the difference between observations and inferences.  Kevin pulled out Success Criteria out of students  and posted at the front of the class.   Class given time to complete the other categories and come up with a summary explanation.
• Since they were still completing this assignment.  Group met to debrief the lesson and discuss their observations and work worked/did not work.  
• Continued discussion on the difference between Critical Inquiry, Critical Thinking and Critical Literacy.
• Melissa provided a handout on Critical Inquiry for group to read for homework.

Next Steps:

• After reading the article, each group member needs to come up with their own definition of what critical thinking, critical literacy and critical inquiry is.
• Kevin and Stephen will bring completed Explain the Image assignments to next session for evaluation and discussion.

Grade 7 (French Immersion)

Focus- Integrating Critical Inquiry Throughout the Curriculum (Specifically Geography)

Attendance- Kevin, Danny, Stephen, Melissa, Mario, Brad, Rob

Overview

•  Set boundaries for TFL process
•  Goal is to create a permanent change in teacher practice
•  Discussed why they wanted to look at critical inquiry and critical thinking
•  Critical literacy was put forth and explored as another possibility
•  Looked at evidence they have seen from their students to suggest this was where they should focus
• Attempted to clarify difference between inquiry and critical thinking
• Discussed that they wanted to use geography as the platform for teaching using an inquiry method.
• Based on more discussion with regards to the language piece and time constraints in Geography, decided to integrate into Language Arts.
• Decided we wanted a clearer understanding of where their greatest need was in this area. So we decided to create an opening task (diagnostic)
• Melissa presented TC2 resource as a possible start point. 
• Group selected "The Explain the Image" lesson
• Reviewed the lesson.  Agreed to all bring in image for next week to base the lesson off.

Next Step:  Bring in image for the Explain the Image Lesson

                  Co-Teach lesson 

                  Analyze data

Grade Seven (French Immersion)