Author: Paris Gu

Who we Are

Year 6
Sept 2015

An Inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.

Lines of Inquiry
The focus of our inquiry will be:
An inquiry into how culture impacts on who we are.
An inquiry into the problems and issues in communities.
An inquiry into what makes us unique.
places involved in migration.

Teacher Questions
What does culture mean to you?
What are the different cultures represented in our community?
What is a community?
What problems do we have in the world?
Why are there problems around the world?

There are similarities and differences in all communities in the world

Concepts
Form: What is it like?
Causation: Why is it like it is?
Connection: How are things connected?
Related Concepts
subjectivity, fact, opinion, prejudice, empathy, contrast, conflict, similarities, diffferences

PYP Learner Profiles
Knowledgeable: I am knowledgeable and am able to share my knowledge and perspective
Communicator: I can communicate using different medias and am aware of my audience.
Reflective: I can look back on things I have done and think about ways to do them even better

Suggested Vocabulary

community / similar / different	consequence / respect / reflect	cause / culture / issue	effect / unique / identity

Transdisciplinary Skills: These skills are developed through the unit.
Self-Management Skills: Time management: Using time effectively and appropriately.
Research Skills: Formulating Questions: Identifying something one wants or needs to know and asking compelling and relevant questions that can be researched. Organising Data: Sorting and Categorising information; arranging into understandable forms. Interpreting Data: Drawing conclusions from relationships and patterns that emerge from organised data.

How does Arabic, Social Studies & Islamic Studies support our
understanding of this unit?
In Arabic language lessons, students will begin to develop language to help explore the different areas of the Unit of Inquiry.
This may include games, songs, stories and role plays to develop an understanding of our own culture, the culture of our host country and who we are.
In Islamic Studies and Social Studies, students will explore the Transdisciplinary Theme of Who we Are through their study of Islam and an appreciation of the history and culture of the UAE.

Parents can help support learning at home in various ways:
Discussing the vocabulary being introduced in the Unit of Inquiry
Discussing homelearning investigations
Discussing new learning each week with your child
Help research in your home langauge
Encourage further inquiry when possible
Help to support the development of the PYP Attitudes through the unit.

PYP Attitudes
Appreciation, Independence, Respect

PSPE Strands
Identity: An understanding of our own beliefs, values, attitudes, experiences and feelings and how they shape us; the impact of cultural influences;
Interactions: An understanding of how an individual interacts with other people, other living things and the wider world: behaviours, rights and responsibilities of indivduals and their relationship with others, communities, society and the world around them

Social Studies Strands
Social Organisation and Culture: The study of people, communities, cultures and societies; the ways in which individuals, groups, and societies interact with each other.

How does our learning in English Language support our understanding of this unit of inquiry?
Writing to Inquire: Learning how to formulate different types of questions for interviewing
Writing to recount: Writing a biography related to their personal and group inquiry.
This unit will delve into auto-biographies and biographies and how they are intertwined with our unit of inquiry “Who We Are”. Studnts will interview and write a biography using other texts as models to guide their writing.
Writing to Entertain: Writing a range of historical fiction stories