Discussion question How can I look after myself and others….
This discussion might be expanded by referring to the contexts set by the story (1) When travelling by air? (2) When sightseeing? (3) When participating in a range of new experiences?

Suggested answers might include (1) Foot rotations to avoid thrombosis/ hydration (2) Safety in numbers (3) Open mindedness. What does this look like?

ACTIVITY 1 MYSTICAL MATHEMATICAL RAFTS
Build-up – pre-requisite subject knowledge or background information for teachers:

MYSTICAL MATHEMATICAL RAFTS belongs to a class of mathematical problems known as ‘river crossing problems.’ The following may be good warm-up or warm down activities to prepare or debrief students.
Over an over again, sources of similar games recommend the importance of not solving the problem for children.
An internet search under ‘River Crossing Problems’ will reveal many examples (including solutions). The following sites were active in 2008.
• Victorian Boat Ride by Erik Oosterwal http://www.geocities.com/oosterwal/puzzle.htm

There are many other puzzles on this site.
• A man wishes to cross the river with a fox, a goose and some corn….
http://www.smart-kit.com/s622/crossing-the-river-puzzle/

• MatheMUSEments Tricky By Ivars Peterson Muse, September 2004, p. 34-35. Crossings http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/pages/puzzlezone/muse/muse0904.asp Has many well known problems.

• SNAP math fairs: some puzzles http://www.mathfair.com/rvrcrossing.html Site is aimed at teachers and offers pedagogical advice.
Suggestions for organising students, equipment etc.
The children follow the plan – attempt- reflect format. These instructions are given to the children and then they are totally left to their own devices.

For this game to work YOU MUST HAVE an even number of children wearing odd bibs- i.e. the mathematics does not work out if you for example 9 children wearing odd bibs, but will work out if you have ten children wearing odd bibs. Obviously, for a large class you may repeat some numbers or set a higher total.

You really need to actually do this game to see the amazing amount of problem solving that takes place. The children eventually discover that the secret to success is having two odd numbers jumping at the same time and making sure a low numbered even bib crosses the river on his or her own.

The game could be changed to fit any mathematical concepts a class is working on multiples of 3 greater than, less than…

Answers –
The fun of this activity is for students to work out the pattern themselves – not on paper but by finding partners. Here is a possible solution that does not involve the rafts returning (limited numbers of rafts being a complication the teacher may wish to introduce) with an even numbered person

VERSION WITH 20 STUDENTS

In a limited raft numbers version, in an analogy to the solutions of the river-crossing problem, where the individual who does not pose harm to the remaining groups needs to return, an even numbered pair would need to cross and one of the pair would need to return.

This is a formative task aimed towards developing group/ corporation skills.

2. FEAST OF PLENTY
Discussion question How can I best think and act to benefit the team when solving a group measurement problem? Suggested answer: Have roles e.g. Equipment manager (collects, returns), Recorder, Pourer and Manager (person who discusses strategies etc) for a 4-person group. Over time, roles will be varied so all students learn the skills.

ACTIVITY 2 MEASURING 400 MILLILITRES
Build-up – pre-requisite subject knowledge or background information for teachers

This is the famous ‘3 jugs problem’ as applied in practice. Each group needs to have 3 containers, which should not be marked with divisions for volume but (if not already exactly the correct volume) should have a single line to indicate 800, 500 or 300 ml. Old plastic food containers or tins marked with permanent marker are ideal.

This is definitely an activity students enjoy, and it fits with the risk taking profile.

Answers – actual answers or examples. However, it is wiser to let students work this out for themselves.

There are three solutions, using the mathematical notation as defined with the problem:

A (800) + B (0) + C (0) = 800
A (500) + B (0) + C (300) = 800 (pour A into C)
A (500) + B (300) + C (0) = 800 (transfer C contents to B)
A (200) + B (300) + C (300) = 800 (pour A into C to refill)
A (200) + B (500) + C (100) = 800 (transfer C contents to fill B up to 500 ml)
A (700) + B (0) + C (100) = 800 (transfer B contents back to A)
A (700) + B (100) + C (0) = 800 (transfer C contents to B
A (400) + B (100) + C (300) = 800 (pour A into C to refill; A now has exactly 400 ml)

A (800) + B (0) + C (0) = 800
A (300) + B (500) + C (0) = 800 (pour A into B)
A (300) + B (200) + C (300) = 800 (pour B into C)
A (600) + B (200) + C (0) = 800 (pour C into A)
A (600) + B (0) + C (200) = 800 (pour B into C)
A (100) + B (500) + C (200) = 800 (pour A into B to refill)
A (100) + B (400) + C (300) = 800 (transfer B contents to C up to 300 ml)

The third solution is identical to the second, except adds a final step:

A (800) + B (0) + C (0) = 800
A (300) + B (500) + C (0) = 800 (pour A into B)
A (300) + B (200) + C (300) = 800 (pour B into C)
A (600) + B (200) + C (0) = 800 (pour C into A)
A (600) + B (0) + C (200) = 800 (pour B into C)
A (100) + B (500) + C (200) = 800 (pour A into B to refill)
A (100) + B (400) + C (300) = 800 (transfer B contents to C up to 300 ml)
A (400) + B (400) + C (0) = 800 (transfer C contents to A)

Further information, and alternative strategies for students recording their solutions, can be found using an internet search under ‘The Jugs Problem’. The following sites were active in 2008.

Barycentric coordinates – A curious application by Alex Bogomolny
http://www.cut-the-knot.org/triangle/glasses.shtml

The Jugs Problem http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/QQ/database/QQ.09.98/lane1.html

and the wonderfully detailed 12-page resource
Three Jugs by James King http://www.math.washington.edu/~nwmi/materials/3jugs.pdf

Assessment:
The IB does not recommend every task MYP students complete be assessed.
However, you (or your students) may want to assess this activity by applying the mathematics ‘investigations’ rubric to each participating group, in order to familiarise students with the criterion in a non-threatening manner, as a formative assessment strategy.

• The MYP Mathematics assessment criterion Investigating Patterns (below) can be modified for Year 1 students in student-friendly language.

The following example indicates how this may be applied:

ACTIVITY 3 KIRIKITI

Build-up – pre-requisite subject knowledge or background information for the teacher.

This is an example of how cross-cultural exchange has changed a traditional English game to a popular version played throughout many parts of the Pacific, but which probably originated in Samoa. Differences with the traditional game include:

• Played by male and female players
• Team size is not limited
• Mechanical differences in the stumps, balls and bats
• 2 bowlers – one at each end of the pitch – and the rest of the team on the field.
• 2 batters – one at each end of the pitch – just in front of the stumps.
• Games can last several days, interspersed with feasting and dancing!

Equipment required:
Stumps: 6 (or more – have spares) 1- 1.1 m long green sticks. Possibly 1 cm dowel can be substituted but this is more likely to be brittle.

Balls: Balls are about the size of cricket balls but have far less mass. Wrap many unvulcanised rubber bands around a core (a balloon filled with grain, perhaps?) to provide an object with an unpredictable bounce. (Many spares will be required)

Bats: These are large (approximately 1 m long) and triangular in cross section, and made from a light material (kapok tree wood is a traditional material). If unable to manufacture these, PVC plumbing pipes could be a substitute.

Wicket: Traditional

References:

Many internet sites describe Kirikiti as a game with many variations (including the materials, particularly the balls), others can supply equipment such as bats. The following sites contain useful images that may help schools construct their own equipment and were active in 2008.

• Kirikiti on Everything Development Company http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1680289

• AUCKLAND MUSEUM- VAKA MOANA- KIRIKITI Many images on
http://www.ethnic.co.nz/default.asp?selCatID=259&pid=331

• http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/mmartinskerm/fiji-2004/1114456080/imgp2129.jpg/YES.html A travel photo titled: Kirikiti from Apia, Samoa taken by TravelPod member mmartinskerm.

Discussion question How can my participation in the game, Kirikiti benefit my health?
Aerobic, fitness (physical) awareness/ consideration of team members (mental, emotional)

Assessment:
The IB does not recommend every task MYP students complete be assessed.

However, you (or your students) may want to assess this activity by applying the PE Criterion D: social skills and personal engagement’ rubric to individuals, in order to familiarise students with the criterion in a non-threatening manner, as a formative assessment strategy.

• The MYP assessment criterion Social Skills and Personal Engagements can be modified for Year 1 students in student-friendly language.

Sophie, a girl from Argentina, visits with her pen pal friend, Ahanu, from the Canadian Arctic. There she learns about the harsh environment and the difficulties with which humans are challenged everyday. By experiencing different activities with his friend, Sophie learns about the Inuit culture and its games, its flora and fauna and the need to respect and protect wildlife. When she returns home, she has grown as a person, as she has enhanced her own knowledge of the Arctic and her friendship with Ahanu has strengthened.

In this chapter, students learn about the Arctic in two subject areas, Humanities and Language B, through the lens of one area of interaction, “environments.” During a guided class discussion, students consider their responsibilities in the preservation of the different environments they are part of and the need to care for their own self, their family, their school mates, their club or church acquaintances or other. Providing specific examples, relevant to the different environments they fit in, will help them develop their understanding of this area of interaction.

As young learners, they develop some of the IB learner profile qualities, caring and open-minded, both of which tie nicely with the preservation of the different environments. In relation to the environments, they develop the caring quality, as they care not only for themselves but for the other environments they are part of. Becoming open-minded allows them to appreciate a range of views and opinions about diverse issues and realize that people of different cultures and values can still work together on common projects aiming at securing a more peaceful world. This links directly to the IB mission statement.

To support student comprehension of the text:

• Locate the Arctic on the world map
• Locate and observe different types of maps (Euro-centred, America-centred, Upside down map or other that may be relevant to your own location or country)
• Estimate distance from own country to the Arctic in order to help them visualize a mental map.

Activity 1 (Page 52) Where on Earth?

Aim: To develop the power of observation. The questions guide the observation and require responses that include some specific examples to illustrate them.

Approach: Individual or small group activity. By looking at an Arctic map students identify some of these features:

1. Land masses and countries surrounding the Arctic Ocean: Greenland (Denmark); Eurasia: Norway and Russia; North America: Canada and United States.
2. Bodies of water:  The Arctic Ocean is surrounded by the East Siberian Sea, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, Greenland Sea, Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea.
3. Towns and villages surrounding the Arctic Ocean: There are several large cities inside the Arctic Circle, including Barrow, Alaska; Tromso, Norway; and Murmansk in Russia. There are also large towns and villages that provide evidence that the region is more populated than may be imagined.
4. What scale does this map show and what does it indicate? As the original map was not included in the printed workbook, students may answer the following question:

What is the meaning and use of scale on a map?
For the purpose of this exercise, use any Arctic map. The question helps students to interpret a map and understand the relation between scale and real distance. The scale is a rule that allows to read distances on a map. Scales may be expressed in different ways, for example:

• a representative fraction, e.g. 1:100,000 or 1/100,000 means 1cm on the map represents 100,000 cm (1 kilometre) in the real world
• a written statement, e.g. ‘one cm equals 50 kilometres’
• a graphic scale, e.g. a line marked with distance on the ground, in the real world, which the map user employs along with a ruler to measure distances on the map.

Students should identify the scale of one map and then, they may compare one distance to other familiar distances. E.g. the distance between the Arctic Ocean and home country, home and school or distance between school and capital city, or other.

Homework (optional): mark the features observed on a blank map of the Arctic.

Discussion Question (Page 53) How do maps show the different ways in which we can perceive our world?

Aim: By explaining different perceptions of places, societies and environments and showing an understanding of how culture and perception can affect a sense of in-ternationalism (Humanities guide, 2005, page 18), students will develop the con-cept of global awareness.

Approach: Stimulated by a class discussion, students reflect on how own percep-tion of the world may vary according to location.
Possible responses: People living in the Arctic, might have the impression that they live on top of the world. On the other hand, people living in New Zealand or Australia might share a similar opinion when looking at an upside down map of the world. Therefore, many different answers may be valid.

Discussion Question (Page 54) How does the snow inside the igloo not melt from body heat?

Aim: To develop critical thinking skills.

Approach: Working in small groups, they attempt to resolve the question while writing their answers on index cards (20 minutes). Then the groups post their index card on a poster and organize their findings (10 minutes).
Possible responses:

• Inside the igloo people are dressed with many layers. What is the role of those layers? How do those layers act as insulation? Layers help to keep the body temperature and it does not irradiate the heat so much.
• What is insulation? The act of protecting something by surrounding it with material that reduces or prevents the transmission of sound or heat or electricity.
• What is the difference between the body temperature (36) and the outside layer? This may admit varied responses. A thermometer could help to determine the different temperatures.

Activity 2 (Page 55) A basic vocabulary

Aim: This activity is developed in the context of Language B, adapted for year 1, in order to spur communication skills by requesting and providing information in simple, familiar situations, in both spoken and written contexts.

Approach: Working in small groups and assuming they were to visit the Arctic, students make simple phrases with those words and role-play familiar situations where they would use them. Students build this basic vocabulary through three simple translation exercises into their own language B:

• translating simple words
• thinking of ten more words and translating them
• thinking of three useful phrases, if they were to visit the Arctic, and translating them

After twenty minutes, they compare their phrases by posting them on a billboard and reflect on their learning (10 minutes).

Discussion Question (Page 58) What other environments are endangered because of global warming?

Aim: To explore the concept of environments and develop awareness of how global warming is affecting local issues. In their interactions with their environ-ments, students develop awareness and understanding of how their daily actions affect their inner environments, such as their health and state of mind, their imme-diate school and classroom environments and global environments (From princi-ples into practice, 2008, page 32).

Approach: In small groups students develop understanding of the interdepend-ence of societies and explore issues facing the local and/or international community.

Students to do:

• define global warming in own words
• discuss the student’s role within a wide range of environments including natural, built and virtual
• identify environments that are endangered by global warming
• propose a simple plan of action to debate, and may be raise awareness of the problem

Activity 3 (Page 58) Discuss, debate, protect, preserve
How can you help the world become aware of the need to debate climate change?

Aim: This activity is interdisciplinary and links the Humanities concept of global awareness -to explore basic issues facing the international community- with one Language B objective, that requires students to take part in formal and informal exchanges related to cultural and international issues, e.g to take action in order to preserve threatened biomes or ecozones.

Approach: In groups and on paper, students write a letter to, either:

• The Secretary of the United Nations asking him to encourage nations to im-plement environmental policies in order to care for and preserve the Arctic environment.
• A local newspaper to encourage the development of an environment project to raise awareness that addressing the impact of climate change in the Arctic is a global responsibility.

This activity could be simplified, if needed, by asking students to write headlines for the local newspaper encouraging environmental policies, instead of a letter.

Activity 4 (Page 59) Build a model of an igloo

Aim: This activity requires students to design a blueprint to build a model of an igloo following a spiral pattern.

Approach: In small groups students collect the required materials and build the igloo.

Materials option (a):

• recyclable materials for the base and building blocks
• ruler
• scissors
• glue

If the school location permits it, students may build a real igloo (option b); there is a short (10’) movie explaining how to build an igloo on the internet:
National Film Board of Canada, 1949. August 15, 2008

Materials option (b):

• water-proof snow gloves
• snow boots
• snow saw (about 50 cm long)
• snow shovel

Reflection: In the context of their language B, students explain in two paragraphs how they built their igloo and refer to the problems encountered and how they were solved. They may comment upon what they would change if they were to build another igloo in the future.

The last three pages present guided reflection exercises to help students enhance their understanding and application of the MYP framework.

Bibliography – Chapter 5

Arctic Studies Centre. 10 September 2007. http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/index.html

Arctic theme page[sic]. 10 September 2007. http://www.cln.org/themes/arctic.html

Aurora Gallery. 17 September 2007
http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/gallery_01feb03.htm

Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, 1997. 10 September 2007.
http://www.civilization.ca/aborig/inuvial/lande.html
http://www.civilization.ca/aborig/aborige.asp

Civilization.ca: The Story of the Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913-1918 (10 September 2007.
http://www.civilization.ca/hist/cae/exp30e.html

Department of Anthropology, University of Waterloo. 10 September 2007.
http://anthropology.uwaterloo.ca/ArcticArchStuff/Inuit.html

Igloo Builders Guide. 13 September 2007 http://home.no.net/gedra/igloo_bg.htm
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. 16 September 2007. http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ks/5020_e.html

Inuit Art Sculptures.com. 16 September 2007. http://www.inuitartsculptures.com/

Inuvialuit Place Names. 10 September 1007.
http://www.pwnhc.ca/inuvialuit/placenames/sitemap.html
http://www.pwnhc.ca/inuvialuit/placenames/travel.html

Labiste, Susan, How to Build an Igloo. 16 September 2007. http://www.primitiveways.com/igloo.html

New Scientist. 16 September 2007 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2285.html

Omega Point Network Enterprises, 1999. 10 September 2007 http://www.omega23.com/books/b/Arctic.html

Polar Bears International. 16 September 2007. http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/faq/#q3

Schliebe, Scott L., Polar Bear Project Leader.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/MMM, Anchorage, AK. Quoted in: Arctic theme page. 10 September 2007. http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_schliebe.html

Vocabulary Words in Native American Language. 17 September 2007.
http://www.native-languages.org/inuktitut_words.htm

Storyline:

MYP students are selected from around the word to participate in a 7 day intercultural experience including a 4 day hike at the southern rim of the Grand Canyon. The group include the main characters presented through the previous chapters. When rain creates a landslide which divides the hiking group in two, the students need to decide on how they will communicate with each other over distance and make a decision on how to finish the hike.

Finally, this wonderful adventure comes to an end and students need to say good bye. They have lived together unforgettable moments and solved some problems that endangered the whole group. While making new friends their friendship bonded and the time to go home was full of mixed feelings. At the end of the chapter, students may be asked to role play this situation and explain how they feel.

Introductory page:

Unlike previous chapters, where students have been provided with key information, the students are asked to predict which subject areas, areas of interaction and learner profile qualities may relate to the learning within this chapter based on a short introductory paragraph. Emphasise to students that predictions can be made based on limited information and then modified as further learning takes place.

Approach: Discuss the introductory paragraph recording the ideas students have regarding where the story may lead and their justification on which subject areas, areas of interaction and learner profile qualities may be relevant.

Activity One: Selecting an ambassador:

Aim: to give students experience at designing and completing a rubric. The activity assists students in understanding why descriptors are given to different levels of achievement.

Approach: In small groups and based on the understanding shown, it may be necessary for students to engage in further activities to build on their knowledge of assessment. Such activities include:

• Organising parts of a cut up rubric
• Creating their own assessment descriptors for a piece of work
• Participating in self evaluation activities
• Attaching samples of work to a particular achievement grade and explaining why it matches

Activity Two: Distance communication:

Aim: To Investigate older ways of distance communication.

Approach: Students need to match dates to significant people and inventions within the field of communication

Preparation: (optional)

• Identifying resources in the library that may benefit their understanding
• Considering key words that would define their search for relevant information
• Identifying words within the activity that need to be defined for better comprehension
• Sharing of prior knowledge regarding forms of communication
• Discussing significant events that occurred around the same time as the dates of invention, thus giving clues to what match would be accurate.

This activity could be completed after some prior reading, without the use of resources and then discussed and researched, OR with the use of resources or clues.

Activity Three: Semaphore signals:

Aim: To stimulate students’ creativity and make them aware of different signalling systems that can be created with basic materials

Approach: Students use a chart of semaphore alphabet signals to send a message to a partner. The instructions are self-explanatory and students need time to experiment, practice and perfect their semaphore techniques, challenging themselves to signal a letter, word and then a sentence.

Equipment:

• A4 paper
• Straws
• Coloured markers
• Space

Answers:

Reflection:

Students are presented with the opportunity to consider the predictions they made at the beginning of this chapter and modify or confirm which subject areas, areas of interaction and learner profile qualities related to this chapter. Through students sharing verbally their personal answers to this reflection section they can support each others understanding of these concepts. Ask students to explain their answers and locate parts of the chapter that they can directly link to these major concepts within the MYP.

Bibliography – Chapter 7

American Sign Language. (Image) 13 August, 2007. http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01046/pages/asl.htm

BNet Business Network, Perkins, S. Straight flush: researchers’ latest effort to shape the Grand Canyon. Science News, March 5, 2005. 10 December 2007.

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America. 25 November, 2007. http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/gyzg/t268615.htm

Grand Canyon National Park. 10 December, 2007. http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/index.htm

J. David Rogers’
Grand Canyon Research
Surprise Valley Landslides. 10 December 2007. http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/grand_canyon_research/surprise_valley_landslides.htm

Natureandco.com discover nature in New Zealand. 10 November 2007.
http://www.natureandco.co.nz/land_and_wildlife/national_parks/arthpass/idx- arthpass.php3

Nobelprize.org. Guglielmo Marconi,The Nobel Prize in Physics 1909. From Nobel Lectures, Physics 1901-1921, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1967. 12 August, 2007.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1909/marconi-bio.html

R.Victor Jones. Optical Telegraphy. 12 August, 2007

http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~jones/cscie129/images/history/chappe.html Samuel Morse. 25 November, 2007.

Semaphore Flag Signalling System. Prepared by Jim Croft . 14 August, 2007. http://www.anbg.gov.au/flags/semaphore.html

Shopping Le Blog Shopping. 25 (Image) November, 2007.
http://www.italiq-expos.com/blog-shopping/2006/12/27/589-la-radio-a-100-ans

Sign Language History. 25 November, 2007. http://www.computing.dcu.ie/~smorri/SLhistory.html

The Franklin Institute Resources for Science Learning. Bell’s Telephone. 25 November, 2007. http://fi.edu/franklin/inventor/bell.html

The Southgate Amateur Radio Club. BBC World Service Discovery Fessenden: King of the Radio Waves 12 August, 2007. http://www.southgatearc.org/news/december2006/king_of_the_radio_waves.htm

Parts of this chapter may challenge students with spatial understanding of time zones and location, yet all students should be able to complete the enquiry and design activities.

Location 1: An Australian Park

Discussion question Why do we create rules for games? Suggested answers (1) Most rules are about control and management of groups of people. (2) Most rules are about fairness, reciprocity, dignity (e.g., conflict resolution rules), to develop responsible attitudes and procedures (e.g. safety rules).

Follow on questions or extension discussion: Where do school rules fit within this?

Background information for teachers:
Children’s play involving games is an active and interesting branch or research:

• All over the world, there is a consistency in the types of games children play at different ages. Preschoolers enjoy chants, hide-an-seek type games, rhymes and chants. By the time children are about 7, most are beginning to play games that require rules, within a few years (age 10-11), learn to invent rules for new games themselves.
• As with any young mammals, for example, kittens, where play is a precursor for learning to ambush prey, there is a serious developmental purpose to the play of children. Game rules develop values of justice and fairness, and children who play games learn essential skills in conflict resolution. http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/8048.htm

Humans are a social species. Such species have consistent patterns of behaviour that enable them to cooperate and compete in ways that are not self destructive. Human rules for behaviour may therefore have their origins in deep time, when society consisted of families, clans or nomadic groups

Activity 1 : Create a sundial

Build-up – pre-requisite subject knowledge or background information
Do students understand shadows are indicate ‘absence’ of light/ and always fall in straight lines? Do students understand the apparent motion of the sun (the real motion is the Earth’s) across the sky each day?

Approach – suggestions for organising students, equipment etc.

Ideas for the perpendicular gnomon:

• This could be a stick pushed in the ground, a stick placed vertically inside a tin filled with plaster of Paris, and left to set, or a retort stand.

Answers
What happens at noon? The shadow should be shortest; noon is the highest point the sun reaches.

Think of some different ways to show your results – including tables or graphs.
This could be the circular style, or on a graph, as sundial information is often shown.

Example produced by MYP 1 student

If the Earth were not tilted, would your results be different? If the earth was not tilted, we would not have seasons – so the sundial would cast the same shadows wherever you were on earth.

A range of activities is available on
http://www.spacescience.org/education/extra/kinesthetic_astronomy/ and on http://hea-www.harvard.edu/ECT/the_book/toc.html

Extension work/ discussion you might consider with this activity:

• How will your results change during (i) Daylight saving/ Summertime (if this occurs in your region)? Daylight saving/summertime will not change the actual shadows, but the hour name you give it will – it is important students recognise the concept of ‘time’ is human ingenuity – but the shadows come from cosmic reality.

• At mid summer? At mid summer the sun is highest overhead – the shadows will be shorter at noon. Also the days are ‘longer’ – so the arc transcribed by the sun will be larger (take up more of the 360^o of the circle.

• At mid winter? At mid winter the sun is low on the horizon – the shadows will be longer at noon relative to the summer position – but noon will still give the shortest shadow. Also the days are ‘shorter’ – so the arc transcribed by the sun will be smaller (take up less of the 360^oof the circle.

Think about the shape of the Earth and how it might look from different positions – if you were a sunbeam.
This might be worth modelling with a pin stuck in a Styrofoam ball, with light coming from different positions.

What kinds of changes might happen to your diagram if your stick was at

• One of the Earth’s poles – for example, in the Arctic? At the poles the situation will be more extreme – 24 hours of light ‘the midnight sun’ in summer, and no light in winter.

• Near the equator – for example, on a Pacific Ocean island? At the equator the patterns will be similar throughout the year.

Assessment:
The IB does not recommend every task MYP students complete be assessed. Assessment should occur only after completion of a major assignment or period of learning.

The MYP assessment criterion D Scientific Inquiry and criterion E Interpreting data may be relevant unpacked for Year 1 in student-friendly language.

Discuss qualities of a well-written science report. Science reports are generally written under Sciences Criterion D. (Scientific Inquiry), calculations and graphical representations are generally assessed under Sciences Criterion E (Processing Data)

Wording unpacked for students in MYP 1 – Example

CRITERION D (Scientific inquiry) is about

1. Stating problems
2. Developing hypotheses
3. Planing variables
4. Selecting equipment
5. Evaluating results
6. Evaluating method

These experiments are major pieces of work, not student-lead teacher-suggested demonstrations

Criterion E is about

1. Designing graphs and tables
2. Reading graphs and tables
3. Predicting trends
4. Problem solving
5. Simple calculations

This may or may not be part of a practical report

Location 2: Alien Landscape

Discussion question What do you think the numbers in the box on the sundial refer to? Answer: The numbers in the box are the latitude and longitude of the new location, the students have found themselves in. If students have studied the previous chapter The Arctic Connection, they will understand how to locate these on a map. Schools connected to the World Wide Web may be interested in looking for the location using Google Earth Download Google Earth Pro

Build-up – pre-requisite subject knowledge or background information
The analemma is the figure-of-eight path transcribed by the sun if you photographed it each week for a year from the same location. The exact shape is affected by latitude, season and the speed of the Earth’s motion around the sun. This movement is slightly faster at perihelion – when the sun’s slightly elliptical orbit means it is slightly closer to the earth. This happens during the Australian summer, which is why southern hemisphere summers are a few days shorter than northern hemisphere summers!

The shape drawn on a flat(tish) surface can also be used to produce an interactive sundial that requires a standing person to act as a gnomon.

Analemma sundial 1

Analemma sundial 2

If discussing or studying the analemma sundial in more detail:

Useful definitions that may help you interpret the diagram, and relate the analemma sundial to the sundial activity completed by students :

• A solstice is a time during the year when the sun appears to stand still. The summer solstice is the longest day, and the winter solstice the shortest day of the year. The diagram below shows sunrise and sunset during the summer and winter solstices.

• An equinox is a day when the period of light and darkness is equal (this follows from having day length varies over the course of a year) The equinoxes occur in Autumn and Spring. Most calendars give 21st/22nd March and 21 st /22nd September as the dates, most years. Note: The story happens close to an equinox:

• Where does the central line point to? It should point to True North – this is not the same as magnetic north given by compasses, but the point around which the Earth rotates. As magnetic north will change over time, refer to a recent map for confirmation of how to find it.

• What is the connection between it and the positioning of the non-sun arm on the watch-compass? It is the same

• What do the numbers probably indicate? The numbers indicate 24 hour time.

Diagram of analemma sundial

Note: Why is ‘Sunrise’ shown on the west?

Sundials work by reading shadows, which will fall in the opposite direction from where the sun is – eg, if the sun is rising in the east, the shadow indicating ‘sunrise’ will be read on the Western side.

Useful References
Software that draws analemmas at any specific latitude and longitude can be purchased for $US15 from http://www.jgiesen.de/GeoAstro/GeoAstro.htm. The result, reproduced on A3 paper, can be mounted on a board and used with a pin as the gnomon.

Alternatively the mathematically inclined can calculate the shape from various equations given in http://plus.maths.org/issue11/features/sundials/feat.pdf

It is a very affirming experience for students to tell the time with an analemma sundial designed for one’s exact location given by Latitude and Longitude– it tells us the earth is a sphere and gives confidence in human ingenuity. It is fun to have such an accurate time keeper.

Follow on questions or extension activities
Students may enjoy exploring how the shape of the analemma changes at different locations on Earth, for example, typing a range of Latitudes and Longitudes associated with different chapters in the book on the site: http://www.jgiesen.de/hsd/hsd300.html

• Canadian Arctic
• Fiji
• Canadian Rockies/Grand Canyon
• Istanbul

There is no assessment rubric associated with this activity – understanding the analemma is a challenge in itself.

So Long, Location 2

Activity 2, Taking the Time

Build-up – pre-requisite subject knowledge or background information
The ‘Design cycle’ is the core process underpinning MYP Technology. The assessment criteria underpin this process. The task for students, to design, plan, create and create (the task has been defined in the story) a timing device.

• Criterion A Investigate (this has been set in scenario)
• Criterion B Design
• Criterion C Plan
• Criterion D Create
• Criterion E Evaluate
• Criterion F Attitudes in technology (it might be more appropriate to assess this in a longer-term project)

Have available items such as

• Materials: Empty soft drink bottles, tins, cardboard tubes (such as you may find in haberdashery stores), string, paper clips, masking tape, pieces of cardboard.
• Creating Tools: nails and hammer
• Evaluation Tool: a watch with second hand, or stopwatches.
• candles

A suggested approach:
Discuss the design cycle and expectations.

Give students in groups, time to discuss strategies. An open ended approach is probably best, but you could identify the materials in your ‘box of goodies’ and suggest possible approaches

• Sand timer – like an egg timer (2 plastic bottles, dry sand, a device to control rate of movement, possibly made out of cardboard.)

• Water clocks – 1. A tin with small holes so that it will empty after exactly 1 minute. The rate is controlled by the size of the hole. 2. A device that slowly fills with water (could also be a tin, tucked inside a slightly bigger tin) and sinks when full. It fills in exactly 1 minute. The rate is controlled by the size of the hole, and the mass of the tin.

• Marble ramps This kind of device requires a ramp (made from cardboard tubing, perhaps) so a marble placed at the top takes exactly 1 minute to roll down. The rate is controlled by the slope of the ramp.

• String systems This kind of device consists of a string which carries a load over a certain distance. The rate is controlled by the angle of the string, and the friction between the string and the link (possibly a paper clip) holding the load.

• Candles [but you may not approve of fire in your classroom – and many factors affect the rates candles burn.]

Expect students to Design (could be a sketch) and list materials before helping themselves to the ‘box of goodies’.

Have extra items such as masking tape, and cardboard, in case they need to modify their original plan.

Assessment
The IB does not recommend every task MYP students complete be assessed. However, here is a possible task-specific rubric for MYP 1:

Activity 4: Use the clues in the story to work out where the friends may have travelled to. This question can be answered on many different levels, depending on student interest.

(1) Simple answer: From the southern to the northern hemisphere. Clues: seasons (autumn in the Park, spring in the alien landscape) as indicated by the state of the trees.

(2) More sophisticated answer
Latitude and longitude numbers appear of the northern hemisphere destination appears on the analemma sundial.

The location of the park (in the story): somewhere in South East Australia-Victoria.

(3) Outstanding, sophisticated answer (perhaps for the Albert Einsteins in you class!)

Really smart people might realise that if you cut the earth (sphere) in half you get a circle.Note: a circle is 360^o and a day is 24 hours – therefore each hour is 360÷24 = 15^o

Bawen never changed his watch and it is 9.00 pm, yet Zoë thought it was 10.30 pm – a difference of 1.5 hours. This suggests that the children did not go to exactly the opposite side of the earth (12 hours or half of 24) away, but were 10.5 hours towards the west.

(4) The beyond-sophisticated answer (are there really 11-12 year olds that smart?)

Working eastwards from the location on the analemma (add 15^o x 10.5 = 157.5^o).

However, the Northern hemisphere latitude is West of Greenwich, so 9 ^o.44’ needs to be subtracted to give the Australian location to the East of Greenwich – so about 147^o16’.

This longitude certainly crosses through Victoria in Eastern Australia – check using Google Earth!

This chapter is set in Istanbul, Turkey. It follows the journey of Erol, who moves with his family to the city and finds it difficult to fit in. After joining a football team, making a friend and learning about the history and diversity of his environment, he finds his place in his new community. By learning about the challenges of life through visual messages, he acts to be a responsible citizen by helping others transition into a new school.

To support student comprehension of the text, before reading:

• Identify Turkey, Ankara, Istanbul and Gallipoli on a map
• Discuss what it is like to move home
• Discuss strategies for making new friends and joining groups.
• Discuss the importance of being open minded when new people join your group.
• Ensure students have a clear understanding of ‘visual messages’ that promote positive change.
• Ask students to give examples of how they can be principled and communicators when working in a group

Discussion Question Page 32 What is a community?
Suggested answers: A group of people who live in an area. The name of the area in which a group of people live. People who share a common background or interest. A group of people who attend a particular class, school, belong to a club, or come together because of a tradition or belief. People who come together because they share a similar problem or concern. A group of countries that share the same background or goals. Plants and animals that live in a particular environment.

Exploring the City (text)
For students both familiar and unfamiliar with the game of football, build a tree of class knowledge regarding the game. Who plays it? Where? Famous teams, famous, players, uniforms, player contracts, major competitions. This will help students identify with the way messages, promoted by players and FIFA, can reach a large percentage of the population. Note: FIFA has a current campaign; Win in Africa with Africa. Visit: www.fifa.com clicking on About FIFA/social responsibility.

Discussion Question Page 31 What visual messages can be seen in your community?
As a homework task students can identify visual messages around them, categorising them into those promoting social responsibility, those advertising a product or service and those with another purpose.
Possible responses: Signs warning of the dangers of driving too fast or drinking and driving. Banners and adverts promoting community events and fundraisers. Messages on T-shirts such as statements from Greenpeace. Adverts in newspapers. Mission statement and mottos in school entrance ways and on publications. Brochures and info packs regarding caring for the environment in Information centres. Key objectives of Members of parliament/ senators/ leaders in the community advertised in booklets and within their offices. Billboards at stadiums. Social responsibility campaigns on television such as saying ‘No’ to family violence. Newspaper and magazines articles and adverts educating people on current community and global crisis. T.V. ads from organizations such as Christian Childrens Fund and Women’s Refuge. Lyrics published in CD cases from artists with a message. Shop promotions such as ‘The RED’ shopping campaign promoted by Bono from U2 to help raise funds for AIDS drugs in Africa. People wearing coloured ribbons and wrist bands raising awareness for problems such as cancer. Memorials, statues and plaques.

Activity One: Promoting change

Build up:

• Discuss ways in which to advertise or promote a product, service or message. If possible create a display of signs, posters etc which use slogans, captions, questions, statements, photos and symbols. Display famous quotes, captions and jingles. Discuss writing in second person, using questions, making statements

• Brainstorm global issues that negatively impact on people around the world.

Extension: Identify locations where certain problems are more significant due to drought, civil war, religious difference etc.

Equipment (options)

• Sketch paper and pencils/markers
• Drawing/Design software programmes

Approach
Students can work independently or collaboratively on this task following the instructions on page 33.

Activity Two: Acting through art

Students can complete this activity in a short period of time or possibly as a homework activity.

Activity Three: Community focus

Build-up:
Students will need to identify with issues and concerns that impact on the quality of life within their school and/or local community.
Consider:

• Brainstorming issues
• Interviewing respected members of school or community
• Reading the local newspaper
• Discussing issues with student council

Equipment:
As students identify with the issue that they will represent, they will also develop ideas for the medium in which they will want to work.

Options may include:

• A selection of musical pieces
• Equipment for audio recording
• Digital cameras
• Art paper – pastels, paint, markers, water colours
• Clay/construction materials
• Computers
• Costumes/props

Assessment

THE ARTS

By the end of the three activities, students will have developed their ability to
1. Express their art ideas and consider the ideas of others
2. Understand and communicate their intentions for their art expression
3. Applied appropriate skills and techniques to express their ideas

Assessment data can be gathered through
1. Observing students as they work collaboratively and express ideas on paper and verbally
2. Conferencing students so that they communicate their artistic process and intentions
3. Students writing reflections
4. Art samples

Students may need to spend more time in the process stage of creating art to fully express their ability to create, apply and explain their intention of their art. The descriptors are quite generic as students have a wide choice of types of expression and medium in chapter 3. Keeping this in mind the following criteria is a sample for this chapter:

ENGLISH

Students may need further exposure to the writing of poetry, slogans, statements and lyrics to fully express their achievement in this area of writing. They will also need the opportunity to work individually to represent clearly their personal writing achievement. Keeping this in mind the following criteria is a sample for this chapter.

Storyline:

Rosa is an 11 year old from California who is about to begin the MYP. As she creates her MYPath Page (a fictitious personal online networking page) Rosa realises that she could ask others about the MYP, and so prepare herself for her start in Middle School. Through a blog Rosa learns about the programme from a teacher and students living all around the world. (These new MYP friends consequently feature in following chapters of MYPinteract and come together for a final challenge concluding the book’s storyline in chapter 7.)

Through this age and interest appropriate storyline students are introduced to the major concepts and terms unique to the MYP.

By the end of this chapter, students will be familiar with:

• The eight subject area
• The Areas of Interaction
• The Learner Profile
• Stand alone and Interdisciplinary units
• Key questions related to the areas of interaction

Preparation:

Rosa utilises her ‘MYPath’ page to interact with others in a responsible manner for the purpose of learning more about the MYP. Considering some irresponsible behaviour associated with current online communication globally, it essential to discuss with students the positive use of social online networking. A discussion on responsible use of blogs and networking websites will help students and parents recognise how students interacting online can be a positive and safe experience. In Rosa’s case, she has become a member of a new community – global MYP students.

Approach:

A guided reading session is the suggested approach for this chapter. If students are seated in groups through the guided reading they will be able to discuss, ask and answer questions, and support each others understanding of the new concepts.
As students follow the blog they will be asked to complete short activities that build upon their new understandings. Although students can independently complete the activities in their own books, working in pairs or small groups will support their understanding and assist completion. As students are required only to complete short writing activities, they may want to brainstorm and organise their answers in draft form before completing the activities in the book.

Activities include identifying communities, goal setting, matching terms to definitions and identifying personal qualities. Concluding the chapter is a fictional story in which the readers need to relate the areas of interaction to significant events within the story.

Suggestions for further learning:

• Building and displaying a glossary of MYP terms
• Using a ‘Wonderings wall” where students place questions that come up during the chapter. As a class the questions can be answered at the end of the chapter or as they are clarified throughout the remaining chapters of the book.
• Creating a hard copy personal version of an online profile page
• Identifying people in the school that the students could ask questions regarding the MYP
• Creating group posters to represent each Area of Interaction, leaving room to build on their understanding as they work through the following chapters
• Searching online for IB schools and marking them on a world or country map
• Brainstorming ways Rosa can prepare herself for Middle School and actions that will assist her in becoming a successful learner