The 8th grade students’ Statement of Inquiry in their course Individuals and Society is: Individual choices and morality impact global interactions.
After writing, teaching and reflecting on this first IB (International Baccalaureate) unit, Mrs. Conroy, the teacher of Individuals and Society has several observations to share.
1. Meaningful class and small group conversations have flourished under this new IB framework.
2. Holocaust survivors (guest speakers) have brought global perspective.
3. Rigor has increased in terms of using and citing primary documents due to IB's requirement of thoroughly teaching and assessing standards.
4. Students are given various options to show their understanding.
Examples seen in this unit included: prose, poetry, play writing, acting or film.
5. During this unit, there was structured collaborative work time so students could share ideas, teach one another and reflect on different perspectives.
Mrs. Conroy has enjoyed having the students evaluate the immediate implications on the statement of inquiry and helping her students transfer this concept to current events.
