April 12th 2015

Unit 5 Parent Letter:

How We Organize Ourselves
An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and
communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision
making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.

Central Idea:
Understanding the process that food goes through
allows us to make informed decisions.
Key Concepts:

Vocabulary List

Form- What is it like?

Production

Change How does it change?

Responsibility- What is our/my responsibility?
Related Concepts:
Production
Origins
Consumption
An Inquiry into:
The features of process
Distribution of food
Applying knowledge to make informed decisions.
Teacher Questions:
1. Where does the food we eat come from?
2. How can foods change?
3. What is our responsibility when it comes to food?
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Producers

Distribution

Consumption

Nutrition

Process

Food

Systems

Transportation

Consumers

Organization

Cost

Agriculture

Shipment

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During our inquiry this unit, we will be focusing on the following learner
profile traits, attitudes and transdisiplinary skills

Learner Profiles
Reflection: We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We
work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and
personal development.
Principled: We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and
justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take
responsibility for our actions and their consequences.

Attitudes
Appreciation: We appreciate the wonder and beauty of the world and it's people
Empathy: Imagining ourselves in anothers situation in order to reasoning and
emotions, so as to be open-minded and reflective about the perspectives of
others

Transdisciplinary Skills
Social Skills:
Accepting Responsibility: Taking on and completing tasks in an
appropriate manner; being willing to assume a share of the
responsibility.
Research Skills
Organizing Data: Sorting and categorizing information; arranging into
understandable forms such as narrative descriptions, tables, timelines,
graphs and diagrams.
Presenting Research Findings: Effectively communicating what has been
learned; choosing appropriate media.
Thinking Skills
Evaluation: Making judgments or decisions based on chosen criteria;
standards and conditions.
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Dialectal Thought: Thinking about two or more different points of view

at the same time; understanding those points of view; being able to
construct an argument for each point of view based on knowledge of the
other(s); realizing that other people can also take ones own point of
view.
Communication Skills
Viewing: Interpreting and analyzing visuals and multimedia;
understanding the ways in which images and language interact to convey
ideas, values and beliefs; making informed choices about personal viewing
experiences.
Presenting: Constructing visuals and multimedia for a range of purposes
and audiences; communicating information and ideas through a variety of
visual media; using appropriate technology for effective presentation
and representation.
Self-management Skills
Informed Choices: Selecting an appropriate course of action or behavior
based on fact or opinion.
Healthy Lifestyle: Making informed choices to achieve a balance in
nutrition, rest, relaxation and exercise; practicing appropriate hygiene
and self-care.

Language
Learning Objectives:
Reading:
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding
words and know the spelling-sound correspondences for common
consonant diagraphs
Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words. Know final e and common
vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.
Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of
words and phrases in a text
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April 12th 2015

Know and use various text features

Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text
Writing Content and Conventions:
Write opinion pieces in which they state an opinion, supply reasons that
support the opinion using linking words and provide a concluding
statement.
Write informative texts which give instructions.
Speaking and Listening:
Build on others talk in conversations by linking their comments to the
remarks of others.

Mathematics
Learning Objectives:
Estimate, measure and compare using standard units of measurement
Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another.
Recognize situations where outcomes are certain, impossible or
unpredictable
Describe possible outcomes for particular events and use everyday
language to describe the likelihood of the outcomes occurring
Partition circles and rectangles into equal shares and describe the
shares as half, third, quarter and compose the whole unit from the
parts
Recognize and use whole, half, and quarter turns

Science
Learning Objectives:
Use scientific inquiry and experimentation skills to investigate the
differences between processed and unprocessed food.
Follow established safety procedures during science and technology
investigations
Assess the impact of food modification
Analyze and sequence the production of food from start to finish.
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Social Studies
Learning Objectives:
Explain reasons for the importance of leadership and service in relation
to food production and distribution
Identify various principles and responsibility used for decision making
and problem solving within the food industry.

Specialist Outcomes
Art
Learning Objectives: In Unit 5-The students will be able to:
Observe and analyze artwork by the artist Andy Warhol
Realize the differences between geometric and organic shapes and forms
Draw from real life observation (if possible) or draw from a photograph
reference
Experiment with printmaking
Activities/Projects/Connections:
How We Organize Ourselves Unit of inquiry: Change Students will create
Andy Warhol Pop Art inspired artwork dealing with the topic of food. The art
form of printmaking will be introduced.
Music
Learning Objectives: In Unit 5- The students will be able to:

Create xylophone melodies with correct technique

Play the xylophone with multiple parts
Sing and dance to a variety of songs
Read and play rhythms with quarter notes, eighth notes and quarter
rests on the xylophone

Engagements/Projects/Connections:
Concert Preparation- Discussin Percussion and Were Making Music
Food patterns- create and layer together rhythmic and melodic patterns
based on food
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Standard Music Notation- composing short xylophone phrases

Connection to How We Organize Ourselves- Change: the affect that tempo
and dynamics have on a piece of music:
P.E.
Learning Objectives: In Unit 5 - The students will be able to:
Develop their confidence in the water.
Understand that we can manipulate our body in different ways to help us
move through the water.
Develop their performance across different swimming strokes by
practicing and working on drills.
Activities/Projects/Connections:

Partner work to provide peer feedback using reciprocal learning cards.

Individual research and development of swimming strokes and technique.
Whole group water games such as water polo and relays.
Students will record data, evaluate performance and provide peer
feedback to a partner
How to help at home

This unit has a lot of fun way to explore at home. Throughout the unit we will
be sharing many home activities with you. We are also setting up a BLEND
SPACE website, where students will be able to view videos, websites and
activities to do online. Access to this website will be provided on Edmodo.
To start, have conversations with you child about FOOD. Ask them about how
they think there food arrives on the table, and where does it come from?

Looking forward to learning together,

The Grade Two Team

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