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MYP Report Card Glossary:

Below you will find explanations for some of the MYP terms used on our report
cards.
Heading-General Information

Middle Years Programme (MYP)= International Baccalaureate Programme for grades 6-10
Registration Class= Homeroom group and teacher
Year= Grade level (6-12)
Phase= Level (1-6) of Language Acquisition Class (French, German, Spanish)
EAL= English as an Additional Language
Section 1: Course Content

Statement of Inquiry (SOI): Conceptual understanding to be developed in the unit. The big idea driving the unit.
Approaches to Learning (AtL): The skills of learning how to learn
Learning Experiences: Activities students engage in during class time
Assessment Criteria: Each subject has four criteria (A, B, C, D). Each criterion focuses on one of the aims of the
subject.
Inquiry Questions= The factual, conceptual, and debatable questions that focus the unit.
Section 2: Assessment Criteria- Assessment Criteria- June reports focus on progress throughout the course
with emphasis on final academic achievement. Final criteria levels (1-8) are added and a 7-1 grade is
determined using the MYP Grade Boundary table (see below)
Each subject* has four criteria (A, B, C, D).
Each criterion has eight (8) levels of achievement.
The number on your report represents the understanding and skill level your child has achieved to date. It is NOT a
mark out of 8.
N/A= not yet assessed
IE= insufficient evidence
*EAL uses a modified rubric and has two extra criteria which are assessed.
Grade Boundary Guidelines
1 1-5
2 6-9
3 10-14
4 15-18
5 19-23
6 24-27
7 28-32
Section 3: Final Comment

In this section teachers comment on your childs final achievement in the course.

Grade 9 and 10 Electives - Each student takes one elective. Students will receive assessment criteria levels and a
final 7-1 grade.
(Grade 10 only) Personal Project All students complete a long-term research project in Grade 10.
Grades 6-10 Art, Music, Theatre - students completing one of the three arts programmes this semester will receive
assessment criteria levels AND a final 1-7 grade as these subjects are semester-based courses.
Other Helpful Information:

We report on the following areas using comments only and no numeric achievement levels.

SasA= Service As Action - All students in grades 6-10 are expected to meet the schools requirements for service at
a satisfactory level.
IDU= Interdisciplinary Unit- All students in grades 6-8 take an interdisciplinary class. The subjects involved are
science, mathematics, humanities and English/EAL. This course aims to give students an opportunity to develop
critical thinking about complex questions that cannot be answered by one subject alone.
Life Skills- All students in grades 6-10 take Life Skills twice per cycle. Course descriptions and rubrics can be found
on schoology. Reports include a teacher comment and student reflection.
Grade 6,7 and 8 Electives- Each student takes one language/computational thinking course and one general
elective per year. The general elective will either be in first semester OR second semester. Students have a general
elective one semester and IDU in the other semester.
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: English Language and Literature Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Ms A Williams

Course Content
Unit 3: All The World's A Stage: Introduction to Shakespeare. Statement of Inquiry: Shakespeare's plays continue to be
valued and performed today.
Summative Assessment: Oral Presentation of one of Shakespeares plays, discussing plot, character and genre.
Unit 4: Individuality and Conformity: The Hunger Games Statement of Inquiry: Community and conformity: Social and
physical environments contribute to one's sense of self. Summative Assessment: Create a blog page that records the
students thoughts and opinions on the following themes: conformity, acceptance, individuality.

Assessment Criteria
A: Analysing 2
B: Organising 3
C: Producing text 3
D: Using language 3

Produces work of an acceptable quality. Communicates basic understanding of many concepts


Academic and contexts, with occasionally significant misunderstandings or gaps. Begins to demonstrate
Achievement some basic critical and creative thinking. Is often inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, Grade 3
requiring support even in familiar classroom situations.

Final Comment
Matthew is a kind student who joined our class this semester during our unit on The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Matthew has
been working on improving his organizational skills so that he comes to class prepared, and so that he is able to complete
work that he doesnt finish in class. Matthew has shown that he can summarize texts that we read in class. As a learning
target, Matthew now needs to focus on using examples and explanations to justify his ideas. He also needs to work on
analyzing evidence, and creating claims in his writing. For his essay on The Outsiders, Matthews essay relied too heavily on
summary, and did not fully answer the prompt. Part of the issue was that there was little evidence of preparation. Matthew
was given the opportunity to revise this essay, and I was disappointed that he did not take advantage of this opportunity.
During our unit on Shakespeare, Matthew was able to discuss some elements of plays like Henry V and Macbeth verbally,
but he struggled with written expression and analysis. I believe that Matthew will benefit from participating more in class,
asking for help when he needs it, and revising work when he is given the opportunity to do so. Matthew will also find it helpful
to pre-read and annotate texts before class. I strongly encourage Matthew to journal over the summer, and to immerse
himself in a variety of English-language novels. It will be important to read and write on a daily basis. I wish Matthew the best
as he moves on to grade 8!
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: Humanities Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Mr A DeLane

Course Content
Unit 2: Human Origins
Statement of Inquiry: Advances in the fields of biology (DNA), archaeology (artifacts), and linguistics (language) enhance
our understanding of human origins and migration patterns.
Assessment: Students create an infographic and present current events on recent discoveries in human origins.
Approaches to Learning Skills: Critical Thinking, Communication

Unit 3: Guns, Germs, and Steel


Statement of Inquiry: Long-term advantages in geography promote the development of technologically advanced
civilizations.
Assessment: Students investigated the interactions amongst Europeans, Africans, and the First Americans, integrating their
findings into a historical fiction narrative that they created using iBooks Author and published on www.writenowbooks.org
<http://www.writenowbooks.org>. They also applied Jared Diamonds theory to an investigation of a chosen variable (e.g.
wheat, steel, horses).
Approaches to Learning Skills: Research, Communication, Thinking

Assessment Criteria
A: Knowing and understanding 4
B: Investigating 4
C: Communicating 4
D: Thinking critically 4

Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and


Academic contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and
Achievement creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom Grade 4
situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations.

Final Comment
Matthew needs to continue improve his participation in Humanities class. Often he does not offer his own suggestions or
ideas during class unless prompted. Matthew demonstrated basic knowledge and understanding of human origins and
Guns, Germs, and Steel content through basic descriptions, explanations, and examples as found in his ePacket,
infographic, and historical fiction story on that was completed for the last two units. He used basic methods to collect and
record information as demonstrated in his Cornell notes on the Birth of Humanity video and historical fiction story.
Additionally, Matthew communicated information and ideas somewhat effectively through his current event presentation.
Matthews historical fiction story demonstrated basic understanding of the interactions between European and Native
peoples and the consequences from these interactions were represented in a basic way in his story. Matthews historical
fiction story could have been improved if he had recognized the different perspectives and focused his story on the
relationships between the European and Native peoples and explained some of the implications of these interactions.
Matthew would benefit from practicing his presentations before he presents to the class.Good luck in grade 8 Matthew.
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: Mathematics Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Mr R Hood

Course Content
Unit 3: Ratios, Rates and Scales
Statement of Inquiry: Ratios, rates, and scales use proportional thinking and equivalence and allow us to understand
relationships among quantities.
Assessments:
Criterion A: Knowing & Understanding
Criterion D: Applying Mathematics in Real-life Context

Unit 4: Linear Relationships


Statement of Inquiry: Algebra is a system that allows us to represent unknown values mathematically and use logical
thinking to reach conclusions.
Assessments
Criterion B: Investigating Patterns
Criterion C: Communicating
Assessment Criteria
A: Knowing and understanding 4
B: Investigating patterns 4
C: Communicating 4
D: Applying mathematics in real-life contexts 4

Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and


Academic contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and
Achievement creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom Grade 4
situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations.

Final Comment
Matthew has made a good transition into the mathematics program. He has demonstrated satisfactory understanding of the
concepts we have studied. Matthew works well with his peers and participates in activities and discussions appropriately.
Matthew will benefit from providing written evidence of his understanding with organized and complete working-out where
needed. Matthew has a positive attitude towards the subject and with practice he will be able to develop his mathematical
thinking well. We have enjoyed having Matthew in class and wish him an enjoyable summer.
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: Science Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Mr K Collins

Course Content
For the first part of the semester our statement of inquiry was: In living things, the form or shape of an object dictates its
function and survivability. In 7.4, the students had the opportunity to engage in coding to manipulate the physical traits of
either rabbits or mountain lions to determine their survivability within a computer-simulated model of a ecosystem. The
students were able to measure the population changes of their rabbits or mountain lions using the simulation, then draw
conclusions based on their data.

Most recently the students have been carrying on the theme of form and function by designing their own boats. Students
randomly chose from the Rhine River, the Atlantic Ocean and the Panama Canal. Their SOI of Designers use scientific
evidence to make informed choices about the relationship between the form of the design features and the target function,
has allowed them to experiment with capacity, materials and stability of cargo ships. Their final product will be to produce a
boat to transport a simulated cargo from Dusseldorf to Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Assessment Criteria
A: Knowing and understanding 4
B: Inquiring and designing 4
C: Processing and evaluating 4
D: Reflecting on impacts of science 5

Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and


Academic contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and
Achievement creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom Grade 4
situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations.

Final Comment
Matthew has enjoyed a year of continual growth and development in his scientific understandings. Matthew is able to state
scientific knowledge when called upon in class., He is able to use information from class learning engagements and apply
that to familiar situations., This was shown during his quiz on Cellular structures and throughout the semester during class
discussions. He is able to state a question to be tested and outline some variables necessary to answer the question. This
was demonstrated in his boat design. Given the variables, Matthew is able to collect and present data appropriately to
answer the question., As was shown in his rabbit competition lab discussion. In summary, Matthew has shown a good
understanding and growth throughout the seventh-grade science and should continue to enjoy success in science next year.
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: German Language Acquisition Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Fr J Somji Phase: 1

Course Content
Unit 3: Eating and Drinking in Germany
STATEMENT OF INQUIRY: Exploring different social and cultural conventions helps us to order food in German
LEARNING EXPERIENCES: interpreting short videoclips, vocabulary games, role-plays
APPROACHES TO LEARNING: Communication, Transfer
ASSESSMENT: role play ordering food in a restaurant, writing a script for an unusual restaurant visit (Criteria, C, D)
Reading and listening tasks (Criteria (A/B)
UNIT 4 Clothing, Fashion
STATEMENT OF INQUIRY: Students will understand that clothing represents the individual and the culture we live in and
by exploring different social and cultural conventions, they will learn about cultural differences being represented by choice
of clothes
LEARNING EXPERIENCES: students will experience that dressing up differently for different occasions makes a
difference; they will focus on individual work, classroom discussions, use visual stimuli (posters, pictures, films), have
reading exercises
APPROACHES TO LEARNING SKILLS: Communication
ASSESSMENT: perfome a role play in Germany, write a dialogue about going to a department store and buying clothes,
reading and listening tasks about clothes and fashion in Germany (Criteria A, B, C, D)

Assessment Criteria
A: Comprehending spoken and visual text 4
B: Comprehending written and visual text 4
C: Communicating in response to spoken and/or written and/or visual text 4
D: Using language in spoken and/or written form 4

Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and


Academic contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and
Achievement creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom Grade 4
situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations.

Final Comment
Matthew joined the German class later in the school year and has made an average start. He is finding learning German a
challenge, but attempts to complete most learning tasks satisfactorily. Matthews response to the work can be positive, but
sometimes he lacks focus in class.

In order for Matthew to improve his German skills, he needs to show higher levels of commitment and continue building a
repertoire of German vocabulary. Furthermore, he should continue focusing on pronunciation by participating more in class
and by giving more detailed answers in his written and speaking work.

Overall Matthew is a valuable member of the class and I hope that he is able to push himself more to become a confident
independent learner.
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: Design Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Mr W Livingstone

Course Content
Unit 1: A Thousand Words
Statement of Inquiry: Designers can communicate different perspectives through digital imagery to influence and promote
understanding.
Assessment: Design and create an infographic to communicate an important global issue.
Approaches to Learning Skills: Communication, Research.
Inquiry questions;
Factual: Through graphical communication designers can communicate more than with just words.
Conceptual: Can visual information be more powerful than verbal information?
Debatable: Can a picture really tell a thousand words? Is there a universally understood code for communication with
images?

Assessment Criteria
A: Inquiring and analysing 4
B: Developing ideas 5
C: Creating the solution 4
D: Evaluating 4

Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and


Academic contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and
Achievement creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom Grade 4
situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations.

Final Comment
Matthew is a quiet member of the class who steadily completes all set tasks with some guidance. He tends to be uncertain
when making decisions about design solutions and needs to research other options before making an informed decision.
Matthew produces work of an acceptable quality. He communicates basic understanding of many concepts and contexts,
with occasional misunderstandings or gaps. Matthew is beginning to demonstrate some basic critical and creative thinking
although he often has difficulty transferring his knowledge and skills.
To improve further when conducting inquiries and the analysis of his design problems, Matthew should make use of multiple
research techniques that are more specifically related to his design, so that the data can be represented in the infographic.
When developing ideas for the final solution, he should improve his communication skills by sketching solutions using ideas
that he has gathered through his research. In the creation of the final product, he could demonstrate a deeper understanding
of design by justifying any changes made to the original idea and explain clearly how this has improved the final solution.
Matthew can improve in the final evaluation of his product, by explaining clearly how the product will be tested for quality
rather than a general explanation of what the final design should do.
Overall, for Matthew to demonstrate a deeper understanding in Design, he should try to read carefully the assessment
criteria to understand what is expected within each stage of the design cycle. As he becomes more familiar with the
concepts of design, he will be able to show greater critical thought and a more professionally presented final product. In
Matthew's personal reflection, he felt that he did not need to improve any aspects of his work.
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: Physical and Health Education Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Mr R El Mahi

Course Content
Multicultural Games
How can leading a multicultural game benefit my teaching and learning?
Assessment: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the concepts, strategies, techniques and rules related to leading their
own multicultural games.
Criterion A: Knowing and understanding, Criterion B: Planning for performance, Criterion C: Applying and performing ATL
Skills: Organizational skills, thinking skills, social skills, communication skills, and research skills

Creative Movements- Cardio Vascular Aerobic Work Outs


We as performers should analyse our movement patterns so that we can refine our technique to maximize our individual
performance
Assessment: Create your cardio vascular work out
Criterion B: Planning for performance, Criterion C: Applying and performing ATL Skills: Organizational skills, thinking skills,
social skills, communication skills, and research skills

Inclusion
Gaining an understanding of other peoples strengths and challenges and taking different perspectives helps us grow as
empathetic individual creating an inclusive culture.
Assessment: Create your inclusive poster to awake awareness
Criterion A: Knowing and understanding, Criterion D: Reflecting and improving performance ATL Skills: Communication and
Collaboration Skills, Transfer Skills

Batting and striking


Refinement of skills affects your performance
Assessment: Refine your movements and find better ways to be more efficient
Criterion C: Applying and performing ATL Skills: Transfer Skills, Reflection

Assessment Criteria
A: Knowing and understanding 5
B: Planning for performance 5
C: Applying and performing 4
D: Reflecting and improving performance 5

Produces generally high-quality work. Communicates secure understanding of concepts and


Academic contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, sometimes with sophistication. Uses
Achievement knowledge and skills in familiar classroom and real-world situations and, with support, some Grade 5
unfamiliar real-world situations.

Final Comment
I have been pleased with the motivated and determined attitude displayed by Matthew throughout this school year. He is a
reliable pupil and applies himself to all areas of the curriculum. He showed some invasion game skills and involved his
classmate pretty well. It is because of this, that Matthew has made sound progress in all areas of activity this year. Matthew
likes to work in groups and to give cultural habits as examples. However, he finds it challenging to communicate effectively.
Matthew focused on basic movements in the dance unit. He considered the main factors: space, time and level. Matthew
created a plan to make this visual. The notation schedule helped the students to break down the song and his schedule was
well created. He demonstrates to have a fair amount of knowledge of principles, concepts, strategies, techniques, and rules
that were used in the batting and striking unit. Matthew should aim to attend more extra-curricular sports clubs. He has
shown promise in many sports this semester and would benefit from the additional challenges this environment offers.
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: Music Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Mr S Jones

Course Content
Grade 7 students used the study of woodwind instruments to explore the unit question, How does music express and
enhance our understanding of the world and ourselves? based upon the four MYP Arts Criteria (see Schoology for details).
During their study, students with little to no previous experience with instruments learned to play pieces for performance as
a large group. Students with previous experience and skills on woodwind instruments received differentiated tasks for
practice and performance in smaller groups based upon their levels. In addition to playing instruments, students also
worked on composing original melodies for their instruments, researched professional players and reflected upon their
learning in written form. Students collected their work from the semester into their music portfolios on Schoology, which
parents are encouraged to look at together with their students.

Assessment Criteria
A: Knowing and understanding 3
B: Developing skills 4
C: Thinking creatively 5
D: Responding 5

Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and


Academic contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and
Achievement creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom Grade 4
situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations.

Final Comment
Matthew demonstrated some knowledge of composing music using correct musical notation. Matthew demonstrated some
understanding of proper technique on his chosen instrument. Using collaborative ensemble techniques of balance, tempo
and phrasing, Matthew demonstrated inconsistent knowledge in his own personal context through the development of the
final performance. Matthew showed inconsistent effort and an satisfactory development of skills throughout the semester. In
preparation for the final performance, he showed satisfactory application of the skills he developed including articulation,
dynamics and phrasing. Matthew worked positively to prepare the final performance. he worked independently and
collaboratively in small group and full ensemble contexts. Matthew also consistently documented the developmental process
of his process portfolio. Throughout the process, Matthew clearly noted connections between musical skills and other
applications. After the final performance, he created and developed a reflection on his experience throughout the creative
process and was able to evaluate his ensemble and individual work.
https://isd.schoology.com/user/46873298/portfolios#/portfolios/988651?_k=q7p08l
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: Lifeskills Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Miss M Gamette

Course Content
Life Skills is dedicated to providing students in grades 6-10 with a progressive curriculum that focuses on the social,
emotional and personal growth of adolescents. The units of inquiry in each grade level are based on major themes relevant
to the developmental needs of students: Well-being (including Mental, Social, Emotional and Physical Health); Drug
Education; Sexual Health Education; Career Choice and University Planning.

Unit 2: Smokefree is for Me


Statement of Inquiry: The choices we make, especially in times of change, impact on our identity and relationships, and
overall well-being.
Approaches to Learning Skills: Research, Creative Thinking, Communication

Unit 3: Cultivating Friendships


Statement of Inquiry: The quality and strength of our friendships are shaped by how we choose to communicate with others,
whether digitally or in person.
Approaches to Learning Skills: Communication

You can access your childs full Life Skills Personal Engagement Rubric (PER), including ratings in the four domains, in
Schoology. Below are the student and teacher comments taken directly from your childs PER.

Student Comment:
I am good at keeping focused on my task, respect others and contribute to fun and friendly atmospheres, but I could work
harder on supporting other students, participate in class discussions and cooperatively with others.

Teacher Comment:

Matthew, you have overcome the challenge of arriving in the middle of the school year! This is not an easy task. I have
enjoyed getting to know you in the Lifeskills class. I can see from your PER that you have spent some time thinking about
your engagement. There is one key area where I think that you can improve next year - to reflect on your work and
challenge yourself to improve. Continue to work towards feeling comfortable presenting your ideas in the class - one step
at a time! Best wishes in grade 8.
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: Computational Thinking Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Mr M De Borde

Course Content
Unit 2: Sensing the world around us
Statement of Inquiry: How can we use monitoring and control to adapt to our environment
Assessment: Students develop a self researched project using input sensors and output devices to inform about the
environment or adapt to the environment.
Approaches to Learning Skills: Creative thinking, Collaboration

Assessment Criteria
A: Decomposition 3
B: Abstraction 3
C: Pattern recognition 3
D: Algorithm design 3

Produces work of an acceptable quality. Communicates basic understanding of many concepts


Academic and contexts, with occasionally significant misunderstandings or gaps. Begins to demonstrate
Achievement some basic critical and creative thinking. Is often inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, Grade 3
requiring support even in familiar classroom situations.

Final Comment
This semester in the Computational Thinking Elective Matthew has been developing his understanding and competence in
solving problems computationally with the C++ programming language and practically on the Arduino platform. For the
outcome of the unit Matthew set himself the challenge of making a scrolling LED display screen.

Matthew has had an opportunity to work individually and collaboratively on projects and programming challenges exploring
how to interface sensors and code to apply programming skills practically. Matthew found the using the Arduino platform a
challenge but found the experience enjoyable. He reflected that he found programming when there is a hardware
component easier as the outcome or result can be more immediate.

Matthew works well when focussed and engaged. From my observations he found working through unfamiliar problems a
challenge however through trial and error and experimentation he usually succeeded. The learning curve was steep this
semester and with support and perseverance he has enjoyed the successes he has had. Matthew still needs to work on
appropriate classroom behaviour, although he is making improvements he still finds it difficult to maintain a respectful and
peaceful learning environment for his peers.

Matthew demonstrates a basic ability to refine complex tasks into a step-by-step series of simpler tasks. Reflecting that he
does find the process a bit difficult.

When developing a solution to a problem Matthew has demonstrated a basic ability to identify resources to develop a
solution.

When identifying patterns in a process Matthew can identify some similarities most of the time and shared characteristics
in decomposed problems acknowledging that this finds this challenging

When writing programs in C++ for the Arduino, Matthew has demonstrated some ability to writing effective algorithms,
acknowledging that he has found the programming language quite easy.
Middle Years Programme
Semester 2 2016 - 2017
Date: June 2017
Course: IDU Registration Class: 7.4 CLL
Student: Rares Cirlan-Matei Year: 07
Teacher: Mr. Clarke, Ms. Williams, Mr. Delane, Ms.
Carter, Ms. Carrier

Course Content
Students participated in new, interdisciplinary course focused on synthesizing knowledge, skills, and understanding from a
variety of subject areas in order to examine a complex problem. The 7th grade IDU focused on smartphones and
investigated the political, economic, ethical, and environmental impact of smartphone production and life cycles. We also
inquired into the importance of personal preference in the purchasing of devices and how all of these factors together affect
the world.
Statement of Inquiry: There are relationships between our individual choices and the sustainability of the wider world.
Factual Question: What are the consequences of your choice when buying a phone?
Conceptual Question: How do the relationships between my individual consumer choices and the wider world impact
sustainability when buying a phone?
Debatable Question: To what extent should I balance the perspectives of others when making my individual choices as a
consumer? Assessment Task: Students analyzed and synthesized the specific disciplinary knowledge and skills from math,
science, humanities, and languages they have learned how to collect, analyze, and synthesize information in order to make
informed choices as a consumer. Students participated in written reflection and presentations to demonstrate their thinking
and understanding with regards to their own personal consumer choices.

Final Comment
Matthew has shown basic disciplinary knowledge, skills, and understanding throughout the IDU. This means that he can,
with prompting, identify some subject-specific knowledge and skills that he has learned in the four stations he participated in
during the IDU. With help, he can communicate how the knowledge or skills can be applied to the IDUs statement of inquiry
(SOI) as it applies to mobile phones and/or one other industry with regard to individuals choices and sustainability. Matthew
has been able to establish afew, superficial connections between different disciplinary knowledge, skills, and understanding
in order to come to a deeper interdisciplinary insight about how choices made by individuals, relating to at least one industry,
affect others within a community or at a national level. This was demonstrated through the ideas and work produced in class
during the various IDU stations, via mathematical data, journal entries, and independent writing, although some of the work
produced was incomplete. He presented a final project that attempted to synthesize and communicate his ideas in a logical
manner. However, there was a lack of analysis in the ideas presented. As a personal goal, Matthew should seek to improve
his active listening skills so that he is better able to follow directions and ask questions. Matthew will also benefit from
focusing on using evidence to support his ideas.

Written by Ms. Williams

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