Revised for

2014-2015 Who We Are Where We Are in Place and Time How We Express Ourselves How the World Works How We Organize OurselvesSharing the Planet

5th / Central Idea: Beliefs and values influence who we are in our communities.
Key Concepts: Reflection, causation, perspective
Related Concepts: Diversity, community, culture, connection
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Beliefs and values influence behaviors
  • The influence of friends, families, cultures and communities on who we are
  • Impacts of decision-making
  • The influence of early civilizations on our lives today
/ Central Idea: The continual change of the earth’s cycle is interrelated as to how we live and behave.
Key Concepts: connection, form, change
Related Concepts: patterns, systems, cycle
Lines of inquiry:
  • Human adaptability to environmental conditions
  • The impact of the solar system on life
  • The effects of motions and patterns between earth and sun
/ Central Idea: Explorations lead to discovery and new understandings.
Key Concepts: Reflection, causation, function
Related Concepts: Exploration, variance/variables, discovery
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Investigations unlock new knowledge
  • Learning in multiple ways through exploration
  • Scientific inquiry
  • The demonstration of knowledge is expressed in multiple ways
/ Central Idea: Energy is present in many forms and is continually changing in response to variables.
Key Concepts: causation, connection, form, function
Related Concepts: change/continuity, variable, production
Lines of Inquiry:
  • There are many different forms of energy
  • The effects of laws upon our lives
  • Human interaction with nature improves life
/ Central Idea: People’s economic survival needs harmonize between production and consumption.
Key Concepts: connection, function, perspective
Related Concepts: production, harmony, survival
Lines of inquiry:
  • Relationships between markets
  • Connections between human relations to supply and demand
  • Reasons for economic change
/ Central Idea: Organisms perform a variety of roles.
Key Concepts: function, responsibility
Related Concepts: balance, interaction, connection
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Interdependence within ecosystems and communities
  • Human interactions on environment and the balance of systems
  • Humans’ responsibilities to living things

4th / Central Idea: People explore the connections and the responsibilities of various cultures.
Key Concepts:
Related Concepts:
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Connecting and evaluating people’s responsibilities in various cultures
  • Impact of various cultures on roles in a community
  • Analyzing different and shared characteristics of cultures
/ Central Idea: Human migration is a response to challenges, changes, risks, opportunity for survival of a community.
Key Concepts: Function, reflection, change
Related Concepts: survival, cooperation, community
Lines of Inquiry:
  • The impact of human migration can be positive and negative
  • The effects of immigration/migration on personal histories and communities
/ Central Idea: Emotions and beliefs can be expressed through writing, art, music and actions impacting others.
Key Concepts: Reflection, form, perspective
Related Concepts: Rhythm, mood, harmony/evolution
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Customs and traditions stimulate expression
  • The impact of customs and traditions on economics
/ Central Idea: The human impact on the various natural processes that shape our Earth.
Key Concepts: change, causation, connection
Related Concepts: human impact, natural processes
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Exploring human impact upon the natural processes
  • Exploring natural processes of Earth’s surface
  • Human appreciation for the environment
/ Central Idea: Citizens can promote the common good and influence their government.
Key Concepts: connection, function, responsibility
Related Concepts: justice, adaptation, diversity
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Impact of rights and responsibilities
  • Rules protect rights and assess responsibilities
  • Affective participants in democratic society and engage in compromise
/ Central Idea:Boundaries create conflict, challenges and risks when a diverse population shares the region.
Key Concepts: connection, change, responsibility
Related Concepts: adaptation, conflict, environment, perspective
Lines of Inquiry:
  • The actions of a diverse population has consequences
  • Human actions reflect the conditions of the environment

3rd / Central Idea: People develop problem solving strategies with the community for the environment.
Key Concepts: connection, change, function
Related Concepts: citizenship, consequences and behavior
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Establish and model responsibilities for classroom, families, communities
  • Solve problems to promote for the common good and environment
  • Coordinate and collaborate the involvement of the community
/ Central Idea: Cultures exhibit both change and continuity across time and place.
Key Concepts: Connection, change, function
Related Concepts: Sequences, transformation
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Compare/contrast different cultures
  • Research different people/places over time
  • Family diversity and evolution
/ Central Idea: A variety of signs and symbols facilitates local and global communication.
Key Concepts: Perspective, reflection, connection
Related Concepts: Communication, creativity, friendship
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Signs and symbols
  • Reasons for development of communication systems
  • Specialized systems of communication
/ Central Idea: Human survival connects to changes in the environment and the community.
Key Concepts: Connection, change, causation
Related Concepts: Impact, relationships, adaptation
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Why the environment changes
  • How the community and environment are interrelated
  • Human reaction and responsibility to changes
/ Central Idea: People’s choices and behaviors can influence the local/global economy.
Key Concepts: Function, change, form
Related Concepts: Systems, properties, cycles
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Factors of production
  • Different types of food
  • Role of producers and consumers
  • Monetary systems
/ Central Idea: People can establish practices in order to sustain and maintain resources.
Key Concepts: Responsibility, reflection, change
Related Concepts: causation, connections, interdependence
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Limited resources (renewable and non-renewable resources)
  • Personal choices to help sustain the environment
  • Reusing and recycling different materials
  • Reducing waste

2nd / Central Idea: Productive citizens demonstrate personal accountability including making responsible choices, taking responsibility for personal actions and respecting others.
Key Concepts: responsibility and causation
Related Concepts: community and character
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Personal and communal responsibilities
  • Relative choices determine rewards and consequences
  • The role of citizenship
/ Central Idea: Time can be shown graphically on calendars. Change over time can be shown with artifacts, maps and photographs that reflect diversity.
Key Concepts: change, connection
Related Concepts: change, continuity, diversity
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Effects and causes of change
  • Diversity throughout the world
  • Connections create continuity and diversity
/ Central Idea: Interactions among cultures lead to an understanding of perspective and interdependence.
Key Concepts: connection, perspective
Related Concepts: creativity, interdependence, friendship
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Explore Hispanic culture
  • Research historical figures from diverse backgrounds
  • Exchange of communication across familiar and unfamiliar borders
/ Central Idea: Changes in the environment impact organisms
Key Concepts: Form, function
Related Concepts: Adaptation, reaction
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Common recycling process
  • Animal adaptation to environment
  • Technological advances relative to environment
/ Central Idea: People’s actions determine the production and distribution within a community.
Key Concepts: function, responsibility
Related Concepts: wealth, production
Lines of inquiry:
  • Buying and selling goods
  • Needs and wants
  • People earn an income by work
/ Central Idea: Communities interact and share environments to demonstrate responsibilities to meet their survival needs.
Key Concepts: reflection, responsibility
Related Concepts: environment, abundance/scarcity
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Resources can be used in a variety of ways
  • Production and distribution of goods

1st / Central Idea: The relationships between individuals determine the roles within the community.
Key Concepts: function, responsibility
Related Concepts: community, aging/maturity
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Social interaction
  • Acknowledging others, roles, perspectives
  • Recognizing similarities and differences between others within my community
/ Central Idea: Physical properties and journeys determine perspective and connections.
Key Concepts: causation, form
Related Concepts: properties, structure
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Changes experienced because of journeys
  • Choices and decisions involved in making a journey
  • Where we live influences our perspective of the world
/ Central Idea: Relationships demonstrate a variety of connections and interactions among classroom families and families.
Key Concepts: Connection, perspective
Related Concepts: Beliefs, relationships
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Individual as a member of a family/community
  • How families lived long ago and today
  • How families live in other cultures
/ Central Idea: Properties of things can change.
Key Concepts: Reflection, causation
Related Concepts: impact, exploration
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Life cycles
  • Developmental stages of various properties
  • How properties change over time
/ Central Idea: Communities are impacted by rules, routines and relationships within the society.
Key Concepts: connection, causation
Related Concepts: relationships, impact
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Interconnectedness of people
  • Shared vision and a common purpose
  • Shared responsibilities
/ Central Idea: All life on earth is dependent on the sun.
Key Concepts: Function, causation, change
Related Concepts: Values, impact, weather
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Air, water and land
  • Sun is a source of energy that causes change
  • Relationships to the sun in the environment

K / Central Idea: Individuals are unique but have many similarities.
Key Concepts: form, function
Related Concepts: similarities, differences, function
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Our attributes and characteristics
  • Role in the family
  • Comparison with others
/ Central Idea: Communities are where we interact and work together safely.
Key Concepts: form, function
Related Concepts: similarities, differences, function
Lines of Inquiry:
  • There are different types of communities.
  • Communities have rules and authority figures.
  • Rules keep people safe and in order.
  • People in communities have roles.
/ Central Idea: We can explore how sound changes through sequences and patterns.
Key Concepts: change, causation
Related Concepts: sequences, patterns
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Various sounds
  • Sounds change
  • Vibration
  • Properties of sound
/ Central Idea: Weather changes impact everyday life.
Key Concepts: change, causation, connection
Related Concepts: relationships, cycles, impact
Lines of Inquiry:
  • What weather is
  • Weather can change
  • Changes can be quick or slow
  • Weather has an impact
/ Central Idea: Sorting and classifying objects by their properties is a guide for structuring.
Key Concepts: connection, form, function
Related Concepts: systems, structure, role
Lines of Inquiry:
  • 5 steps help us classify
  • Attributes
  • Rules of sorting and classifying
  • The world is organized
/ Central Idea: Rules provide order and safety for all people in the community.
Key Concepts: responsibility, perspective
Related Concepts: prejudice, values, justice, rights
Lines of Inquiry:
  • Traits and needs of living things
  • Living things depend on one another
  • Living things are all over the world

REVISED AS OF OCTOBER 2014