Grade 5 Students Study World Hunger

As part of their IBPYP curriculum, Grade 5 students spent several weeks studying the unit “A Place at the Table,” in which they focused on the issue of world hunger. The students identified an area of interest from their classroom inquiry and, in groups, developed key concept questions that guided their investigation of this area. The groups of students then engaged in an independent, in-depth, collaborative inquiry.

Students were required to keep a journal each day about the process. They completed detailed personal and group reflections on their experience. After researching their topic, the students prepared an exhibition which was put on display in the library and to which parents and other students were invited. The participants were on hand to explain what led them to choose their area of study and to describe their research process and their findings.

A significant aspect of the experience was to develop an action plan out of their learning. Each group included as part of their exhibit an action proposal and evidence of their progress towards completing it.

Some of the group topics:

• Issues of hunger, especially in Africa
• How does war cause hunger?
• The tsunami disaster in S.E. Asia
• The role of governments
• Malnutrition and children
• Poverty in cities
• The economic side of hunger