What is an IB PYP School? Part 2

Last article I spoke of how the IB seeks to develop internationally minded students by developing learner profile traits. Another key element of an IB PYP School is transdisciplinary Units of Inquiry.

What does transdisciplinary mean?

The PYP recognizes that it is inappropriate to dictate what every child should know in an international community. The PYP has identified themes, or areas of knowledge, which are used to organize the 6 Units of Inquiry, taught from early childhood through grade 5. These Units of Inquiry provide the framework (as opposed to a text book curriculum) for a wide variety of resources to be explored in order to accomplish the objectives within each Unit of Inquiry

Who We Are: An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.

Where We Are in Place and Time: An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.

How We Express Ourselves: An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.

How the World Works: An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.

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.

Sharing the Planet: An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

What is a unit of inquiry anyway?

A Unit of Inquiry usually lasts for 6-8 weeks and the objective is to cover a transdisciplinary theme in each unit.. For example, during the Unit of Inquiry “Sharing the Planet” students may spend 6 weeks looking at the resources we have in the world and how various countries use and share and dispose of these resources. Students will answer questions like: How do these resources connect people around the world? Or, how are these resources changing and what does that mean for people? Aspects of these essential questions will move across all school subjects (i.e. math, English, geography, etc.) and apply to real life and the world around us. In this way students are learning to ask big questions, use subject knowledge to answer questions and then apply learning to their lives.

In 3E we are coming to the end of our current units. In Writing, we spent time writing Informational papers, teaching topics we are knowledgeable about. In Math, we are continuing to expand our knowledge in multiplication and division. We are also seeing how to apply that knowledge in our daily lives. In Reading, we are learning through reading non-fiction texts and using that knowledge in our Writing. Lastly, and what we are most excited about, is UOI. We learned about money, trading, and the global economy and will put that knowledge into use by making products and selling them to each other (for fake money, of course). It has been great watching all the students put their creativity into making wonderful products to sell.

Even though distance learning is not what we had planned, we are making the best of it and we continue to learn and have fun when we can!

What a turnout, Wildcats! We were happy to see many familiar and new faces! Here are some photos:

• January 27-28 - KG and Elementary Spirit Days

• February 11 - Re-enrollment Opens!

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(please note, updated regularly)