Specified vs. Additional Concepts: What Every Teacher Needs to Know Now

Conceptual clarity is fundamental in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), driving deep inquiry, effective curriculum alignment, and authentic transdisciplinary learning experiences. The 2025 PYP framework brings fresh precision by distinguishing seven “Specified Concepts” as anchors of understanding, alongside a broad palette of “Additional Concepts” tailored by subject area to deepen discipline-based inquiry.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗬𝗣

Inquiry-based learning thrives on students’ capacity to grapple with big ideas that transcend individual topics and disciplines. Concepts provide lenses for meaning-making, helping learners connect abstract principles to real-world contexts and develop enduring understandings. By explicitly weaving concepts into central ideas, lines of inquiry, and classroom activities, teachers foster cognitive complexity, transfer, and agency.

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝘀. 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘄?

The 2025 update clarifies and re-structures conceptual planning:

Specified Concepts: Seven universal concepts guide transdisciplinary units: Form, Function, Causation, Change, Connection, Perspective, Responsibility.
Additional Concepts: Discipline-specific concepts add depth within subjects, such as “Energy,” “Structure,” or “Symbolism,” promoting tailored conceptual learning across Language, Maths, Science, Social Studies, Arts, and PSPE.

The table below unpacks the seven Specified Concepts, their definitions, and essential questions, alongside examples of how each engages learners.

Discipline-focused Additional Concepts stretch beyond these anchors, enriching curriculum planning. Examples include:

𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀

Below is a structured table of practical examples showing how both specified and additional concepts are integrated across Early Years to Grade 5.

𝗧𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀

𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻

Theme: How the World Works
Central Idea: “Energy can change the way things move and interact.”
Concepts: Change, Function (Specified); Energy, Force (Additional)
Annotation: Lines of inquiry emphasize how specified concepts frame the overarching ideas, while additional concepts narrow the disciplinary focus to investigate physical phenomena and forces in real-world contexts.

𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗮

Theme: How We Organize Ourselves
Central Idea: “Patterns help us understand and predict the world around us.”
Concepts: Form, Connection (Specified); Pattern, Scale (Additional)
Annotation: The specified concepts provide the big ideas of structure and relationships, while additional concepts connect these ideas to mathematical reasoning about patterns and measurement in everyday life.

𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻

Theme: How We Express Ourselves
Central Idea: “Art reflects culture and personal identity.”
Concepts: Perspective, Responsibility (Specified); Creativity, Media (Additional)
Annotation: Specified concepts encourage exploration of viewpoints and ethical considerations, while additional concepts bring attention to the creative processes and artistic media used in cultural expression.

𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗬𝗣 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻

Theme: How We Organize Ourselves
Central Idea: “Citizenship is shaped by perspective and responsibility.”
Concepts: Perspective, Responsibility (Specified); Citizenship, Justice (Additional)
Annotation: Lines of inquiry clarify the role of specified concepts (big ideas) and connect additional concepts to targeted disciplinary learning.

𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲/𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻

Theme: How We Express Ourselves
Central Idea: “Stories communicate ideas and shape culture.”
Concepts: Form, Connection (Specified); Genre, Audience, Symbolism (Additional)
Annotation: Student inquiries connect abstract principles with genre studies, inviting analysis of narrative impact and cultural themes.

𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻: 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝘃𝘀. 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

Infographic below highlights the evolution:

Pre-2025: Sole focus on “Key Concepts”; classroom displays emphasize big ideas only.
2025 Updates: “Specified” and “Additional Concepts”; visual displays showcase both transdisciplinary and discipline-based concepts, with increased student voice in unit design.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Below is a diagram comparing Grade 1 and Grade 5 display boards, visually demonstrating specified and additional concept integration:

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲

𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 & 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀

𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Conceptual planning in the 2025 PYP empowers teachers and students to design deep, inquiry-rich units with both transdisciplinary anchors and subject-based specificity, building understanding and agency from Early Years to Exhibition.

𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬:-🌟

𝗠𝘆 𝗨𝗽𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿:🌟

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