The Primary

Years Program
What is the
purpose of
education?
PERSONAL: Enable young people to engage with the
world within them as well as the world around them.

SOCIAL: Enable young people to become active and

compassionate citizens.

CULTURAL: Enable students to understand and

appreciate their own cultures and to respect the
diversity of others.

ECONOMIC: Enable students to become economically

responsible and independent.
 What?

Whether? How?
 What?

Whether? How?
THE PYP CURRICULUM
MODEL
G1 Social Studies
Understand:
- There are characteristics and features that all communities share
- Everybody has responsibilities in a community
- The structures and resources within a community are designed to fulfil the needs of that
community

Know:
- Examples of the different parts of a community (e.g.types of people, places)
- Needs of communities (e.g. to be able to learn, to belong, to be safe)
- Types of responsibilities within a community (e.g. care for others, ensure people follow
rules)

Do:
Accepting responsibility – identify their responsibility and that of others in the community
Codes of Behaviour – identify and demonstrate ways of behaving within different school
communities
Formulating questions – can they use open-ended question who, what, when, why? On
topic questions – what are people doing, how is it organized?
 G5 Science
Understand:
- The amount of energy (heat) comprised in matter determines its state.
- Gas changes to liquid when the heat/energy is taken out; solid changes to liquid when
heat/energy is put back in.
- The way a material functions is determined by its characteristics.

Know:
- That different kinds of matter exist and they can be solid, liquid or gas.
- Some objects occur in nature; others have been designed and processed by people.

Do:
- Observe and describe changes caused by heating and cooling matter.
- Demonstrate the relationship between the properties of different materials and the uses to
which they are put.
- Select the most appropriate material for use in a particular context.
 G3 Mathematics
Understand:
- The base 10 place value system is used to represent numbers and number relationships
- There are many mental methods that can be applied for exact and approximate
computations
- The base 10 place value system can be extended to represent magnitude
- Whole numbers exhibit patterns and relationships that can be observed and described

Do:
- Add and subtract, mentally, pairs of two-digit numbers
- Use knowledge of addition and subtraction facts and place value to derive sums and
differences of pairs of multiples of 10, 100 or 1000
- Use understanding of place value to multiply and divide whole numbers and decimals by
10, 100 and 1000
- Explain reasoning using diagrams, graphs and text; refine ways of recording using
images and symbols
- Plan and pursue an enquiry; present evidence by collecting, organizing and interpreting
information; suggest enquiry extensions
 What?

Whether? How?
A provocation…
 Inquiry
• Driven by student interests, questions and
prior knowledge
Play-oriented inquiry • Careful selection of materials by teacher to
elicit curiosity and motivation
• Whole class, small group or individual

• Learning is most effective when content,

processes and skills are developed in
meaningful contexts
Integrated inquiry • Experiences often designed by teacher
• Understandings apply across and beyond
individual learning areas

• Based on personal interests and individual

questions
Personal inquiry •
•
May be group or inidividual
Teacher conferencing to keep track of
progress and extension
 Transdisciplinary
Learning organised into Units of Inquiry. 6 units per
year.

Each unit comprises learning that connects several

disciplines.

Transdisciplinary themes are designed around

universal experiences that make us human and are
shared by all cultures on the planet.

Every grade level addresses the same

Transdisciplinary theme through a different lens.
 Trans
disciplinary

Units of
inquiry
 What?

Whether? How?
Observations, questioning, discussion, Seesaw, Blogger,
reflection, feedback on learning goals rubrics,
checklists,

‘Point in time’ assessment - common and external Conferences,

Written reports
 Phases of learning
“Every student is simply at a level of development defined by
what learning is developmentally appropriate. This approach
enables differentiated and targeted teaching to occur.”
 External assessment

The International Schools Assessment (ISA)

Based closely on the OECD coordinated PISA test

Focuses on content which students know, understand and

can use but also looks to assess some underlying skills

The ISA test levels can be compared to the PISA levels

used widely in International education
Where are they going…..
MYP (6-10) Also a conceptual framework, requires interdisciplinary
understandings to be developed. Based upon inquiry questions.

DP (11-12) Content based, designed to integrate well with university courses.

Opportunities for research projects and also a Meta-thinking course. Broad
and balanced model.

CP (11-12) Incorporates the values of the IB into a unique programme

addressing the needs of students engaged in career-related education. The
programme leads to further/higher education, apprenticeships or employment.

AP (11-12) Content based, designed to integrate well with university courses.

Allows specialisation for students.
 We want success for your
children:
The top 10 most sought after jobs by employers in 2017 did not exist in 2009 -
Skills not knowledge

Current estimations are that your sons and daughters could have 10-14 jobs
by the age of 38 - Collaboration, Flexibility

Currently 1 in 2 employees has been with their employer for less than 5 years
- Life long inquiry

31 billion Google Searches take place in a month - Approaches to Learning

 Exit slip
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