What are the PYP students busy Inquiring about?

The Grade 1s are using the transdisciplinary theme “Who We Are” and discovering which countries each of their classmates come from - what a wonderful introduction into Geography! This discovered that where they come from might influence their value and belief systems which is why we are all different. They are looking at the different rules from their own countries compared to other countries as well as looking at the different rules that each family has. Discovering what makes us different and special is important to develop our social skills.

Under the Transdisciplinary Theme “How We Organize Ourselves”, the Grade 2s are learning about airports. They are researching and discovering how airports are made, the way they work, and the way airports help us to connect with different places in the world.  An important aspect of IB education is connecting what the students learn in the classroom with the outside world. As most Grade 2s  have travelled by aeroplane sometime in their lives, this has been an exciting unit for them to wonder and discover.

The Grade 3s transdisciplinary theme presently is “Sharing the Planet”. The lines of inquiry that they are trying to discover and answer are:

1)  Quality and quantity of the water on the earth's surface

2)   Where does water come from? 

3)   The quality and quantity of water can be affected by the water users. 

4)   Human responsibility to conserve and distribute water equitably. 

5)   How can we manage the water in the environment around us?

Water is a precious resource, and it is important to learn about how to use it responsibly. We are sure that the knowledge gained by the Grade 3s will be shared with their friends and family so that this precious resource will be valued and not wasted.

The Grade 4s are also looking at “Sharing the Planet” and are currently looking into how plants and animals adapt in order to survive in their environment.  They have also been learning about the role that humans play in altering the environment.  For their end of unit summative assessment students have been working on a Super Animal Project.  They randomly selected an animal and then selected a new habitat for it.  They are learning as much as they can about the animal and the habitat and how the animal can survive in its new environment.  They have 4 adaptations that they can give their animal in order for it to be better equipped to deal with the challenges of its new habitat.  It is hoped that students will understand better the role they can play in helping endangered animals as well as trying to reduce their carbon footprint as they go through life.

The Grade 5 classroom and art room at CISS turned into CISS General Hospital and Operating Room respectively. The Grade 5s have come to the end of their Unit of Inquiry “Who We Are” and they concluded their unit by performing “surgery” on a patient.

They worked in teams of three and then started by writing up their knowledge of the different organs in the body and how they work in the different systems. These systems included the digestive system, the urinary system, the muscular system, the skeletal system and so on. They then coloured these organs and assembled them according to various instructions given to them.

Finally, they had the difficult task of putting all the various body parts together in the correct place and correct order on their body. Each team collaborated well, and they managed to complete their “surgery” in the given time allowed.

Who said assessment had to be boring!