Primary Years Programme
The Primary Years Programme is a curriculum framework from the International Baccalaureate offered to students from ages 3-12. Students who go through the Primary Years Programme, or PYP, become self-motivated inquirers and internationally-minded members of their communities.
Students from Kindergarten to Grade 5 learn about the world through six transdisciplinary units that are taught every year:
• Who We Are
• How We Express Ourselves
• Where We Are in Place and Time
• How We Organize Ourselves
• How the World Works
• Sharing the Planet
• Who We Are
• How We Express Ourselves
• Where We Are in Place and Time
• How We Organize Ourselves
• How the World Works
• Sharing the Planet
Students in Pre-Kindergarten explore four transdisciplinary themes per year instead of six. These are called the “Units of Inquiry.” Each Unit of Inquiry involves open-ended exploration, gaining knowledge from different subject areas, practicing important skills, and building enduring understandings about the world. Students are typically encouraged to demonstrate their understanding through project-based work instead of paper-and-pencil tests.
In the final year of elementary school, Grade 5, students demonstrate their capabilities as PYP learners during the Exhibition. This is the culminating project of the Primary Years Programme which asks students to use what they have learned throughout their elementary years as they research, explore, and take action on global issues.
As they go through the PYP, students construct a worldview based on knowledge, concepts, attitudes, skills, and taking action.
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Knowledge
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At CIS, teachers follow Prince Edward Island curriculum guides. Click here if you would like more information on the subjects that are taught year to year in PEI.
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Concepts
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PYP key concepts include: form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective and responsibility. Students explore and re-explore these concepts in new contexts over the years in order to better understand our complex, changing world.
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Approaches to Learning (Skills)
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The five categories of transdisciplinary skills that PYP students practice are: thinking skills, social skills, communication skills, self-management skills, and research skills. These skills help students tackle new learning and new challenges as they grow.
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Action
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Students are encouraged in every Unit of Inquiry to take responsible action based on the understandings they have gained. They are asked to put their learning into practice to make a meaningful difference in their communities.
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