In other words, everything in the world is connected. Exploring the way interconnectedness works was focal to the second unit of exploration that our IB PYP students worked on this academic year.

 

How We Organise Ourselves as a rather broad theme gave our PYP students a chance to look at societies, historical periods, and the way human activities have had an impact on our development and on the world that we live in.

An important part of the PYP curriculum, the unit of inquiry is an in-depth exploration of a concept as it relates to the various subjects that students tackle on a daily basis as a part of their IB primary years programme.

 

Let’s take a look at the impressive work that grades 1 through 6 did on the topic.

 

How We Organise Ourselves is a unit of inquiry that focuses primarily on human-made systems and the profound impact these have on society and on the environment.

 

As a part of the IB curriculum, the unit of inquiry encourages a trans-disciplinary approach towards the creation of the final PYP exhibition. Students break down into teams, each one tackling the topic from a distinctive perspective.

Grade 1 students, for example, looked at materials and their properties. Both natural and manmade materials affect the way we live, not to mention their effect on our planet and on long-term sustainability.

 

Grades 2 through 6 tackled additional niche topics as a part of their IB PYP exhibition. Decision-making and its cultural implications, human evolution and the different ways in which civilisations connected and interacted, the economic structure of countries, entrepreneurship, as well as the way balance is achieved within communal systems all inspired our young explorers to dig deeper and look for answers about the way the world works.

You may find it difficult to envision the way each of the broad topics mentioned above has been approached within the context of an individual school subject.

That’s the magic of the IB primary years programme. Here’s a quick example that demonstrates the incredible way broad topics can be connected to sciences, humanities, and the various other school subjects.

 

Under the unit of exploration, Grade 4 focused on how the economic structure of a country impacts its development.

How does that topic relate to a school subject?

 

As a part of their math exploration, our fourth graders presented numerical patterns. In English, they worked on informational texts, and as a part of the humanities curriculum, the students looked at geographic location and its impact on societal development.

Grade 6 students worked on societal balance and its reliance on interconnections and relationships between individuals and communities. As a part of the English presentation, they turned towards science fiction stories featuring a flashback as a literary device. In humanities, students looked at the development of various empires throughout history and within the scientific line of exploration, emphasis was put on the way substances change their state (both reversible and irreversible changes).

 

Establishing those connections shows young people how even abstract concepts can be turned into something actionable. Furthermore, the approach encourages critical thinking and a broader look at what initially seems to be rather abstract and inapplicable within a certain context.

The PYP curriculum and the PYP exhibition in the form of a summative assessment aren’t just about acquiring knowledge. Students also learn how to present projects in front of an audience, answer questions, and elaborate on the unit of inquiry.

The first summative assessment of the academic year had our students presenting in front of their parents.

To switch things up and get the presenters used to all scenarios, this time around we had them demonstrating projects in front of older British School of Sofia students.

The dynamics in this situation are different from the way students present in front of their parents. Older students also get a chance to be involved, to help the establishment of the school community, to challenge, and reward their younger peers for their hard work.

If you’re interested in finding out more about our curriculum, please take a look at the following presentation. You can also get acquainted with our PYP authorisation efforts here.