Grade 3 IB PYP Students Explore Pioneer Life

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a curriculum framework for young learners designed by the International Baccalaureate (IB). Founded on a philosophy that recognizes a child’s natural curiosity, creativity and ability to reflect, the PYP generates a stimulating and challenging learning environment to nurture those assets and foster a lifelong love of learning in every child.

In the PYP, students learn about significant concepts through units of inquiry.  There are six transdisciplinary themes that guide these units of inquiry. This week, the Grade 3 PYP students completed the transdisciplinary unit “Where We Are in Place and Time,” in which students discussed the Central Idea “Societies evolve due to interaction between different communities.” They investigated the following Lines of Inquiry: Reasons people migrate (Causation); Lifestyle of early settlers and Indigenous people compared to Canadians today (Perspective); and How communities learn from each other (Connection).

The grade 3 classes participated in hands-on activities to get an immersive experience of daily tasks of an early settler. Later, students held a carousel-style presentation, where each class took turns presenting their display board and 3D model of their topic to their peers. Students took notes on what they had learned from their presenter and filled in a rubric for them. Students and staff were very impressed with the inventive and creative displays!