Dos Rios
Elementary
Primary Years Programme Terminology
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is saturated with new and unfamiliar terminology, and at times it can be confusing for students, parents, or teachers who are to the PYP. Below is a listing of terms and definitions:
| PYP Term and Acronym | Definition |
|---|---|
| International Baccalaureate (IB) | A global network of schools, educators, students, and parents whose mission is “to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better world through intercultural understanding and respect. |
| IB Policies | Collaboratively created policies for Dos Rios specific to IB. This includes our Admissions Policy, Enhanced Assessment Policy, Language Policy, Inclusion Policy, and Academic Honesty Policy. |
| Primary Years Programme (PYP) | A transdisciplinary framework of international education for students ages 3-12 designed to foster the development of the whole child. |
| Middle Years Programme (MYP) | A program of international education designed to help students ages 11-16 develop as active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning. |
| Diploma Programme (DP) | A challenging two-year program of international education for students ages 16-19 that leads to a qualification that is widely recognized by the world’s leading universities. |
| Action Cycle | This cycle includes the steps Choose, Act, Reflect. This is used to frame how action takes place. |
| Agency | IB seeks to grow agentic learners (students who have agency) through a three-pronged approach involving, Voice, Choice, and Ownership. An explicit focus on agency encourages active, inquiring students to take responsibility for their own learning. |
| Approaches to Learning (ATL) | These are the skills which can be explored and developed not only within the Programme of Inquiry but also within single/stand alone subjects. These skills have been categorized in the PYP as Social Skills, Thinking Skills, Research Skills, Communication Skills, and Self-management Skills. |
| Central Idea | The Central Idea describes the enduring understanding we want students to gain at the end of a unit of inquiry. The central idea should be concise, true, and conceptually driven, and should generate purposeful inquiry and allow for critical thinking. |
| Descriptor | The descriptor further explains what students will be inquiring into under each transdisciplinary theme. This description should be referred to continually to ensure the 22 relevance of the central ideas beneath it. It should be used as a tool to ensure the balance of the units of inquiry under each theme. All aspects of the descriptions of the transdisciplinary themes should be explored at some point in the programme of inquiry. |
| Enhancements | In 2018, the Primary Years Programme underwent updates to its programme standards and practices to allow more flexibility and clarity within the programme. Grounded in the central ideas and key and related concepts, a deeper relationship between disciplinary and transdisciplinary learning will further support, enrich and connect learning. The teaching of science and social studies, although encouraged, will no longer be required to take place solely within the programme of inquiry. A renewed focus on purposeful, collaborative planning will ensure the authentic balance and articulation of all subjects across the six transdisciplinary themes and within each grade / year level. Improved guidance will clearly define the ’what, why, when and how’ of transdisciplinary learning, to better support the understanding and exploration of how the different elements of the programme strengthen the transdisciplinary learning experience and what that could look like in practice. |
| Essential Agreements | Agreements developed collaboratively that all parties agree to adhere to. They are created and posted within classrooms and structure the norms of how the classroom is run. Additionally, Essential Agreements are created among staff for different purposes. |
| Essential Elements of the PYP | There are 5 elements of the PYP: Knowledge (Transdisciplinary Themes), Skills (Approaches to Learning), Attitudes, Key Concepts, and Student Action. These elements provide young students with what they need to equip them for successful lives both now and in the future. |
| Exhibition | A culminating experience where students are given the opportunity to exhibit the attributes of the IB Learner Profile that have been developing throughout their engagement with the PYP. Our 5th grade students synthesize the essential elements of the PYP and share them with the whole school community in a project around taking Action. |
| Formative Assessment | This describes assessment that will be completed throughout the unit of inquiry. It is ongoing and informs teaching. Ideally, there are formative assessment tasks for each line of inquiry. |
| Inquiry | In an inquiry-based classroom, curriculum is integrated and children are encouraged and given opportunities to question, explore, practice, manipulate, respond, and be engaged in learning. |
| Key Concepts | The key concepts help teachers and students to consider ways of thinking and learning about the world, and act as a provocation to extend and deepen student inquiries. While planning each unit of inquiry, teachers decide which key concept(s) will drive the unit. This helps to identify the lines of inquiry, teacher questions and sample learning experiences. The Key Concepts are as follows: Form, Function, Perspective, Reflective, Connection, Change, and Causation. |
| Learner Profile | The Learner Profile are the attributes which describe an “internationally-minded” person. They best describe the type of student we hope will graduate from the PYP. Therefore, we seek to promote students who are Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced, and Reflective. |
| Lines of Inquiry (LOI) | Lines of Inquiry decompose the central idea and define the scope of the inquiry that will be explored within the unit. This is generally phrased as “An inquiry into . . .” or “Exploring . . .” |
| Parent Communication Documents (PCD) | An information sheet given to families at the beginning of each Unit of Inquiry that explains the focus and gives ideas on how to support at home. |
| Portfolios | The portfolio is a collection of student work, organized around the six Transdisciplinary Themes that includes student reflection around the Essential Elements. This is collected and organized by grade, and follows the student from kindergarten to 5th grade. |
| Programme of Inquiry (POI) | The Programme of Inquiry consists of six Transdisciplinary Themes, which each grade (kindergarten explore four) explore in-depth. The Transdisciplinary Themes represent multiple perspectives, have global significance and allow significant knowledge, concepts and skills to be explored and utilized within a meaningful context. |
| Provocation | A task or hook to kick off the unit that gets kids engaged in the concept, fostering curiosity, and asking questions. |
| Related Concepts | A concept that organizes subject-specific knowledge, understanding, and skills. Examples include systems, cycles, identities, cultures, etc. |
| Student-Initiated Action | Taking action is an integral conclusion to the learning that incorporates students making connections to what they have learned, applying a variety of real life skills, demonstrating an enduring understanding through concepts and reflecting on the attributes of the learner profile. |
| Student-led Conferences | Student-led conferences are formal conferences, typically held in the spring semester and led by the students, where children are involved in discussing their work and progress with their parents. Teachers help students prepare to lead their own conferences so students can be successful in sharing about their learning with others. The portfolio can be used to support student facilitation. |
| Summative Assessment | This describes the assessment that will be completed at the end of the unit. Teachers design a task which will allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the central idea. Teachers also decide on the best assessment tool to identify the level of understanding (e.g., rubric, exemplar, checklist, etc.) that clearly defines what will be looked for. |
| Teacher Questions | Teacher Questions align with the lines of inquiry and drive the learning experiences. They can be explored through posing questions to students, through researching, and or through hands-on exploration. Teacher questions are conceptually driven and are open-ended. |
| Transdisciplinary Themes | Universal themes with relevance across the traditional subject areas, and within and across cultures, that define the body of lasting knowledge valued in a PYP school. These include Who We Are, Where We Are in Place and Time, How We Express Ourselves, How We Organize Ourselves, Sharing the Planet, and How the World Works. |
| Units of Inquiry (UOI) | The units of inquiry outline the six (or four in kindergarten) units a grade level will explore from the school’s Programme of Inquiry. A unit of inquiry should be relevant, engaging, and significant to the students. |