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Essential Elements in the
Primary Years Program
The 5 essential elements of the PYP are:
•
Knowledge
, which is both disciplinary, represented by traditional subject areas
(language, mathematics, science, social studies, arts, personal, social and physical
education) and transdisciplinary;
•
Concepts
, which students explore through structured inquiry in order to develop
coherent, in-depth understanding, and which have relevance both within and beyond
subject areas;
•
Skills
, which are the broad capabilities students develop and apply during learning
and in life beyond the classroom;
•
Attitudes
, which contribute to international-mindedness and the wellbeing of individuals
and learning communities, and connect directly to the IB learner profile;
•
Action
, which is an expectation in the PYP so that successful inquiry leads to responsible,
thoughtful and appropriate action.
Through assessment, teachers identify what students know, understand, can do and value
at different stages in the teaching and learning process.
In the PYP, learning is viewed as a continuous journey, where teachers identify students’
needs and use assessment data to plan the next stage of their learning.
Teachers use a wide range of assessment strategies to collect information on each of
the elements represented in the written curriculum: the understanding of concepts, the
acquisition of knowledge, the mastering of skills, the development of positive attitudes
and the ability to take responsible action.
We love the interactive nature of the IB curriculum, which gives our children a broad range of questioning and curiosity
skills about the world around them in partnership with academic capability. The teaching staff are very engaged and
always open to discuss ways to help the children learn effectively. Attitude is everything in building a good relationship
with a school and GEMS International School – Al Khail excels in this regard. Friendly faces and a ‘can do’ attitude
exist throughout the school, we are very pleased to be a part of the GEMS community.
Agnès and Peter CookI
Parents of twins in Grade 3
”