Unit+of+Inquiry+(Overview)

WIS is continuing to develop the Primary Years Programme (PYP). What is PYP? It is an international curriculum model formulated by the IBO.

The PYP focuses on the development of the whole child by addressing the child’s academic, social, physical, emotional and cultural needs. It is inquiry based which means students take ownership of their own learning and it is also designed to be integrated across the curriculum. For example, sometimes a math and language class can be combined together.

There are 6 transdisciplinary themes that are covered each year. Each theme should take about 5-6 weeks to go through. Below are the 6 themes and the units of inquiry we will cover in Grade 2:

‍‍‍‍‍‍ Who we are – Listening to others and communicating help us live together better. Where we are in place and time – Migration is a journey to a new place. Sharing the planet – The survival of many animals can be influenced by human and natural events How we express ourselves – A variety of signs and symbols were developed to communicate How we organize ourselves – Workplace is an organization where people share responsibilities How the world works – Many small creatures help us in our daily lives ‍‍ ‍‍ ‍‍

Each unit of inquiry has a central idea that focuses the unit. Each unit begins with 2-3 weeks of teacher modeling questions and finding answers related to the central idea. During this time the teacher listens to what the students are saying and the type of questions they are asking. This information is then used to focus the rest of the unit and guide the students to answer the questions they have formed.