What is the Primary Years Programme? How is it different from other elementary school programmes?Developed by educators from all over the world, the Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed for students aged 3 to 12. It engages students in a uniquely international program focused on the total growth of the child with a focus on international mindedness while fostering the inquiring mind. All IB programmes (PYP, MYP, DP, and CP) develop the intellectual, personal, emotional, and social skills for students to live, learn, and work in a rapidly globalizing world.The PYP requires all teachers in the school to collaboratively plan units of inquiry and lessons. This facilitates a sequential development of skills, knowledge and attitudes. Students are taught that learning is about asking questions and looking for answers, which in turn may generate new, and perhaps more complex questions in need of answers. As students go through this program of structured inquiry, they begin to understand their relationship and responsibility towards what they are learning.What is the PYP Curriculum Model?The PYP focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. The PYP is defined by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, that form the basis of units of inquiry from which teachers plan their lessons: • Who we are • Where we are in time & place • How we express ourselves • How the world works • How we organize ourselves • Sharing the planetFor example: A kindergarten class may be looking at the transdisciplinary theme of "How the world works" with a conceptual focus of "light and light sources.” The teacher and students will discuss what they already know about light, light sources, and how light works. They may ask wonder or inquiry questions, such as "I wonder what would happen if we made our classroom dark?” The teacher may integrate math, science, social studies, and other subjects. Learning engagements may include going on light

searching walks to find sources of light, grouping light sources into different categories and counting them, reading books about night and day, drawing pictures of what homes look like in the dark, or making a dark room in the classroom to experiment with it.Does the PYP follow the British Columbia curriculum?Yes. The PYP provides an international framework, using local and global material, for the enrichment of the BC provincial curriculum. Students still learn mathematics, science, social studies, languages, physical education, Health and Career and the arts; these subjects are addressed within units of inquiry that typically span 4-6 weeks.What grades does the Primary Years Programme encompass?Upon authorization as an IB World School, the PYP at Queen Mary would be a eight-year programme starting in kindergarten and ending in Grade 7. All students would participate in the PYP.Do PYP students have to take IB examinations? How will my child be assessed?There are no IB examinations in the PYP. All student assessment is organized and conducted by the teachers in our school. In the final year of PYP, students participate in the PYP Exhibition that highlights their learning experience in the programme.Student report cards reflect reporting requirements of the Ministry of Education. For more information regarding assessment, please visit the school website to access the school’s assessment policy.Where can I find out more about the PYP and additional IB programmes?The Queen Mary IB PYP Coordinator is Jennifer Aragon; she may be contacted directly at jaragon@sd44.ca. After completing Grade 7, Queen Mary students automatically advance to the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) at Carson Graham Secondary. They also have the opportunity of applying to the IB Diploma Programme (DP) for Grades 11 and 12 at Carson Graham Secondary. To find out more about these programs please visit the IB organization website at www.IBO.org as well as the Carson Graham website at www.carsongraham.ca.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME

QUEEN MARY COMMUNITY SCHOOL