Primary Years
The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) will be offered for students in grades K-5. It provides an educational framework based upon what is currently known about how young children learn and draws on the best practices in elementary school instruction. Instruction is provided in the subject areas of English, Spanish, Mathematics, Science & Technology, Social Studies, Arts, and Personal/Social/Physical Education. Texas state standards will be incorporated into the IB PYP which is designed to meet and exceed all state objectives for grades K-5.
The PYP requires all teachers in the school to plan units of instruction and lessons collaboratively around six important themes. The collaboration facilitates a carefully thought-out and sequential development of skills, knowledge and attitudes, while the organizing themes provide both students and teachers a rich and inviting learning environment in which they can explore.
In the PYP, students are taught to understand 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 teachers work with students through this programme of guided inquiry, they also help students understand what their relationship and responsibility is towards what they are learning. In the PYP, character-building shares a prominent place alongside learning.
