Note: Photos are from WAB's 2021 PYP Exhibition
WAB Grade 5 students are embarking on the biggest project of their Elementary School years.
The PYP Exhibition, or PYPX, is the culminating learning experience for students in the IB Primary Years Programme. Students collaborate to choose local and global issues they care about, and then take on research tasks, interviews, and actions aimed at making an impact.
Taking place as part of their Sharing the Planet unit, students are focusing on the idea Art for Impact and will be tasked with designing an installation space that demonstrates their learning and the impact they have had on their chosen issue.
Examples of projects in the past include the creation of an immersive re-creation of life in a refugee camp aimed at raising awareness about the global refugee crisis and then linking audiences with resources and organizations they can use to help. Other students have built model sustainable cities, displaying innovative solutions to making urban areas more environmentally friendly. Groups have also taken on more local issues, like working to reduce plastic waste on campus and support local orphanages.
Many students go on to continue their work on these initiatives as they progress through the IB Middle Years and Diploma Programmes.
The PYPX is a months-long learning journey involving several different academic skills and subjects. Students connect with the literary curriculum through working with librarians to develop their research skills and reading. They enhance their mathematics learning through data handling and visualization. They also develop skills like communication by speaking with experts on their topic, time management through working with teachers to build personalized schedules, as well as communication with group mates.
“The Grade 5 team is excited to begin the PYP Exhibition journey with our community of learners,” Grade 5 teacher and Level Leader Leanne Erickson said. “It is a time for our students to see how they can action and make a difference in the world.”