Elementary School

Learning in the Elementary School is focused on developing international mindedness. Our diversity is a strength that enriches the community, and our learning program fosters intercultural understanding and appreciation. We place a strong emphasis on how students learn as well as what they learn. We value the development of the whole child in all areas of learning. Through Inquiry learning, we aim for students to develop confidence in their own abilities, think for themselves, question, express their opinions and respect the opinions of others. Students are supported and nurtured in their social, emotional and physical development, as well as in their creativity, linguistic knowledge and skills within and across the subjects. We encourage students to take ownership of their learning, become critical thinkers and believe they can take action to make a difference in the world. Learning is designed to prepare them to become active, caring and thinking participants within a peaceful and sustainable future.

Transdisciplinary Units
Learning is organized around six transdisciplinary themes, listed below, within our Program of Inquiry. These are considered essential in the context of an international education. The themes have global significance for all students in all cultures and offer them the opportunity to explore the commonalities of human experience.

Who we are	Where we are in place and time	How we express ourselves
How we organize ourselves	How the world works	Sharing the planet

The themes connect multiple subject areas and encourage students to explore concepts through research using unit related texts, online resources and community experts as well as in hands-on, experiential ways. Inquiry learning encourages students to think critically and creatively, and collaborate with others. In order to conduct purposeful inquiry and to be well prepared and open to continually learning in their future lives, students need to master a range of transferable skills beyond those that are subject specific. These skills - communication, social, thinking and research and self-management - are valuable, not only in learning that goes on within the classroom, but also in life outside the school.

The IB Learner Profile
The IB learner profile represents a broad range of human capacities and dispositions that encompass intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. The learner profile attributes are embedded in all learning and school life and underpin the commitment to supporting students in developing international mindedness.

Learning

Units of inquiry in the elementary school are designed to be transdisciplinary. They connect multiple subject areas and encourage students to explore concepts through research using unit related texts, online resources and community experts as well as in hands-on, experiential ways. Inquiry learning encourages students to think critically and creatively, and collaborate with others. While engaging in these units of inquiry, students develop approaches to learning and learner profile dispositions such as open-mindedness, risk-taking and being a competent and caring communicator. In doing so, students gain a deeper knowledge and appreciation for the world around them.

Scroll over and click the subject tiles below to read the course descriptions.

Assessment and Reporting

Gr. 3 students working with clay with a teacher beside them

Assessment is an ongoing process of gathering, analyzing, reflecting and acting on evidence of student learning. Underpinned by a culture of collaboration between teachers and students, assessment of learning demonstrates a commitment to the common goal of supporting and reflecting on learning to inform next steps in learning. Learning progression is communicated through twice yearly reports, during the Three-way Conference and the Student-led Conference and in informal meetings with parents. The student’s online Learning Journal makes the learning process visible over time. Our Assessment Policy describes our approach to assessment and the roles students, teachers, parents and leaders have in communicating about assessment.

Home Learning Policy

Reflecting on current research and our school’s philosophy towards learning, we have adopted the following as our approach to home learning in elementary school.

We consider playtime an important part of childhood and encourage children to actively participate in opportunities to play and be involved in other activities outside of school. We believe it is important for children to have opportunities for unstructured activities, to assist them in developing the skills to plan, organize and encourage creativity and imagination. Many of the children in our school are involved in sporting, educational, musical, creative and cultural activities outside of school, along with the after school activity programs provided at YIS. We also believe that young children need to have a balance in their life between home and school. It is important for them to have time to relax and enjoy their childhood with family and friends, pursue and develop their own interests or have some quiet time after school hours. We also recognize that home learning can be a source of tension and conflict between parents and children. We want to encourage positive relationships at home as these have a much bigger impact on children’s learning and development. Students in the Elementary school will not be assigned homework.

We expect children to read at home every day. We encourage parents to read with their children regularly, especially in their home language. Reading should form a natural part of the daily routine and emphasis should be on shared enjoyment of reading. Reading at home is an excellent means of developing thinking skills, increasing fluency, developing language skills and helping children develop confidence with their reading. The child’s teacher and librarians can provide children and parents with recommendations for suggestions of books and other relevant reading materials.

We also want to encourage children and parents to spend time at home communicating in their home language. This not only helps to strengthen their first language but has a significant impact on improving the acquisition of a second and/or third language.

We would also like to encourage students and parents to spend some time together reviewing and commenting on their Learning Journals through our online platform of See-Saw. This will give parents and children authentic opportunities to have a dialogue about the child’s learning.

PYP Exhibition

The PYP Exhibition is a celebration of the Primary Years Program for students in Grade 5. Students carry out an extended, collaborative inquiry with the guidance of their teachers and mentors. It is an opportunity for them to apply the critical thinking and inquiry skills that they have acquired over the course of their PYP learning journey from ELC to Grade 5.

Students choose a real-life issue or opportunity that they are passionate or curious about. They work together with their teachers to focus their inquiry, apply their knowledge and skills, investigate perspectives and make connections to self, the community and the world. They are encouraged to take ownership of their learning and to consider how they can take action to make a difference in the world.

The central idea for the PYP Exhibition states a broad conceptual understanding that enables students to explore the concepts embedded in the transdisciplinary theme, How We Express Ourselves. Each year in the PYP from ELC to Grade 5, students inquire into this theme. Over the course of their learning journey, students discover how they can express their ideas, culture, values and creativity. In the PYP Exhibition, students apply their understandings and skills to express a message about the issue that they have investigated. The Exhibition inquiry process culminates in a presentation to the school and wider community, in which students demonstrate attributes of the IB Learner Profile and international mindedness.

See pictures of how our students share their learning, perspectives, and action in last year's PYP exhibition in YIS Photos.

Beyond the Classroom

Elementary students doing Cross Country running

Students have opportunities to engage in a wide array of exciting and engaging activities beyond the classroom to extend their learning, ranging from field trips connected to units of inquiry, expeditions, and outdoor learning in local parks within the community. In addition, Elementary School Activities (ESAs) are held after school where students can choose to participate in arts, music, crafts, games and sports. Find out more about our elementary activities.

ES Daily Schedule

8:20 - 8:30 am	Students arrive in class
8:30 - 10:00 am	Classes
10:00 - 10:30 am	Recess for KG - Gr. 5
10:30 - 11:25 am /12:00 pm	Classes
11:25 am - 12:20 pm	Lunch and playtime (KG - Gr. 2)
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm	Lunch and playtime (Grades 3 - 5)
12:20 / 12:50 - 3:00 pm	Classes
3:00 pm	Dismissal
3:15 - 4:00 pm	Extra- curricular activities

See more learning in action in ES in YIS Photos.

ES on INSTAGRAM