The PYP Exhibition is an important aspect of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. It is an opportunity for Year 6 students to share, with the school community, what they have learned and how they have learned. It is seen as a rite of passage for students as they move from Prep (PYP) to Secondary School.

The PYP Exhibition will be held on Tuesday 25 September from 6:00–8:00pm. Last Tuesday, 19 June, the boys and parents of Year 6 attended an information evening to better understand the broad outline of the process and organisation leading up to the Exhibition.

The Exhibition requires students to design a Unit of Inquiry that focuses on a real-world issue, preferably from the local area.  Students are given the opportunity to take ownership of their learning by selecting a focus and direction for this unit. The students have been discussing the Exhibition unit since the beginning of the year. Earlier this term, the Year 6 boys refined their thinking in a specific session to determine the Transdisciplinary Theme on which they would like to focus.  This collaborative thinking has led them to the following Unit of Inquiry:

How the world works

An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.

The major component of the Exhibition is a group inquiry that the students are required to design and complete. This inquiry forms the basis of the presentations at the Exhibition and allows the students as a whole to present a comprehensive understanding of the Central Idea.

Boys will be supported in this task by their class teachers.  As well, each group will be assigned a mentor. This person will be a member of Staff.  The mentor provides practical support for students as they progress through their work. Students will meet with their mentor regularly during the Inquiry.

The aim is that the Exhibition will be a memorable learning experience that will shape the students’ thinking and approach to future learning.

Mr David Musgrove – Year 6 Teacher