An aim of the PYP is to create a transdisciplinary curriculum that is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant for learners. This curriculum provides opportunities for students to build meaning and refine their understandings through a range of student- centered engagements. The curriculum is broken down into six transdisciplinary themes that the International Baccalaureate considers essential in the context of international education, known as the Program of Inquiry (POI).

Students at Whitby inquire into and learn about local and global issues in the context of units of inquiry, each of which addresses a particular transdisciplinary theme.

Each of these units:

• stands alone as an engaging, challenging, relevant and significant experience
• contributes to a coherent, school-wide programme of inquiry that is framed in terms of transdisciplinary themes of global significance
• draws together elements of different subject areas (language, mathematics, personal social physical education, the arts, science and social studies) to support the exploration of a central idea.

Transdisciplinary Themes

At Whitby, Language is being taught through the authentic context of the units of inquiry. We have drawn on the IBPYP Language Scope and Sequence documentation and the Language Common Core Standards in the process of refining our scope and sequence and ensuring balance of the significant strands of Language. In addition, some aspects of the language curriculum might be taught as a stand alone following the principles of the PYP using a constructivist, inquiry-based approach.

Language is arranged into three main strands:

• Oral language: listening and speaking
• Written language: reading and writing
• Visual language: viewing and presenting

Language learning is not a linear process. Different learners develop proficiencies at different times and at their own pace. Whitby learning outcomes are a description of this language learning process. We have specified learning outcomes for each grade level. These specific outcomes for a grade level describe what most learners are able to do by the end of this grade level. Some learners will have already moved on and are able to work towards the next phase, and others might need more time to attain the targets set out. The assessments of the language outcomes are helping teachers decide how to set specific individual learning goals for their students. The individual progression of the child is shared with parents in parent-teacher conferences and the report cards.

At Whitby, we use the framework of Balanced Literacy to support students in developing into confident and competent readers and authors. The balance of reading and writing workshops ensures that students receive the individualized teaching appropriate to their strengths and needs in literacy.

Students read and write independently and in a variety of group settings on a daily basis. Teachers facilitate different reading experiences: read aloud, shared and guided reading, reading conferences and independent reading. Similarly, students engage in a variety of writing experiences. They include shared, guided and independent writing as well as individual writing conferences.

Additionally, students engage in word study, which involves the areas of phonics, morphemic analysis, spelling and grammar.

Balanced literacy is an integrated approach to teaching language arts. Whenever possible, the units of inquiry inform the selection of text and topics. Therefore, students spend a substantial amount of time reading and writing on a daily basis.

To address and teach handwriting in Lower School, we adopted the Handwriting without Tears Program. By Grade 2 students are introduced to the cursive HWT style and encouraged to write in cursive in their daily work. This is reinforced in Grade 3 and above. Students are expected to write in cursive from then on throughout Lower School.

At Whitby, our students are given the opportunity to construct, transfer and apply mathematical understanding. We have drawn on the IBPYP Mathematics Scope and Sequence documentation and the Mathematics Common Core Standards in the process of refining our scope and sequence and ensuring balance of the significant strands of Mathematics.

Mathematics is being taught, whenever possible, through the authentic context of the units of inquiry. If the direct teaching of mathematics in a unit of inquiry is not feasible, it is taught as a stand-alone following the principles of the PYP, using a constructivist, inquiry-based approach.

Mathematics is arranged into five main strands: Pattern and Function, Number, Measurement, Data Handling, and Shape and Space.

All mathematical teaching develops knowledge and understanding of eight mathematical processes that are integrated in all mathematical experiences. Explicit teaching and practice of these processes is incorporated in all mathematical teaching.

The 8 processes of mathematics are:

• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively
• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
• Model with mathematics
• Use appropriate tools strategically
• Attend to precision
• Look for and make use of structure
• Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Outcomes describe what most learners are able to do by the end of any given grade level. Different learners have different proficiency levels and needs, although they might be in the same class or have the same age. Some learners will have already moved on and are able to work towards the next phase, and others might need more time to attain the targets set out. The acquisition of mathematical understanding must be seen as a continuum along which each individual student progresses at his/her own speed.

The assessment of the math outcomes is helping teachers decide how to set specific individual learning goals for their students. The individual progression of each child in math is shared with parents in parent teacher conferences and the report cards.

Students will develop their observational skills by using their senses and selected observational tools. They will gather and record observed information in a number of ways, and they will reflect on these findings to identify patterns or connections, make predictions and test and refine their ideas with increasing accuracy. Students will explore the way objects and phenomena function, identify parts of a system and gain an understanding of increasingly complex cause and effect relationships.

They will examine change over time and will recognize that change may be affected by one or more variables. They will examine how products and tools have been developed through the application of science concepts. They will be aware of different perspectives and ways of organizing the world, and they will be able to consider how these views and customs may have been formulated. Students will consider ethical issues in science related contexts and use their learning in science to plan thoughtful and realistic action in order to improve their welfare and that of other living things and the environment. Students will communicate their ideas or provide explanations using their own scientific experience and that of others. (IBPYP Science Scope and Sequence, 2008)

The Nature of Science strand is the overarching, unifying strand. Through it, students learn what science is and how scientists work. Students develop the skills, attitudes and values to build a foundation for understanding the world. Students come to appreciate that while scientific knowledge is durable, it is also constantly re-evaluated in the light of new evidence. Students learn how science ideas are communicated and make links between scientific knowledge and everyday decisions and actions. These outcomes are pursued through the following major contexts in which scientific knowledge has developed and continues to develop.

The basic understandings about the nature of science are:

• Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods
• Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence
• Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence
• Scientific Models, Laws, Mechanisms and Theories Explain Natural Phenomena
• Science is a Way of Knowing b Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems
• Science is a Human Endeavor
• Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World

The matrix below presents the eight major themes and grade level understandings about the nature of science. The matrix describes learning outcomes for the themes on grade level bands K-2 and 3-4.

Social Studies at Whitby is taught entirely within the PYP Program of Inquiry. We have drawn the Social Studies Strands from the IBPYP Scope and Sequence documentation as well as international and national curriculum in the process of refining our scope and sequence and ensuring balance of the significant strands of Social Studies: Human Systems and Economic Activities, Social Organization and Culture, Continuity and Change over Time, Human and Natural Environments, and Resources and the Environment. Major conceptual ideas are developed over the entire Lower School curriculum, and inquiry is the main approach in the organization and selection of students activities.

Students will extend their understanding of human society, focusing on themselves and others within their own community as well as other communities that are distant in time and place. They will investigate how and why groups are organized within communities and the ways in which communities reflect the cultures and customs of their people. They will recognize the interdependency of systems and their function within local and national communities. They will increase their awareness of how people influence, and are influenced by, the places in their environment. Students will explore the relationship between valuing the environment and protecting it.

They will extend their understanding of time, recognizing important events in peoples' lives and how the past is recorded and remembered in different ways. They will broaden their understanding of the impact of advances in technology over time, on individuals, society and the environment. (IBPYP Social Studies Scope and Sequence, 2008)

1. Formulate and ask questions about the past, the future, places and society (for example, students will express wonderings, show curiosity or ask questions about a person or event of personal significance; express wonderings, show curiosity or ask questions about the natural and physical environment; ask questions to extend understanding of how others have constructed or represented the past, the human and natural environment and society; formulate questions and identify problems that will enable them to make links between prior learning, new situations and further actions; formulate questions that promote the transfer of knowledge and make connections across their learning).

2. Use and analyze evidence from a variety of historical, geographical and societal sources (for example, students will draw information from, and respond to, stories about the past from geographical and societal sources; access a broad range of first- and second-hand sources of information such as people, maps, surveys, direct observation, books, museums and libraries; identify appropriate information and communication technology (ICT) tools and sources of information to support research; predict future events by analying reasons for events in the past and present).

3. Orientate in relation to place and time (for example, students will explore and share instances of change and continuity in personal lives, family and local histories; investigate directions and distances within the local environment; distinguish between past, present and future time; explore similarities and differences between the past and the present; sequence events, routines, personal histories in chronological order; interpret place and time using tools such as maps and timelines).

4. Identify roles, rights and responsibilities in society (for example, students will define own roles and responsibilities within the family, class or school; compare children s and adults roles, rights and responsibilities in society; reflect on the rights and responsibilities of children in other societies and make comparisons; examine how the rights of a person directly affect their responsibilities; investigate how services and systems influence societal rights and responsibilities; examine the responsibility of people towards the environment; reflect on opportunities to contribute actively to the community at a range of levels, from local to global).

5. Assess the accuracy, validity and possible bias of sources (for example, students will examine and interpret simple evidence such as artifacts; compare the validity of statements from a variety of different sources; distinguish between fact and opinion; piece together evidence to explain, report or persuade; analyze and synthesize information; make predictions in order to test understanding; develop a critical perspective regarding information and the reliability of sources).

The Spanish Language Program in Lower School focuses mainly on oral language development. The aim of studying Spanish is not only acquiring language skills but also developing knowledge and understanding of the Hispanic culture. We also strive to support the students in developing the attributes of the IB Learner Profile. The students are grouped by phases to best address the individual learning needs.

The Grades 3 and 4 Spanish Language Program includes:

• A language program with diverse communicative activities (eg. role-plays, games, songs, creative activities) that provide students with the opportunity to develop listening and speaking skills, as well as reading and writing skills
• A cultural studies component, which allows students opportunities to explore different aspects of Hispanic culture (lifestyle, music, traditional celebrations and food)

Whenever possible and appropriate, the program supports or is integrated into the Program of Inquiry. As a result, the students are able to make connections between the language they acquire and their transdisciplinary units of inquiry.

The outcomes for Phases 1 - 3 in Grade 3 and 4 Spanish include:

The music curriculum is designed to help students develop an understanding and appreciation of music, as well as acquire the practical skills needed, to cultivate a lifelong source of enjoyment and personal satisfaction.

Music is a fundamental form of both personal and cultural expression, through which we express feelings and share ideas. Music enables students to appreciate and understand aspects of their own culture and place in the world, as well as those of others. Students are encouraged to consider music as a means of communication: an expressive language with creativity at its heart.

The music curriculum is arranged into two main categories, responding and creating, which are further broken down into subcategories. Whenever possible and appropriate, the music program supports and is integrated into units of inquiry. There are also units during which the music program offers independent inquiry into musicHrelated ideas and concepts, as well as skillHbased teaching.

Each grade level throughout the school has its own set of music process outcomes reached through the music curriculum. Outcomes for Grade 4 Music include:

We believe that visual art plays a fundamental role in the education of the whole child. Visual art education includes the development of creative skills, verbal and nonverbal expression, an awareness of the perspectives of others and aesthetic appreciation.

The process of responding provides students with opportunities to respond to their own and other artists works and processes, and in so doing develop the skills of critical analysis, interpretation, evaluation, reflection and communication. Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, methods and elements of visual arts, including using specialized language and subject terminology. Students consider their own and other artists works in context and from different perspectives in order to construct meaning and inform their own future works and processes. The responding strand is not simply about reflecting; responding may include creative acts and encompasses presenting, sharing and communicating one's own understanding. By responding to their own artwork and that of others, students become more mindful of their own artistic development and the role that arts play in the world around them.

The process of creating provides students with opportunities to communicate distinctive forms of meaning, develop their technical skills, take creative risks, solve problems and visualize consequences. Students are encouraged to draw on their imagination, experiences and knowledge of materials and processes as starting points for creative exploration. They can make connections between their work and that of other artists to inform their thinking and to provide inspiration. Both independently and collaboratively, students participate in creative processes through which they can communicate ideas and express feelings. The creating strand provides opportunities for students to explore their personal interests, beliefs and values and to engage in a personal artistic journey. (IB PYP Arts Scope and Sequence, 2009)

Whenever possible and appropriate, the arts program supports or integrates with the program of inquiry.

The outcomes for Grade 4 Visual Arts include:

Grade 3 and 4 theatre transports students, builds their self-confidence, tears down inhibitions, channels experience into communication and enhances articulation.

Through improvisation, students work together to find solutions to problems. Through analyzing character histories, relationships and objectives, students begin to identify and establish different perspectives on both historical and current issues. And, through text analysis, students begin to uncover the role of fairness and justice in different global contexts.

Integration with core subjects is at the center of the theatre curriculum. Integrated theatre supports differentiated learning by allowing students to relate new information to previous knowledge and put content into real world contexts. It allows for education of the whole child by encouraging questions that focus on how their studies affect them academically, socially and emotionally.

Theatre at this level introduces students to the practice of walking in another's shoes to see things from different angles. It is an area in which personal growth, life lessons and global perspectives begin to come together to add dimensions to students as they go through childhood.

The outcomes for Grade 3 and 4 Theatre include:

Physical Education is concerned with the physical, social, personal and emotional aspects of our students development. It gives students the opportunity to learn about movement and through movement. Skills are developed through a wide variety of physical activities, designed to ensure maximum participation by all. PE also provides opportunities for cooperation, teamwork, decision-making and problem solving. The students will develop knowledge and understanding in the strands of individual pursuits, movement composition, games, adventure challenges and health related activities.

Individual pursuits: The development of basic motor skills and the body's capacity for movement through locomotor and manipulative skills and/or experiences; the techniques, rules and purpose of a range of athletic activities (for example, track and field, swimming, skating, skiing); recognizing a high level of achievement and how to improve a performance.

Movement composition: Recognizing that movements can be linked together and refined to create a sequence of aesthetic movements. Movements can be in response to stimuli or performance elements and/or criteria and can communicate feelings, emotions and ideas (for example, gymnastics, dance, martial arts).

Games: Recognizing the challenges presented by games; the importance of manipulating space; the categorizing of games; identifying and developing appropriate skills and strategies; recognizing the importance of rules and how they define the nature of a game; modifying existing games and creating new games; teamwork.

Adventure challenges: A variety of tasks requiring the use of physical and criticalH thinking skills by individuals and/or groups; challenges that require groups to work together collaboratively in order to solve problems and accomplish a common goal; recognizing the role of the individual in group problem solving.

Health-related fitness: Recognizing and appreciating the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle; the body's response to exercise including the interaction of body systems and the development of physical fitness. (IBPYP Making the PYP Happen, 2007)

PSE is concerned with the ongoing development and growth of our students in respect to feelings, beliefs and behaviors and how they interrelate. PSE is included in the curriculum in order to help students develop an understanding of how to manage and communicate their feelings; understand how their choices and practices can maintain their health and safety; develop an awareness of social norms and perspectives; build relationships and develop an appreciation of commonalities and differences; develop strategies to resolve conflicts; recognize rights and responsibilities towards others and the environment and develop self management strategies to become successful learners. PSE is an essential and integral part of the curriculum; it is transdisciplinary in nature, yet needs to be thoroughly planned and carefully implemented. The students will develop knowledge and understanding in the three strands of identity, active living and interactions.

Reporting on assessment is about communicating what students know, understand and can do. It describes the progress of children's learning and identifies areas of strength as well as areas of growth and goals for the future learning process.

At Whitby, effective reporting will:

• involve parents, students and teachers as partners
• reflect the values and beliefs of the school community
• be clear and transparent
• be comprehensive, fair, honest and credible
• inform teaching and learning

In the Lower School we use Seesaw to document and reflect on learning. Seesaw is a digital learning journal that allows students and teachers to show, reflect and share their learning. Students can use photos, video, audio and text to capture the learning process, not just the end result and explain how they arrived at their understanding. Parents are invited to be active participants in their child’s learning journal. At the beginning of the school year, we will send you a QR code that will invite you to Seesaw. If you choose to get notifications, you will be able to see entries to the journal and comment on them. We believe this interactive engagement can bring your child’s classroom experience here at Whitby even closer to home.

Summative assessments from units of inquiry and other completed units are sent home for parent review after the assessment data has been shared with the student. Parents are asked to sign the assessment and send it back to school in their child's assessment folder. 

In the Lower School, we host two parent conferences per school year. Teacher-Parent conferences are scheduled in November for all Lower School families. Student participation is highly encouraged. In April, we host student-teacher-parent portfolio conferences, which requires the presence of the students as they are sharing their learning journeys with their parents.

Teachers and parents may also request conferences to discuss student learning or any other issue at any time.

In addition to sharing assessment data through conferences, work samples and standardized test scores, the school formally reports on student learning twice a year through narrative report cards. These report cards are posted on Veracross for parents to download. They provide an overview of each child s progress within our curriculum. The report cards are stored through Veracross as part of a student's permanent record.

In Grade 4, the progress reports describe the student's cognitive, personal, emotional and social progress in light of the IB learner profile and the acquisition of knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to the unit of inquiry and single subject areas based on grade level specific outcomes.

Teachers are available most afternoons and after school for quick questions. If more detailed information is required, parents should not hesitate to arrange a meeting time outside of school hours with their child's teachers.

Please always copy both teachers in emails about your child. Emails are answered within 24 hours. Please send notifications about the daily routine for a child at least 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, please notify the front desk.

Face to face or phone conversations are the preferred way of communication with our families. Voicemail should only be used to arrange for a conversation or meeting.

The Grade 4 section will publish a newsletter at the start of each unit of inquiry in Veracross to inform about teaching and learning in the upcoming weeks. An email with a link to the class page will be sent from each classroom.

At the conclusion of a unit (roughly every 6 weeks), work will be sent home for the parents and student to review with their child and to keep.

Over the year, there will be numerous occasions for parents to see their children engaged in learning. Besides the three special visitor days scheduled over the year, each classroom will find opportunities to share learning with the parents within the context of the unit of inquiry or for other curriculum areas.

We encourage your child to keep a book at his or her appropriate reading level at home to read each night for approximately 20 minutes. The classroom teachers will supply a reading log so that your child can keep track of his or her nightly reading. In addition, we encourage parents to read aloud to their children at home.

Birthday celebrations are welcomed and encouraged in the classroom. Parents can send a bite-sized treat (following Whitby s nutritional guidelines) in with their child in the morning, and the celebration will be worked into the schedule at some point in the day.