International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program

The historic success of IB students was the catalyst for Dwight becoming the first school in North America to offer the IB Primary Years Program (PYP) in grades PreK-5. We wanted younger students to be exposed to the unique IB approach: learn a second language, begin to apply higher-level skills that focus on real world problems, and be sensitive to other cultures. The IB PYP, MYP, and Diploma Programs have brought the entire school faculty closer together. Enhanced communication has resulted in teaching advanced principles in the early grades. A unique dynamism in grades K-5 has been created through vital cross-grade exchange.

All Dwight PYP teachers routinely attend teacher training workshops held in North America and Europe, where they can share strategies for success and receive information about new curricular ideas from around the world.

Students are encouraged to reflect on their own growth by having concrete opportunities to engage in critical thinking, risk-taking, leadership, and perseverance. By being involved in situations that foster these attributes, students of this age are beginning to form the IB Learner Profile, which characterizes the desirable personal qualities for which students can aim. Examples of how the IB Primary Years Program provides students with opportunities to develop these qualities include:

• During the Unit of Inquiry on Friendship, Kindergarten students incorporate global awareness by learning how to say “hello” and “good morning” in many different languages through their Morning Song.
• First grade students complete a Unit of Inquiry on Parks, during which they focus on how to best take care of parks. The action plans the students develop in order to accomplish this goal further develop their sense of caring for others and the Earth.
• Second grade students complete nutrition research projects, wherein the children research a specific vitamin or mineral and share their findings with the class.
• During their Unit of Inquiry into Our Place in Space, Third Grade students are presented with the challenging task of communicating what they learned about The Solar System in an engaging way for an audience. This requires them to apply their knowledge of the planets in order to produce large to-scale models of appropriate color and texture.
• In the Fourth Grade’s unit on World Religions, they learn tolerance and appreciation for what might be very different from their own experiences. They study how important figures, including Gandhi, Jesus, the Dalai Lama, and Muhammad, impact the world. By reflecting on the lives of others, students work towards changing their own behaviors to become better citizens and loving members of the human race.
• The Final Exhibition in the Fifth Grade provides an opportunity for students to present individual examples of work that shows the growth they have made as a student during the PYP years. Examples include research on the culture of ancient Incas and research on the Japanese Samurai culture. Recently, students developed actionable research projects to address environmental issues.