| At the heart of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) is a commitment to structured inquiry as a vehicle for learning. According to Nancy Cecil in The Art of Inquiry, "When children seek to ask or answer questions about things for which there are many potentially correct answers, they begin to develop an attitude of appreciation for the immensity and complexity of the natural world." At Silverthorne Elementary School, teachers at each grade level develop units of inquiry that center around the six transdisciplinary themes. |
| Six Transdisciplinary Themes: |
| 1. Who we are |
| 2. Where we are in time and place |
| 3. How we express ourselves |
| 4. How the world works |
| 5. How we organize ourselves |
| 6. Sharing the planet |
| These themes help guide teachers as they plan and design transdisciplinary (combining two or more subject areas) units of inquiry which make up the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program of Inquiry. Within these units, children are encouraged to ask questions, are taught how to use a variety of resources to seek answers that lead to a deeper understanding of the concepts being studied. The PYP seeks to create students who are not bounded by the physical borders of their community. Instead it works to study broad topics that can have an application in any part of our world. |