Middle Years Programme
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The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world. Our MYP fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement—essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders. Similar to the PYP, the MYP is flexible enough to not only incorporate but to enhance national and local curriculum requirements and standards.
The continuum of the PYP to the MYP are what makes IB at Vernon special. This continuum is only possible in a K-8 setting, which we are proud to offer. The knowledge, skills and attitudes developed in the PYP prepare students to meet the academic challenges of the MYP, and if possible the IB Diploma Program (DP) for grades 11-12. Currently the DP is offered at Lincoln High School and Cleveland High School.
The Curriculum
The MYP consists of eight subject groups: Language Acquisition (Spanish), Language and Literature, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, Arts (Visual Arts and Music), Physical and Health Education, and Design/Library.
MYP teachers organize our curriculum with appropriate and intentional attention to:
- Teaching and learning in context. Students learn best when their learning experiences have context and are connected to their lives and the world that they have experienced. Using global contexts, MYP students explore human identity, global challenges and what it means to be internationally minded.
Global contexts
- identities and relationships
- personal and cultural identity
- orientations in space and time
- scientific and technical innovation
- fairness and development
- globalization and sustainability
- Conceptual understanding. Concepts are big ideas that have relevance within specific disciplines and across subject areas. MYP students use concepts as a vehicle to inquire into issues and ideas of personal, local and global significance and examine knowledge holistically.
- Approaches to learning (ATL). A unifying thread throughout all MYP subject groups, approaches to learning provide the foundation for independent learning and encourage the application of their knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Developing and applying these skills help students learn how to learn.
- Service as action (community service). Action (learning by doing and experiencing) and service have always been shared values of the IB community and Vernon. Students take action when they apply what they are learning in the classroom and beyond. IB learners strive to be caring members of the community who demonstrate a commitment to service—making a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment. Service as action is an integral part of the programme, especially in the MYP community project.
MYP Community Project: The MYP community project encourages students to explore their right and responsibility to implement service as action in the community. Students may complete the community project individually or in small groups. This is completed in grade 8, with intentional inquiry and action activities preparing current students in grades 6-7. Similar to the way Exhibition is the culminating learning experience for our PYP students in grade 5, the Community Project is the culmination of our students’ MYP experience.
•Language and identity – MYP students are required to learn at least two languages (language of instruction *English, Mandarin in grades K-4 and Spanish in grades 5-8). Learning to communicate in a variety of ways is fundamental to their development of intercultural understanding and crucial to their identity affirmation.