Parent Information Evening

April 2014

What is the Exhibition? A culminating project for the PYP

A collaborative inquiry that students have a personal interest in exploring

An inquiry that requires students to apply their learning from previous years

An experience that uses the essential elements of the PYP

A demonstration of how students can take action as a result of their learning

A celebration of who our students are as learners

What is the Exhibition? It is:

Intense

Tiring

Exciting

Self-directed

Process driven

Rewarding

Action Provoking

It is not:

A science fair

A poster contest

A competition

Individual

Product driven

Adult directed

A burden

Students must use the PYP Trans-disciplinary skills Communication Skills

Research Skills

Social Skills

Self-management Skills

Thinking Skills

Students should show Positive Attitudes: Appreciation, commitment,

confidence, cooperation, creativity, confidence, curiosity, empathy, enthusiasm, independence, integrity, respect, tolerance

Learner Profile: thinker, open-minded, risk-taker, communicator, inquirer, principled, caring, knowledgeable, balanced, reflective

Central Idea Issues that matter to me related to our

Trans-disciplinary theme:

Who We Are

An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health;

human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities;

what it means to be human.

What should the topic be? The topic should be something which effects the

students’ life (school, local family or community)

Ideally, students have a high interest in the topic

The topic should inspire students to take positive action

Possible areas of focus Scarcity or availability

Change or adaptation

Economy or jobs

Health and safety

Human welfare

Environment

Community Systems

Structures

Conservation

Diversity

What is the process?

Plan

Gather information

Present Information

Reflect

Hopefully

How much time do students spend on the exhibition? The students started brainstorming and thinking of

ideas in March during the Advertisement Unit summative task.

The students will then spend the next 6 weeks working on their inquiries…from April to May 19th

The students will still have language and mathslessons during the Exhibition time, but the majority of each day will be spent working on inquiries

What about Exhibition homework? The children should use their time at home to research

and prepare for the work in class

The actual work and organization of information should be done in class so the teacher and mentor can keep track of progress.

The Role of the Parents

The Mentor

The Parent

The Teacher

Student Or

Group

How can parents help? Parents can:

Have conversations about the exhibition (verbal reflections)

Support and encourage your child

Provide background knowledge

Help to locate resources-people, places, media and information

Check the Weebly website regularly

Celebrate with students by attending the final presentation

Develop Critical Thinking Ask your child open ended questions about their

project

Let them solve their own problems

Let them be responsible for their own learning

Encourage independent inquiry and respect student ownership of the process

Monitor, challenge, question, clarify

How do we assess students work? “Exhibitions are the best way to measure student

learning because they put the kids right in the midst of their learning.”

Dennis Litky

We assess the process more than the product

The students will keep a record throughout the process that shows how their thinking and goals are evolving

Student self-assessment

Something for us all to remember… The process is more important than the product

The Exhibition is a celebration of your child as a learner