Fork Shoals SchoolIB Parent Information

January 2013

In 2005, Fork Shoals School became an authorized International Baccalaureate Primary Year Program School. The IB program is a philosophy and not a curriculum. We teach the same standards as any other South Carolina school. The approaches are what may look different.

The purpose of this video and slideshow is to give you a glimpse of what an IB education looks like for your child. After watching the video or reading the slideshow, if you should have any questions, please contact me, Mrs. Reid, principal, or Mrs. Giles, our Instructional Coach/IB Coordinator.

In January, we will offer a parent workshop to give further information for those who are interested.

The learner profile is the heart of the IB program. Our vision is that our students will be principled, knowledgeable, open-minded, balanced, caring, inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk-takers, and reflective. Our students learn these words which become a part of daily lessons and discussions. Each nine weeks, teachers acknowledge students who exemplify these attributes. The idea is that our students will be a person who exhibits each of these traits. We want our students to be internationally-minded. When students exhibit these attributes, they ARE internationally- minded and should be able to work with anyone in the world. Reports are sent home twice a year with feedback on how students are progressing with the learner profile.

Students are often asked to reflect each week on how they are doing with the profile. For example, teachers may ask them to write how they have been a thinker this week.

You can help by using this vocabulary at home and asking your child to give you examples of how they are exhibiting these attributes.

Principled InquirersKnowledgeable ThinkersOpen-minded CommunicatorsBalanced Risk-takersCaring Reflective

So what are the IB attitudes that you hear students and teachers talk about? How are they different from the profile? The attitudes are meant to SUPPORT the DEVELOPMENT of the learner profile. When students show the attitudes, they are exhibiting the attribute of the profile. The attitudes are:

Respect CooperationCommitment ConfidenceIntegrity EnthusiasmTolerance EmpathyAppreciation CuriosityIndependence Creativity

How do the attitudes support the profile? An example is the definition of an inquirer. It states that “an inquirer develops their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.” As you can see, the ATTITUDES of curiosity and independence help a learner to be an INQUIRER.

Our behavior management system also involves the attitudes. We are a school who implements the behavior management program known as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. Students receive star cards for following the school wide expectations which is by showing the IB attitudes.

When your child tells you that they got a star card, ask them what attitude he or she was showing.

The most significant and distinctive feature of the IB Primary Years Programme are the six transdisciplinary themes.

What does transdisciplinary mean?

Transdisciplinary is the word that IB uses to describe a discipline that applies across all disciplines—it is an interconnectedness and can be applied across all subjects and applied to real life. A Transdisciplinary concept stretches across math, science, language arts, and social studies and ties it all together; it is not isolated to one subject. For example, the idea of change affects all subject areas—the IB PYP strives to demonstrate this through learning, giving understanding to a real life world.

These themes provide IB World Schools with the opportunity to incorporate local and global issues into the curriculum and effectively allow students to “step up” beyond the confines of learning within subject areas.

The six themes are:

Who we are Inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; person, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human. Where we are in place and timeInquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationship between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.How we express ourselves Inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.

How the world works Inquiry into the natural world and its laws, the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environmentHow we organize ourselvesInquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.Sharing the planetInquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and other living things; communities and the relationship within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

Each theme is addressed each year by all students.

Inquiry Instruction: Why is this effective for my child?In a PYP classroom, teachers use inquiry based instruction to deliver content and knowledge to the students. Using inquiry based instruction is based on educational best practices research. Inquiry based instruction can be done on three levels. There is open ended inquiry, guided inquiry, and teacher led inquiry. In open ended inquiry students make the choice on what topic or concept to inquire about. With guided inquiry the broad concept to be studied is chosen by the grade level teaching team. Students can then take this broad concept and explore it using their own prior knowledge, interests, and needs. Teacher led inquiry is similar to guided inquiry but the teachers control the inquiry more by guiding students to specific inquiries.Research is a wonderful way to conduct inquiry but it is not the only method. Some other methods used include: experiments, collecting data and reporting findings, interactive play, discussions and debates, solving problems, making connections and predictions, and completing individual or group challenges. These are not the only other methods but are a sampling of what your child might encounter.Inquiry is effective in teaching students because individual student’s needs are built into their inquiry. Students use their own background knowledge and strengths in their studies and therefore can look very different to the child sitting next to them. Because of this, inquiry is a very natural way to differentiate instruction for all abilities. Often when students enter school they stop exploring on their own and rely on others, namely the teacher, to learn. In the PYP we foster the child’s natural way of learning by allowing them to explore and ask questions.

In order to conduct purposeful inquiry and to be well prepared for lifelong learning, students need to master a whole range of skills beyond those normally referred to as basic.

Thinking SkillsAcquisition of knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation, Dialectical thought, MetacognitionSocial Skills

Accepting responsibility, Respecting others, Cooperating, Resolving conflict, Group decision-making, Adopting a variety of group rolesCommunication Skills Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, Viewing, Presenting, Non-verbal communicationSelf-Management SkillsGross motor skills, Fine motor skills, Spatial awareness, Organization, Time management, Safety, Healthy life style. Codes of behavior, Informed choicesResearch SkillsFormulating questions, Observing, Planning, Collecting data, Recording data, Organizing data, Interpreting data. Presenting research findings

The goal is that students will take ACTION based on what they have learned. Sometimes action comes from what they have learned. For example, a first grader learning about seeds may come home and say that he wants to plant the seeds from the apple that he has just eaten. A fifth grader may learn about immigration and decide that she wants to research more about what country her ancestors were immigrants from. Other times, a child may learn about slavery and that in some countries it still exists. He may then decide that he wants to get information out to the public speaking against this act. Students may also show action with the profile. Grade levels have posted action boards at the end of their hallways for students to write about and/or post pictures about their action. Teachers may also have action boards in their classroom. You can help your child by encouraging him or her to take action with their learning.

We hope that by watching this video or reading our slide show that you are more knowledgeable about IB. General information is available on our website www.greenville.k12.sc.us/forksh under the parent link. You can also access the IB website at www.ibo.org

Please look for our parent workshop that will be coming up and plan to attend for additional information. We will give you the opportunity to let us know what specific questions you may have about IB and how it affects your child.

Do not hesitate to ask your child’s teacher or contact one of us should you have other questions. Thank you for your help as we partner to provide the best possible education for your child!

Fork Shoals School-a rich heritage of cultivating world-class learners!