Inspiring Through Inquiry

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme at Qingdao Amerasia International School aims to inspire a lifelong love of learning through student-centered, hands-on instructional methods, and content that is relevant and engaging for children. Our learning takes a global approach; helping children to connect their learning to where they are living now as well as looking at experiencing perspectives of other people in other countries. It is a truly international elementary education.

Instruction in IB PYP is built around a set of themes which help students deepen their understanding of academic concepts by investigating real-world questions. These transdisciplinary themes are:

Inspiring through Inquiry

How the world works

An 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.

Where we are in space and time

An exploration of our orientation in place and time; of our personal histories and geographies; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.

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.

How we express ourselves

An 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 we organize ourselves

An inquiry 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 planet

An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

In these units of inquiry, students learn to formulate questions, gather information, think critically about their findings, communicate their ideas, and reflect on their experience.

Beginning in Early Childhood (ages 3-6), students do units in all six themes every year.