About IB

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) offers a curricular framework which fosters the growth of internationally-minded people. The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is the transdisciplinary curriculum designed for learners aged 3-12. It focuses on the total growth of the developing child, touching hearts as well as minds and encompassing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic development.

The PYP can be adopted by any school in any place in the world. It does not need to have an international student body.

Organizing Structure for the PYP Programme 

• Units of Inquiry are designed by teachers to focus on the six organizing themes.  These six themes drive the process of inquiry that occurs throughout the year.
• The Learner Profile describes the attributes emphasized in the PYP programme. In this way the PYP Programme encourages social, physical, emotional and cultural growth while offering an academically challenging curriculum.

• An essential part of the PYP Programme is the knowledge and application of a second language. At Brown, students will learn Spanish in addition to a well-rounded curriculum including art, music, and dance.

What, You Might Ask, Are Units of Inquiry?

The philosophy at the heart of the PYP is a commitment to structured inquiry as an ideal approach to learning. Teachers and students are guided by a series of basic questions as they design curricular units for exploration and study. Ideas of local and global significance reveal concerns shared by people of all nations.

At each grade level, six organizing themes are explored through specially selected, globally significant Units of Inquiry: Sharing the Planet, Who We Are, How We Organize Ourselves, Where We Are in Place and Time, How the World Works, and How We Express Ourselves.

Each Unit of Inquiry has a central idea, which is expressed in one or two sentences. For example, a class studying ecosystems may use as its central idea, "Water creatures that live in ponds, lakes, rivers and oceans rely on each other for food." Recently, a 4th grade class at Brown took a field trip to Sloan's Lake to study pond ecosystems, and set-up a guppy aquarium in the classroom.

Recent examples of Units of Inquiry titles and study areas at Brown have included:

The Living and the Non-Living: plant and animal habitats, lifecycles
We Built This City: urban communities, city resources, cultural and economic impacts
We Are What We Eat: Food chains, food's impact on health, interconnections
It's the End of the World As We Know It: human population impact, conservation
Celebrations Around the World: what a celebration is, how different cultures celebrate
Move It!: transportation modes, movement of people and things
Pure Energy: energy uses, where it comes from, forms of energy, environmental impacts
Where In the World Are We?: maps and globes, map reading skills, how maps are used
Earth Rocks: the makeup of Earth; rocks, soil and minerals
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head: water forms, weather variations around the world
From Field to Fork: exploration of farm life, discovering where food comes from
You Say You Want a Revolution: actions toward social or political change
Everybody Dance Now: using dance and body movement to express oneself
Into the Great Wide Open: exploration, impact of exploration on native populations
... and many, many others!

      

Field trips have taken children to many wonderful places along the Front Range, including Anderson Farms, Plains Conservation Center, Barr Lake National Park, Dinosaur Ridge, the Denver Zoo, and others.

That Kid's Got Attitude!

The IB Attitudes and IB Learner Profile are demonstrated daily throughout Brown. We see evidence of students understanding these terms and taking responsibility for actions and words on a daily basis. The IB Attitudes, which can and should be reinforced at home, are Acceptance, Appreciation, Commitment, Confidence, Cooperation, Creativity, Curiosity, Empathy, Enthusiasm, Independence, Integrity and Respect.

The IB Learner Profile describes ways for students to demonstrate appropriate IB behavior: Inquirer, Thinker, Communicator, Risk Taker, Knowledgeable, Caring, Well Balanced, Open Minded, Reflective and Principled.