5th Grade Begins Work on Their PYP Exhibition

At the end of the Primary Years Program, 5th grade students work in groups on a project that outlines all they have learned on their journey through the PYP. This project, called The Exhibition, acts as an evaluation for both Spicewood, and our 5th grade students. We use it as a tool to reflect on how we, as a campus, are doing at implementing the PYP, and as a way to gauge how individuals have grown over time.
Working with a Spiceood faculty mentor students must write a central idea, inquiries into and questions that will outline what they hope to learn.
This is a powerful process for students as they have to use all the essential elements of the PYP: concepts, attitudes, knowledge, transdisciplinary skills and action.
Some of this year's topics include world hunger, poaching, immigration, the national debt and addiction.
Join us on May 2nd as our students share their work with the community!

Perspective is a Powerful Tool in Learning about the World Around Us

Throughout the exploration of our units of inquiry, we ask students to consider what they are learning from multiple perspectives. This is a powerful tool for learning about other people and cultures.  Our 5th grade is currently working on their Exhibition, which is the culmination of their PYP experience. They are exploring issues such as obesity, child abuse, pollution, immigration, world hunger and the national debt. Throughout the study of these intense topics students encounter passionate opinions and deep feelings. An important and valuable part of this culminating project is to explore all sides of these issues, and make a plan to take action for what they believe.

This something that we must do as teachers as well, constantly reflect and expand our own understandings. This is a video that explores the limitations of a single perspective.
Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or  we risk a critical misunderstanding.

Community Members Enhance our Understanding of the World

Today our 1st grade was fortunate to have a guest speaker from our community, Ellen Tuthill, speak to them about a unit of inquiry they are exploring under Sharing the Planet. The central idea is: water is a limited and essential resource shared among all living things.
In this unit 1st grade investigates why water is essential before discussing access to fresh water, and who owns water. This is a powerful unit for students who believe that water flows from the tap everywhere in the world. They begin to comprehend the differences between fresh and salt water and how limited sources of fresh water are.
In her presentation today, Mrs. Tuthill shares photos and video clips from her trip to Jido, Ethiopia. Jiddo is a community that suffers from lack of water, as well as lack of potable water. Although the town has a well, it is contaminated with unhealthy levels of flouride. The next closest source of water is 16 KM away. Mrs. Tuthill shared the difficulties that families deal with while trying to obtain water to drink, feed their animals, water their crops...even wash their hands to ward off disease.

Throughout the Program of Inquiry here at Spicewood we incorporate many perspectives on the topics and issues we explore. Seeing the photos of kids from Jido, and hearing Mrs. Tuthill's first hand experiences broadens the world for our students.

Earlier in the year 1st grade students explored how nonprofit organizations help meets the needs of others. This built off that knowledge as students saw how organizations are working to bring fresh, clean water to the people of Jido.