PYP PROGRAMME of INQUIRY
Year
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.
Where we are in place
and time
An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories;
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.
Central Idea: Family relationships can contribute to shaping our
identity.
Nursery
Big Idea: Family Relationships.
Lines of inquiry
•Diversity in families
•Responsibilities within the family
•Family influence
Concepts: Function, Reflection
Skills: Social Communication
Central Idea
Spaces and facilities in and around buildings determine how people
use them.
Lines of inquiry
•Characteristics and arrangements of
•Different spaces around us
•Our responsibility in sharing spaces with others
Profiles: Open-Minded, Principled, Caring
Attitudes: Appreciation, Co-Operation, Empathy
Reception
Central Idea
Peoples relationships with each other can have an impact on ones
well-being.
Big Idea: Peoples Relationships
Lines of inquiry
•Developing relationships
•Effects of relationships on us
•Roles and behaviors within relationships
Concepts: Connection, Responsibility
Skills: Social, Communication
Central Idea
Interpretation of artifacts contributes to our understanding of
peoples histories.
Big Idea: Artifacts
Lines of inquiry
• Understanding of artifacts
• The contribution of artifacts in understanding our past.
• Importance of artifacts
Year 1
Lines of inquiry
•Physical, social and emotional characteristics
•Similarities and differences between ourselves and others
•Personal abilities and interests
Concepts: Reflection, Change, Function
Skills: Self-Management, Social
Profiles: Principled, Balanced
Attitudes: Independence, Respect, Commitment
Central Idea
Having a balanced lifestyle can affect our health and well-being.
Year 2
Big Idea: Balanced Lifestyle
Lines of inquiry
•Balanced lifestyle
•Our health and the choices we make
•Different sources of information that help us make choices
Concepts: Form, Causation, Function
Skills: Self-Management, Research
Profiles: Knowledgeable, Balanced
Year 6
Year 5
Year 4
Year 3
Attitudes: Independence, Confidence, Integrity
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.
An 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
environment.
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.
Central Idea
Through play we express our feelings and ideas and can come to new
understandings.
Central Idea
The activity of living things can be influenced by the earth’s natural
cycles
Central Idea:
People play different roles in the communities to help one another.
Big Idea: Play
Big Idea: Earth’s Natural Cycle
Lines of inquiry
•Communicating through play
•Imaginative use of materials
•The role of toys in play
Lines of inquiry
•Natural cycles
•The actions people take in response to Earths natural cycle
•Patterns of behavior in living things related to Earths natural cycles
Concepts: Connection, Change, Perspective
Concepts: Change, Perspective, Function
Skills: Self-Management, Communication
Skills: Research, Thinking
Profiles: Balanced, Courageous, Communicator
Profiles: Open-Minded, Inquirer, Communicator
Attitudes: Enthusiasm, Creativity, Confidence, Independence
Attitudes: Curiosity, Appreciation, Commitment
Big Idea: Stories
Lines of inquiry
•Feelings and emotions that stories evoke
•Impact of stories on us
•Creating and sharing stories
Concepts: Perspective, Reflection
Skills: Communication, Thinking
Profiles: Communicator, Thinker, Principled
Central Idea
Materials behave and interact in certain ways, which determine how
people use them.
Big Idea: Materials
Lines of inquiry
•Behaviour of materials
•Changing properties of materials
•Manipulation and application of materials to new purposes
Central Idea
Homes reflect cultural influences and local conditions.
Central Idea
All living things go through a process of change.
Big Idea: Homes
Big Idea: Celebrations
Big Idea: Living Things
Lines of inquiry
•Making of a home
•Relationship between homes, family values and local culture
•Factors that determine where people live
Lines of inquiry
•Different celebrations around the world
•Importance of celebrations
•Features and symbolic representations of celebrations and
traditions
Lines of inquiry
•Patterns of growth
•Changes living things go through in their lifetime
•Factors that can influence life cycles
Concepts: Function, Perspective
Skills: Research, Thinking
Skills: Research, Communication
Profiles: Communication, Caring, Reflective
Attitudes: Appreciation, Respect, Empathy
Skills: Communication, Social
Profiles: Open-Minded, Thinker
Attitudes: Tolerance, Creativity, Enthusiasm
Central Idea
Learning about previous generations help us understand the
relationship between the past and the present.
Central Idea
Images communicate ideas and information.
Big Idea: Past and Present
Lines of inquiry
•Ways to find out about the past
•The relationship between past and present
•Changes in behaviors and patterns over time
Lines of inquiry
•Iconography
•The use of static and moving images in different media
•Elements of design in creating images for communication
•Interpretation and response to images
Concepts: Change, Connection
Concepts: Function, Perspective
Skills: Research, Thinking
Skills: Social, Communication
Profiles: Reflective, Thinker, Knowledgeable
Profiles: Communicator, Reflective, Open-Minded
Attitudes: Appreciation, Curiosity, Creativity
Attitudes: Creativity, Appreciation, Enthusiasm
Big Idea: Images
Lines of inquiry
•Various communities we belong to
•Roles of people who are part of our communities
•Our responsibilities towards the community helpers
Concepts: Responsibility, connection, reflection
Skills: Thinking, Social
Concepts: Change, Causation, Form
Profiles: Knowledgeable, Inquirer, Caring
Attitudes: Confidence, Curiosity
Central Idea
People apply their understanding of forces and energy to invent and
create.
Big Idea: Forces and Energy
Lines of inquiry
•Understanding forces and energy
•Different forms of forces and energy around us
•Circumstances that led to the creation of important inventions and
its impact on our lives
Concepts: Change, Function, Reflection
Skills: Research, Thinking
Profiles: Inquirer, Knowledgeable, Risk-Taker
Attitudes: Creativity, Curiosity, Commitment
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.
Central Idea
Animals and people interact in different ways in different contexts.
Big Idea
Animals and People.
Lines of inquiry
•The different roles animals play in peoples lives
•Sustainability of particular animals for specific functions
•Caring for animals
Profiles: Reflective, Knowledgeable, Caring
Attitudes: Integrity, Tolerance, Respect
Central Idea
Many products go through a process of change before they are
consumed or used.
Big Idea: Products
Lines of inquiry
•Origins of products
•Changes products go through
•Distribution of products and their use
Concepts: Change, Form
Skills: Research, Self-Management
Attitudes: Curiosity, Integrity, Commitment
Central Idea
Celebrations and traditions are some expressions of shared beliefs
and values.
Concepts: Reflection, Responsibility, Perspective
Big Idea: Communities
Profiles: Courageous, Inquirer
Attitudes: Appreciation, Independence, Creativity
Attitudes: Respect, Co-Operation, Empathy
Big Idea: Me, myself and I
How the world works
Central Idea
Stories can engage their audience and communicate meaning.
Profiles: Reflective, Open-Minded, Balanced
Central Idea
Awareness of our characteristics, abilities and interests influences our
learning and development.
How we express ourselves
How we organize
ourselves
Central Idea
Communities make efforts to create transportation systems that
meet their needs.
Big Idea: Transportation
Lines of inquiry
•Features of transportation systems
•Decisions involved in using transportation
•Systems of transportation and our changing needs
Concepts: Causation, Change, Perspective
Skills: Thinking, Research
Profiles: Knowledgeable, Thinker, Principled
Attitudes: Creativity, Co-Operation
Central Idea
Plants sustain life on Earth and can play a role in our lives.
Big Idea: Plants
Lines of inquiry
•Caring for plants
•Products we derive from plants
•Contribution of plants on earth
Concepts: Causation, Function
Skills: Thinking, Research
Profiles: Knowledgeable, Caring
Attitudes: Independence, Tolerance, Appreciation
Central Idea
Water is important and can affect our lives in many ways.
Big Idea: Water
Lines of inquiry
•The water cycle
•Sources and forms of water
•Uses and conservation of water
Concepts: Responsibility, Form, Connection
Skills: Self-Management, Communication
Profiles: Risk-Taker, Courageous, Caring
Attitudes: Respect, Integrity, Creativity
Central Idea
Physical and virtual public spaces provide people with opportunities
to make connections and establish a sense of community.
Central Idea
People can make choices to support the sustainability of Earth’s
resources.
Big Idea: Physical and Virtual Public Spaces
Big Idea: Earth’s Resources
Lines of inquiry
•Purpose of public spaces
•Characteristics of different public spaces
•Use of public spaces
Lines of inquiry
•Earth’s finite and infinite resources
•The impact of peoples choices on the environment
•The balance between meeting human
Concepts: Responsibility, Form
Concepts: Responsibility, Form, Reflection
Skills: Management, Social
Skills: Research, Self-Management
Profiles: Balanced, Principled
Profiles: Inquirer, Caring, Balanced
Attitudes: Co-Operation, Integrity, Tolerance
Attitudes: Respect, Empathy, Commitment
Central Idea
Humans make choices that have an impact on other living things
while interacting with natural habitats..
Central Idea
Our senses can help us to explore and discover ourselves and the
world.
Central Idea
The Earth’s physical geography has an impact on human interactions
and settlements.
Central Idea
Through the arts people use different forms of expression to convey
their uniqueness as human beings.
Central Idea
Our earth is a small part of our interconnected solar system within
the universe.
Central Idea
People create organizations which helps to solve problems and
support human endeavor and enterprise.
Big Idea: Senses
Big Idea: Earth’s physical Geography
Big Idea: Arts
Big Idea: Solar System
Big Idea: Organizations
Lines of inquiry
•The five senses
•The use and functions of the senses
•Interconnectedness between the senses and the world
Lines of inquiry
•Variability of physical geography around the world
•The relationship between location and settlement
•Impact of human interaction on the physical environment
Lines of inquiry
•The diverse ways in which people express themselves
•Expression of peoples uniqueness through the arts
•The role of art in culture and society
Lines of inquiry
•Our solar system
•Characteristics of the planets and other space bodies
•Interconnection between earth and the solar system
Lines of inquiry
•Purpose of organizations
•Reasons for joining organizations
•Success and growth of organizations
Concepts: Connection, Reflection
Concepts: Form, Causation
Concepts: Form, Perspective, Reflection
Concepts: Function, Connection
Concepts: Causation, Reflection, Responsibility
Skills: Thinking, Research
Skills: Research, Communication
Skills: Communication, Self-Management
Skills: Research, Thinking
Skills: Social, Communication
Profiles: Inquirer, Reflective
Profiles: Knowledgeable, Courageous, Inquirer
Profiles: Open-Minded, Communicator
Profiles: Inquirer, Thinker, Balanced
Profiles: Knowledgeable, Thinker
Attitudes: Curiosity, Appreciation, Confidence
Attitudes: Enthusiasm, Curiosity, Confidence
Attitudes: Creativity, Confidence, Appreciation
Attitudes: Co-Operation, Commitment
Attitudes: Co-Operation, Integrity, Tolerance
Central Idea
The effective interactions between human body systems contribute
to total well-being.
Central Idea
Significant events provides an insight into the history and values of
that community.
Central Idea
People can create or manipulate messages to target specific
audiences.
Central Idea
Natural disasters are formed due to changes in the Earth and its
atmosphere.
Central Idea
Money is of vital importance to the economic growth of a country
and can impact our world.
Big Idea: Body Systems
Big Idea: Significant Events
Big Idea: Advertisements
Big Idea: Natural Disasters
Big Idea: Money
Lines of inquiry
•Body systems and how they work
•Interdependence between the body systems
•Impact of lifestyle choices on the body
Lines of inquiry
•Local and global events
•Impact of significant events on a community
•Views and opinions regarding significant events
Lines of inquiry
•Influence of images, text and music to target audiences
•Critical evaluation of messages presented in the media
•People’s response to messages
Lines of inquiry
•Different components of the earth and its interrelationship
•Earth and natural disasters
•Human response to the Earths changes
Lines of inquiry
•Currencies around the world
•Money and technology in today’s world
•Impacts of money in our life
Concepts: Function, Connection
Concepts: Perspective, Function, Reflection
Concepts: Function, Causation, Responsibility
Concepts: Causation, Connection
Concepts: Function, Form, Change
Skills: Research, Self-Management
Skills: Social, Communication
Skills: Communication, Self-Management
Skills: Thinking, Research
Skills: Self-Management, Thinking
Profiles: Inquirer, Knowledgeable
Profiles: Open-Minded, Principled, Reflective
Profiles: Communicator, Open-Minded
Profiles: Inquirer, Reflective
Profiles: Thinker, Balanced
Attitudes: Curiosity, Independence, Creativity
Attitudes: Respect, Co-Operation, Tolerance
Attitudes: Creativity, Confidence, Integrity
Attitudes: Empathy, Respect, Integrity
Attitudes: Commitment, Enthusiasm, Empathy
Central Idea
Religious beliefs and values offer explanations to the world around us
and what it means to be human.
Central Idea
Exploration leads to discoveries, opportunities and new
understandings.
Central Idea
Films are a powerful medium that reflect the changing society in
todays world.
Central Idea
Energy may be converted, transformed and used to support.
Central Idea
Technology has the tendency to change the way people access
information and connect to each other.
Central Idea
Children worldwide encounter a range of challenges, risks and
opportunities.
Big Idea: Religion
Big Idea: Explorations
Big Idea: Films
Big Idea: Technology
Lines of inquiry
•World Religions
•Similarities and differences between belief systems
•Religious harmony in the society
Lines of inquiry
•Famous explorers
•Reasons for exploration
•Impact of exploration in todays world
Lines of inquiry
•Forms of film
•Procedure of film production
•Impact of films
Lines of inquiry
•The uses of digital media
•Evaluating information
•Our responsibility in virtual environments
Lines of inquiry
•Local and global challenges, risks and opportunities that children
face
•Rights and responsibilities of children
•Organizations that help and protect children
Concepts: Perspective, Reflection
Concepts: Causation, Change
Concepts: Function, Change, Responsibility
Concepts: Responsibility, Function
Concepts: Causation, Connection
Skills: Social, Thinking
Skills: Research, Thinking
Skills: Social, Research
Skills: Thinking, Communication
Skills: Social, Communication
Profiles: Open-Minded, Reflective
Profiles: Knowledgeable, Balanced, Inquirer
Profiles: Reflective, Open-Minded
Profiles: Balanced, Communicator
Profiles: Caring, Risk-Taker, Communicator
Attitudes: Respect, Commitment, Tolerance
Attitudes: Curiosity, Enthusiasm, Commitment
Attitudes: Curiosity, Commitment, Integrity
Attitudes: Creativity, Confidence, Appreciation
Attitudes: Confidence, Empathy, Co-Operation
Central Idea
Evidence of past civilizations can be used to make connections to
present-day societies.
Central Idea
Thoughts emotions and feelings can be expressed creatively through
poetry.
Central Idea
Economic activity relies on systems of production, exchange and
consumption goods and services.
Central Idea
Conflict resolution leads to a peaceful world.
Big Idea: Civilizations
Big Idea: Poetry
Lines of inquiry
•World civilizations and its characteristics
•Connections between past and present
•Impacts of past civilizations on todays world
Lines of inquiry
•Figures of speech
•Forms of poetry
•Interconnection between balance poetry ad other art
Concepts: Connection, Change
Concepts: Form, Connection
Skills: Self-Management, Communication
Skills: Communication, Research
Profiles: Inquirer, Knowledgeable
Profiles: Communicator, Caring, Inquirer
Attitudes: Curiosity, Integrity,
Attitudes: Respect, Co-Operation, Empathy
EXHIBITION
Big Idea: Energy
Lines of inquiry
•Different forms of energy sources
•Sustainable energy practices
•Conservation and usage of energy
Concepts: Change, Form, Responsibility
Skills: Thinking, Self-Management
Profiles: Inquirer, Thinker, Principled
Attitudes: Appreciation, Independence, Enthusiasm
Central Idea
Materials can undergo changes that impact society in diverse ways.
Big Idea: Materials
Lines of inquiry
•Reversible and irreversible changes
•Properties of materials
•Safety in handling scientific apparatus
Concepts: Responsibility, Form, Change
Skills: Self- Management, Thinking, Research
Profiles: Inquirer, Knowledgeable, Risk-Taker
Attitudes: Curiosity, Tolerance, Enthusiasm
Big Idea: Trade
Lines of inquiry
•The role of supply and demand
•The distribution of goods and services
•Our responsibility as consumers
Concepts: Function, Responsibility
Skills: Social, Research
Profiles: Principled, Balanced, Open-Minded
Attitudes: Commitment, Co-Operation, Independence
Big Idea: Natural Habitats
Lines of inquiry
•Balance between rights and responsibilities when interacting with
natural habitats
•Human impact on natural habitats
•Human response to changing environmental conditions
Concepts: Change, Responsibility
Skills: Research, Thinking
Profiles: Caring, Thinker, Principled
Attitudes: Empathy, Respect, Independence
Central Idea
All organisms are interdependent and form various ecosystem.
Big Idea: Ecosystems
Lines of inquiry
•Different ecosystems
•Effects of significant events on our ecosystem
•Our responsibility towards ecosystems
Concepts: Responsibility, Connection
Skills: Research, Thinking
Profiles: Caring, Risk-Taker
Attitudes: Curiosity, Co-Operation, Appreciation
Big Idea: Peace and Conflict resolution
Lines of inquiry
•Causes of conflict
•Conflict resolution
•Organizations that work for world peace
Concepts: Causation, Perspective, Reflection
Skills: Social, Thinking
Profiles: Open-Minded, Caring, Reflective
Attitudes: Empathy, Respect, Tolerance