The Primary School encompasses students from age 5 – 11. The curriculum is framed by the philosophies and goals of the International Baccalaureate’s Primary Years Program (PYP). The PYP is an inquiry-based, concept-driven curriculum framework for children aged 3-11 years (grades EC – 5) and it combines current research practice from a range of national systems with the wealth of knowledge and experience from international schools. This program, which is broken into six major units of study per year, was developed to meet the needs of internationally mobile students.
The PYP focuses on individual growth and personal fulfillment as well as educational achievement. It is organized by the use of broad, trans-disciplinary themes as the context from within which students explore relevant and significant concepts, develop and learn necessary skills, foster appropriate attitudes, take responsible action and acquire a wide body of knowledge.
Students at HIS are encouraged to ask questions and seek answers. The program’s curriculum framework is an expression and extension of three inter-related questions:
- What do we want to learn?
- How best will we learn?
- How will we know what we have learned?
The Primary Years Program enables students:
- to explore relevant and significant concepts, learn necessary skills, foster appropriate action and acquire a wide body of knowledge,
- to use their own experiences as a basis for learning,
- to engage in a variety of learning experiences,
- to use a range of resources and technologies to find, document and analyze information,
- to use critical-thinking skills,
- to communicate what they have learned through a range of media,
- to dialogue and work cooperatively with others,
- to develop an ability to think and make choices independently,
- to connect learning to real-life situations, and
- to foster an awareness of and respect for the culture and traditions of Japan and the global community
The Primary Years Program includes:
- a process-led, inquiry based curriculum,
- a child-centered program that is holistic and integrated,
- Science as a means of exploring how the world works,
- Social Studies as a way of examining and understanding how human beings live and interact with each other and the earth,
- personal, social and physical education to consider the well-being of ourselves and others and opportunities for students to learn outside of the classroom (field trips) and from others outside the school (guest speakers).
- The Primary Years Program culminates in an exhibition. The following video introduces this: