\\Uk01\vol2\Publicationsgroup\Pub\Non-curriculumpublications\Authorizationdocuments2002\PYP\02(e)GuidelinesforVisitingTeamsNOTNOWFINAL!.doc1INTERNATIONALBACCALAUREATEORGANIZATIONMIDDLEYEARSPROGRAMMESCIENCESMiddleYearsProgrammeSciencesFirstpublishedasMiddleYearsProgrammeSciences,BookOne,June1998RepublishedinthesecoversOctober2000©InternationalBaccalaureate1998,2000InternationalBaccalaureateOrganisationRoutedesMorillons151218Grand-SaconnexGeneva,SWITZERLANDContentsTheMiddleYearsProgrammeIntroductiontotheMYP2CurriculumModel4AimsandObjectivesoftheMYP5SciencesintheMYPIntroductiontoMYPSciences8ProgrammeRequirements11AddressingtheAreasofInteraction13AimsandObjectives16FrameworkforSciences19DeliveringtheProgrammeIntroduction28SampleProgrammesofStudy30AssessmentIntroductiontoAssessment66SciencesAssessmentCriteria74GeneralGradeDescriptors81GlossaryofMYPTerms84TheMiddleYearsProgrammeIntroductiontotheMYPTheMiddleYearsProgramme(MYP)oftheInternationalBaccalaureateOrganisation(IBO)isacourseofstudydesignedtomeettheeducationalrequirementsofstudentsagedbetween11and16years.Theflexibilityofthecurriculumallowsthedemandsofnational,regionalorlocallegislationtobemetwhilestillofferingthepossibilityofbeingtaughtasanentityinitself.TheeightsubjectgroupsoftheMYPprovideabroad,traditionalfoundationofknowledge,whilethepedagogicaldevicesusedtoimpartsuchknowledgeshouldincreasethestudents’awarenessoftherelationshipsbetweensubjects.Studentsareencouragedtoquestionandevaluateinformationcritically,toseekoutandexplorethelinksbetweensubjects,andtodevelopanawarenessoftheirplaceintheworld.FundamentalConceptsYoungadolescentsareconfrontedwithavastandoftenbewilderingarrayofchoices;theMYPisdesignedtoprovidethemwiththevaluesandopportunitiesthatwillenablethemtodevelopsoundjudgementandtochoosewisely.Learninghowtolearnandhowtoevaluateinformationcriticallyisasimportantasthecontentofthedisciplinesthemselves.Whileinsistingonthethoroughstudyofthevariousacademicsubjects,theMYPaccentuatestheirinterrelatednessandadvancesaholisticviewofknowledge.AsapartoftheInternationalBaccalaureateOrganisation’scurriculum,theprogrammefostersinterculturalawareness,promotingbetterunderstandingofandrespectforotherculturesaswellasconcernforinternationalissues.TheMYPalsostressestheimportanceofcommunication,throughgoodcommandofone’sownlanguage,foreignlanguageacquisition,andtheappreciationofdifferentmodesofthinkingandexpression.AreasofInteractionAdditionally,studentsarerequiredtoexploreandexperiencethefiveareasofinteraction.Theseare:yapproachestolearning(ATL)ycommunityserviceyhealthandsocialeducationyenvironmentyhomofaber.Theareasofinteractionshouldbetaughtthroughthemediumofthesubjects,therebyfulfillingtheirintegrativefunction;howeversomeaspectsmayalsobetaughtasseparatecoursesandprojectsthroughouttheMYPwherelocalcircumstancesdictate.Furthermore,theareasofinteractionshouldcertainlynotbetaughtasdiscreteextrasubjectswhichwouldincreasethestudent’soverallworkload.Studentparticipationintheareasofinteractionculminatesinthepersonalproject.2MYPSciences2000AimsandObjectivesTheMYPoffersacurricularframeworkwithinwhichschool-specificrequirementscanbemet,whilemaintainingthemissionandphilosophyoftheIBO.Toachievethisgoal,theIBOprescribestheaimsandobjectivesofallsubjectgroupsandthepersonalproject.Theobjectivesofeachsubjectgroupareskills-basedandbroadenoughtoallowforavarietyofteachingandlearningapproaches.ThechoiceandorganizationofprecisecontentislefttoschoolsinordertopreservetheflexibilitywhichtheMYPoffers.InsomesubjectsthecontentisnotspecifiedwhileinothersaframeworkofconceptsortopicsisprescribedforallMYPstudentstoaddressoverthefiveyears.Suchprescriptioniskepttoaminimumandschoolsareaskedtoexpandtheirscopeoftopicsanddepthoftreatmentaccordingtotheirindividualneedsandpreferences.Sampleprogrammesofstudyforallthesubjectgroupshavebeenwrittenbypractisingteachersassomesuggestedmeansofenablingstudentstoachievetheprescribedobjectives.Usersoftheguidesmaychoosetoadopttheexamplesoffered,amendthemtosuittheirownrequirements,orwriteanalternativeprogrammeofstudy.Whateveroptionischosen,teachersareremindedthattheobjectivesareprescribed.ProgrammeEvaluationandStudentAssessmentProgrammeevaluationatregularintervalsismandatoryforallschools;itsaimistoensurequalityofprogrammesinIBschools,atthesametimeassistingschoolsintheirownself-evaluationprocessesandcurriculumdevelopmentprocedures.Theinternalassessmentofindividualstudentsbytheteacherusescriteriabasedontheobjectivespublishedinthisguide.Validationofgradesachievedthroughinternalassessment,andMYPcertificationforindividualstudentsbytheIBO,whichisoptional,requiresexternalmoderation.AcknowledgmentsThisguidehasbeenwrittenbypractisingteachersfromauthorizedMYPschoolsinmanyregionsandtheMYPcurriculumteamatIBCA.Thanksareduetoallwhocontributedtoitscompletion.IntroductiontotheMYPMYPSciences20003CurriculumModelThisdiagramrepresentsthecurriculummodeloftheMiddleYearsProgrammeoftheInternationalBaccalaureateOrganisation.Inthismodel,thefiveareasofinteractionconnectthedevelopmentoftheindividual(at