From 15 February, P5 learners and teachers kicked off their Exhibition – a 9-week journey into their own inquiry of a personal passion, interest and significance as they consider how to make a positive change in our world.
A key aspect and requirement of all PYP schools, the Exhibition empowers our learning in all aspects of our mission by exploring a passion of significance that promotes learning, encourages responsibility for their learning and our world and celebrates the diversity of ideas and perspectives. The Exhibition fully embodies all aspects of the MIS Definition of Learning. The process is not only learner-centric as it is driven by interests, but also applicable as the P5 learners demonstrate their understanding by applying the skills they have learned throughout the PYP.
In the weeks leading up to the start of Exhibition, learners attended a presentation with their parents to understand more about the Exhibition, viewed the virtual Exhibition presentations from the MIS 2019-20 P5 learners and started thinking about significant passions they might like to inquire into. Learners listened to the story, “What do you do with an idea?” by Kobi Yamada, a book of inspiration and thoughts about the start of action – an idea that grows as you nurture it with your passion, care and creativity.
As the culminating and collaborative experience in the final year of the PYP, the Exhibition always brings about mixed feelings of excitement, anticipation, nervousness and empowerment! In the first week, P5 learners shared some of their feelings through discussions and Jamboards.


In the first week, learners also explored their digital Exhibition journal – an interactive Google Doc that each learner refers to as a guide through the process and where they will actively record paraphrased and cited research, take minutes with mentors and parents, consider action and sharing of their Exhibition and reflect on their process. P5 also have a website full of reference points of PYP essentials, collaborative reflections and an access point for their journals.

P5 Exhibition Website Banner
Over the first two weeks, learners also explored big ideas they are passionate about that they want to inquiry into. Learners have been exploring United Nations Sustainable Development Goals since the start of the year, which has led to students to make deeper connections to their passions and interests and to ensure they have global significance.
To provoke thinking and perhaps provide inspiration for some, learners also took a “Climate change solutions quiz” to see how much we really know about how our actions can curb climate change. The results were surprising! Perhaps you would like to take the quiz?
Learners also collaborated on a group and individual essential agreements to identify co-constructed responsibilities throughout the process that all learners agree to. One example of an individual student essential agreement is below:

Week 2 culminated in students clarifying their final idea and drafting central ideas and lines of inquiry in which they consider if their passion is: worth knowing; inspires action; makes sense in different contexts; and is true throughout time and in other cultures and situations. Stay tuned for our next update in the coming weeks.
Carla Swinehart
PYP coordinator