Elementary ProgramThis is a great place to be!
As an international community, we believe we learn best with, and through one another. This includes teachers, students, parents and the wider community. Learning is viewed as both an individual and collective process, done best through hands-on, meaningful, and relevant inquiries into the world. Our carefully designed curriculum is holistic, with equal value given to the sciences, math, literacy, social studies, the arts, and 21st century technology skills. Through integration and differentiation, we meet the needs of a diverse classroom, providing opportunities for self-expression, reflection, and creative thought. Instruction is done primarily in English with a strong value placed on each student’s mother tongue and its development. Along with academic skills, we believe strongly in helping students to embody the characteristics of the IB Learner Profile, which embodies our TIS 5 STARs: Risk Taker, Communicator, Open Minded, Responsible, and Knowledgeable.
Elementary School Program of Learning
The IB PYP framework is used to guide students’ studies. Elementary school subjects include Language Arts, Mathematics, Units of Inquiry (Social/Cultural Studies and Science), Physical Education, Art, Music, and Japanese Language. Computer technology skills are integrated into course work throughout the grades. English as Additional Language (EAL) students are accommodated into the regular classes, with additional in-class and small-group English support as required.
Units of Inquiry
The PYP curricular framework is built across six transdisciplinary themes. These themes have been specifically chosen by the IB as they are relevant to the real world, and provide a platform to span various subject areas.
The Transdisciplinary Themes
Each classroom examines six Units of Inquiry per year. As classes are multi-aged, the TIS Program of Inquiry alternates 2 years of set programming in order to provide a well rounded, comprehensive curriculum. The full Program of Inquiry can be found below.
Who We Are
An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including family friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human. In Kindergarten, for example, students learn about familiar faces, inquiring into friendly behaviour, being a positive member of a group and physical features.
Where We Are in Time and Place
An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of human kind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilization, form local and global perspectives. In Grade 3-4, for example, students explore what makes our city Sendai unique.
How We Express Ourselves
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. In Grade 5-6 for example students inquire into the image they project and how this may shape how others perceive them.
How The World Works
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. In Grade 1-2, for example, students learn about simple machines and how forces cause things to move and change.
How We Organize Ourselves
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. In Grade 3-4, for example, students study civilizations and the impact of traditional human systems on our world today.
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 relationship within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution. In Grade 5-6, for example, students inquire about our planet Earth, and how our decisions affect the environment and our precious natural resources.
Full Program of Inquiry