The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
The Learner Profiles
Inquirers: They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
Knowledgeable: They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Thinkers: They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators: They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
Principled: They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
Open-minded: They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
Caring: They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
Risk-takers: They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Balanced: They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Reflective: They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
First Grade IB units for the 2011-1012 School Year
Helping Others
Central Idea:
Helping those in need helps in understanding our rights and responsibilities
as members of a community.
Key concepts: function, connection, responsibility, reflection
Related concepts: citizenship, relationships, interdependence
Lines of inquiry
•Volunteerism
•How positive actions contribute to a caring community
•How one’s actions affect others
My Country/My World
Central Idea:
Understanding cultures helps us to better understand the world.
Key concepts: form, connection, perspective
Related concepts: diversity, measurement, acceptance
Lines of inquiry
•Similarities/differences among countries
•How countries influence each other
•Elements of a culture
Heroes
Central Idea:
Individuals, past and present, influence culture.
Key concepts: change, connection, perspective
Related concepts: pattern and function, magnetism, acceptance
Lines of inquiry
•Character traits of American heroes
•Lifestyles of past and present
•Why individual contributions can withstand the test of time.
Weather All Around
Central Idea:
Weather affects people’s lives.
Key concepts: form, change, causation
Related concepts: data handling, atmosphere, time
Lines of inquiry
•What is weather
•Instruments that measure weather
•Seasonal differences in weather
Working Together
Central Idea:
People in a community cooperate in order to address the needs of daily life.
Key concepts: function, connection, responsibility
Related concepts: communication, cooperation, number sense
Lines of inquiry
•The meaning of division of labor
•The purpose of dividing labor
•Respectful membership in a community
•Comparison of division of labor a home and at school
Animal Survival
Central Idea:
Animal groups have characteristics that lead to their survival.
Key concepts: form, function, causation, connection
Related concepts: conservation, habitat, shape and space
Lines of inquiry
•Physical characteristics of animals
•Animal classifications
•How animals adapt to their environment
Visit I.B.'s website at www.ibo.org
