03 May PYP Exhibition 2018 & Action Day of SNIS
PYP exhibition is the culminating activity of the students who are in the final year of the IB Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). It involves students exploring and reflecting on an important issue of their choice which is affecting the people locally and globally.
Action Day on the other hand is organized for all other students of PYP to showcase their learning in different units or talk about an issue which they have researched within a unit of inquiry.
Sharanya Narayani International School, one of the Top International Day and Boarding Schools in Bangalore celebrated its first IB PYP Exhibition and Action Day on 28th April 2018. It was a resounding success, providing a real-world opportunity for our students to exhibit their action. The audience saw how students of the PYP community prepared themselves to Reflect, Choose and Act to become caring members of the society.
This day brought together a significant amount of the students’ new and existing understanding of the real world and its issues which have global significance. It was indeed a great opportunity for students to showcase their learning at SNIS. This learning was an inquiry that started from personal interest and passion but extended into real-world local and global issues.
Students of upper primary engaged in a collaborative, trans-disciplinary inquiry process that involved them in identifying and investigating real life issues or problems. They investigated issues like Deforestation, Discrimination, Pollution, Population, Water and Endangered Species and the ways these impact human community and the Earth.
The whole process incorporated application of key questions posed by the students and required all students to use expertise from all the five sets of trans-disciplinary skills. In an IB School, the PYP exhibition offers opportunities for all students to display positive attitudes and engage in a constructive action requiring students to synthesise their prior learning and apply it to an unfamiliar situation, thus providing an appropriate assessment strategy for real understanding.
Flow of Events at PYP Exhibition SNIS
The event started with presentations for the school community in which the students manifested the skills, attitudes, and attributes that they have imbibed throughout their learning. During the program, each grade level gave the synopsis of the issues they had chosen to inquire through various performances and exhibits.
Students of Grade 4 & 5 took the initiative of communicating the flow of events to the parents and ensured the flow of presentations.
Grade 5 students explored two issues: Gender discrimination and Water. The team performed a dance number showing the importance of women in society and asked the audience to take a pledge towards the safety of women in India. Later, they presented a movie that they had made which showcased the respect that should be given to all females. They also presented their findings about water usage and wastage within SNIS and provided a list of action items/suggestions to the management for reducing water usage with the SNIS campus. SNIS management has taken their suggestions seriously and has already approved implementation of many suggested initiatives.
Grade 4 began their exciting and challenging journey by talking about issues like Pollution, Population, Endangered species and Deforestation. Inquiring on such issues made them realize their rights & responsibilities, developed ethical understanding and empowered them to become active citizens in the future. The students performed a dance which signified the importance of preserving our planet Earth through sustainable practices. The whole performance depicted the “Caring” attribute of the IB Learner Profile.
Children of Grade 3 had a unit on diseases. They performed a street play showing their awareness about mental health issues and conveyed to the viewers the trials and tribulations faced by people with mental health issues. They also communicated to the audience about the responsibility the society has in supporting these people. The expression of students and the message in the act was so emotional that it touched the hearts of everyone present in the auditorium.
Students of Grade 2 had a unit on Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. They performed a play to show the importance of conserving trees and danced to a song based on the theme “Conserve the Environment.” It was a great visual and auditory treat for everyone.
Our Grade 1 left the viewers mesmerized by their musical play on ‘water’. The play depicted the importance of water in our lives. It gave a very clear message that water shouldn’t be wasted and should be used wisely. The blend of enchanting tunes and marvelous music captivated the audience.
Kindergarten students of SNIS also had a role on this day. They decided to display their action by performing on different themes. Our Nursery students danced to a song to show the importance of day and night in our lives and the need to wake up early. Kindergarten 1 students had been studying about community helpers, so they represented themselves dressed as different community helpers and demonstrated the respect to be given to these people. Tiny tots of Kindergarten 2 performed a musical play to show the significance of plants in our lives. The message was clear – “We should save our plants”. These little stars have been very busy working on their exhibition pieces, dances and songs. They completely enjoyed preparing for this “Big Day” and did a fantastic job! It was great to watch them enact on stage with their mind-blowing performances.
In line with the theme for the day, a mixed group of students (grades 1 to 5) from SNIS Boarding School also presented a dance performance with a message that resonated with the audience.
As part of their action, all students of SNIS IB PYP from Nursery to Grade 5 were working on sustainable practices to save our planet Earth and created many items from their Reduce, Reuse, Recycle campaign, which were sold to the parent/student community on this day. The proceeds from this were donated to the charity, Karunashraya located in Bangalore.
Gallery Walk:
“Exhibitions are the best way to measure learning because they put the kids right in the midst of their learning”
~ Dennis Littky.
The detailed study of the chosen issues by PYP Exhibition students was obvious at their stalls as they expressed and explained their inquiry on various issues to all parents and guests. Various exhibits like models, charts, experiments and posters were on display which helped students introduce the topics to the visitors and talk to them about their knowledge and understanding.
In an IB School, students take ownership and responsibility for their own learning and the IB PYP Exhibition and Action Day gives them an excellent platform to showcase that. It’s about learners having opportunities to find and solve problems and explore real issues that matter. Teachers are facilitators who support and guide the students in their learning journey.
After witnessing the program, the comments made by the parents indicated that they appreciated the work of the students as well as their efforts. We are pleased, as ever, to have been joined by many parents who continue to support the school and recognize the endeavors of the students to assume leadership roles, become critical thinkers and concerned citizens.
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