IB Middle Years Programme

The TOIS IB Middle Years Programme supports students aged 11- 15 as they go through transformative change in their personal lives.

In the transition from adolescence to young adulthood, we guide our MYP students to expand the depth and breadth of their understandings.

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Learning Programme

The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)

The MYP curriculum framework comprises eight subject groups, providing a broad and balanced education for early adolescents.

The MYP requires at least 50 hours of teaching time for each subject group in each year of the programme. In years 4 and 5, students have the option to take courses from six of the eight subject groups within certain limits, to provide greater flexibility in meeting local requirements and individual student learning needs.

Each year, students in the MYP also engage in at least one collaboratively planned interdisciplinary unit that involves at least two subject groups.

MYP students also complete a long-term project, where they decide what they want to learn about, identify what they already know, discovering what they will need to know to complete the project, and create a proposal or criteria for completing it.

Language Acquisition

The Language Acquisition programme leads students to acquire applicable skills in additional languages such as Spanish and German. Unlike other subject areas, Language Aquisition is taught in “phases”, not acccording to grade level. The result is that students are more motived to learn along with others who have similar language levels.

	Spanish by Phase	German by Phase
Phase 1	About me, my friends and family School routine, subject and materials Physical and personality descriptions Hobbies Telling time Houses and rooms Healthy activities Seasons and the weather Countries Traditions, Celebrations and Special Days Typical foods around the world Pets Clothes	Numbers from 1 to 20 Beverages Hobbies Jobs School subjects Days of the week Ordinal numbers from 1 to 6 Activities at school School supplies Celebrations and special days Months Ordinal numbers from 1 to 31 Time Nature and surroundings Colours Food
Phase 2	The human body Moods Good and healthy habits Languages and Mother tongues Virtual friends Our town and community Our City The Internet and new technologies On-line language Apps Transportation Travelling Shopping Geography	Hobbies Seasons Leisure locations Describing our city Describing our clothes Plurals Animals and pets Food and drinks Apartments and furniture Asking for directions Weather Countries and nationalities Times of the day
Phase 3	Physical and character descriptions Social etiquette Appearances Habits and routines Creativity and Inventions Designers Hobbies and Games School activities Different personalities Educational values Bullying Family Changes in our lives House chores Advice and recommendations A healthy diet and physical activity Use of technology	Holidays Sports and health Greetings Getting to know new people Describing our home Describing clothes About my school My family Our city Food and drinks Hobbies
Phase 4	Life in the city and the countryside The Countryside Recycling Climate change The Future Myths and Legends Stories Religious Representation Your digital footprint Cyberbullying, trolls and haters Holidays Study trips abroad Preparing for trips and travel destinations Types of communication News, Fake News and advertising	Weather Times Everyday things Clothing Traffic Means of transport Jobs Years Computer and media Travelling Planning a trip At the hotel Times of the day Days of the week Daily routine
Phase 5	Review of themes from Phases 1 -4 Preparation for the DP”

Language & Literature

The Language & Literature programme at TOIS aims to engage students with a wide variety of literary works and multimedia texts, and provide the linguistic tools necessary to authentically engage with and respond to those texts, for a variety of purposes, audiences, and expectations.

By gaining exposure to big ideas, students make broad connections through focused anchor points, looking at global issues through local and personalized lenses.

The Language & Literature programme at TOIS identifies key competencies as:

Receiving meaning through active engagement with visible and audible texts (reading, watching, and listening)
Producing meaning through active creation of spoken, written, and visual texts (writing, speaking, and showing)
Thinking about meaning critically as well as creatively, and demonstrating critical thinking in a wide manner of creative responses
Using engagement and creation to relate to others and expand one’s worldview beyond the self
Active reflection on the learning experience over time to demonstrate progress, development, and achievement
Participating and contributing to personal, cultural, and social knowledge, inquiry, and understanding

MYP 1-5

Learners read, listen to, and watch a variety of literary and nonliterary works at a variety of levels that develop in complexity, scope, and depth over time.

Moving through the spectrum of Bloom’s Taxonomy and increasing their conceptual awareness, learners shift from recognizing overt, explicit meaning, to uncovering covert, implicit meaning, using the texts themselves as the evidence and support for creating their own increasingly complex evaluations.

Individuals and Societies

History

MYP History is an exploratory World History program that encourages students to cultivate a sense of investigative inquiry into the past. Students will investigate not only what happened, but why it happened. Exploring History gives students a unique global understanding of who we are as global citizens and builds tools for helping them understand the present.

MYP 1: History	Establishes and reinforces the tools needed for investigative inquiry by looking at the Medieval era.
MYP 2: History	Continues the journey of exploration by looking at the Early Modern Era to include the Industrial Revolution.
MYP 3: History	Continues the exploration of the concepts of History while investigating the First and Second World Wars.
MYP 4: History	With more emphasis on a conceptual understanding of History, students will receive a foundation in Ancient History, the Industrial Revolution and the two World Wars.
MYP 5: History	A continued investigation of conceptual History Highlights the Modern Era with an intense focus on research and reporting.

Geography

MYP Geography leads students to discover the three main areas of physical, human and regional geography. By focusing on relationships between humans and the natural landscape, students explore of a variety of concepts such as Change, Global Interactions, Time Place and Space, and Development.

Students consider the world around them by looking at how individuals and communities interact with, and use the resources of, human and natural landscapes. Examples of how natural processes affect people in a variety of ways as well as how people have adapted to manage various natural processes are important themes throughout MYP.

Geography themes in each year of study:

MYP 1: Geography	Using maps, map skills, geographic skills Floods and their management Settlements, urban and rural areas, and their development Australia and Oceania – regional geography and issues, with a focus on culture
MYP 2: Geography	Population and demographics, with a focus on sustainable development Natural landscapes and their characteristics, changes, and geological processes Weather and climate, meteorology Europe - regional geography and issues, with a focus on natural landscapes
MYP 3: Geography	Tectonic processes and their management World ecosystems, with a focus on the impact of human activities Farming, food production and distribution Africa – regional geography and issues, with a focus on economic development
MYP 4: Geography	Geographical skills and investigation, GIS The Earth’s natural spheres, and natural processes in the Atmosphere, the Hydrosphere and the Lithosphere The Americas – regional geography and issues, with a focus on the use of resources
MYP 5: Geography	Demographic processes and trends, migration Economic development and the use of resources Energy and water resources Asia – regional geography and issues, with a focus on sustainability

MYP 4-5 Humanities

The Humanities engage MYP 4-5 students in critical thinking with a range of topics spanning from Philosophy to Politics, and provides as a continuum to some of the subjects in the Diploma Program, such as Psychology, Economics, and Business Management.

MYP 4: Humanities	Introduction to Psychology Introduction to Philosophy Emotional and Mental Health
MYP 5: Humanities	Introduction to Economics Media and Communication

Science

MYP students learn to apply the scientific method and their innate sense of curiosity to explore the world around them. Students test their hypotheses, both in the laboratories and outside them, interpreting data and numbers to reach clearer conclusions and deeper understandings.

MYP 1 – 3 Science	Cells and body systems Reproduction in humans and plants Health and lifestyle Ecosystems and the environment Adaptation, inheritance and evolution The Periodic Table Particle model Introduction to atoms, molecules, elements and compounds Chemical reactions Acid and bases Forces Sound and Light Astronomy Energy Electricity and magnetism Motion and pressure
MYP 4 – 5 Science	Deepening understanding of atoms and molecules, and the periodic table of elements Chemical bonding Cells to organisms to ecosystems Metabolism and healthy living Human sexual reproduction Adaptation, inheritance and evolution Fuels and energy Waves and the electromagnetic spectrum Nuclear physics Astronomy

Mathematics

Learners in the MYP mathematics program engage with relevant, rich and interesting investigations, and develop critical, creative, logical, and computational thinking.

By applying a wide variety of mathematical problem-solving techniques, students learn to communicate mathematical ideas accurately and clearly, and solve challenging real life and abstract problems.

MYP 1: Mathematics	Computations and Measurements The History of Mathematics 1 Variable Data Analysis Introduction to Algebra Probability
MYP 2: Mathematics	Numbers in Everyday Life Algebraic Equations The History of Mathematics Shapes and Sizes (IDU with Design) 1 and 2 Variable Data Analysis
MYP 3: Mathematics	Pythagorean Theorem Co-ordinating Shapes, Angles and Lines No Guarantees! Only chance! Quadratic Equations: Standard, Factored, Vertex Form Laws of Exponent and Radicals Systems of Equations
MYP 4: Mathematics	Number and Algebra Review Measuring the world Equivalent forms of Quadratic Equations Equality Models Measurement of Space in Different dimensions Justifying Circle Theorems
MYP 5: Mathematics	The Sine of Music Linear Regression 3-Dimensional and 2-Dimensional Geometry Probability and Games of Chance Living in a Functional World Getting ready for DP mathematics

The Arts

Performing Arts

Performing Arts inspire students to express themselves through music, theatre and dance. MYP 4 and MYP 5 in particular focus on learning guitar and actively performing music. There is a strong emphasis on the creative process, with students exploring music in connection with their individual interests. MYP students participate in Performing Arts lessons once a week in 90-minute blocks in the specially equipped Apollo room.

The program incorporates strands of performance, music literacy, improvisation & creation, dance, theatre and appreciation.

MYP 1	The study and application of the elements of music Developing knowledge, performing and creating World Music and the Pentatonic scale Simple rhythm patterns Exploration of layered improvisation Responding imaginatively to music Music History and the development of music
MYP 2	Storytelling and theatrics Small group performances History of Dance Performance of Dance Dance Choreography Dance Costumes
MYP 3	History of Musical Theatre Creating musical theater productions Set and Costume Design Awareness of musical elements, sound effects
MYP 4	Basics of guitar performance How to read chord charts, tablature and chord diagrams Performing Major, minor, and dominant 7th chords Performing differing strum patterns Introduction to composer biographies, lyric analysis, and performance notes Responding to various styles and genres
MYP 5	Basics of guitar performance Standard and non-standard notation Reading chord charts, tablature, chord diagrams Developing composer biographies, lyric analysis, and performance notes Introduction to Barre chords Form, elements and structure of musical pieces

Visual Arts

The Visual Arts provide a variety of new perspectives on society and the world we live in. As a core subject, it links naturally to other subject areas, inspiring students to be knowledgeable and to experiment.

The Visual Arts program at TOIS develops:

Observational and analytical thinking
Practical motor skills and coordination
The connection and transfer of knowledge and ideas
Motivation and self-control
Cultural expression
Material experimentation
Reflection and quality evaluation

Units of study:

MYP 1	Line drawing Shape recognition Colouring technique Painting Typography Maps
MYP 2	Symbols and meanings Ancient mythological beasts Balance in space
MYP 3	Values and shading 3D forms Atmospheric perspective Linear perspective
MYP 4	Abstraction and interpretation Street art and graffiti Pixel art Sgraffito
MYP 5	Poster making Grids and composition Contrast Texture

Physical and Health Education

The Physical and Health Education (PHE) programme at TOIS aims to empower students to understand and appreciate the value of being physically active and to develop the motivation for making healthy choices.

In PHE, MYP students learn to:

Engage in team-building, and develop motivational and communication skills needed for working together
Develop the motor skills necessary to take part in a variety of physical activities
Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of physical activities and a healthy lifestyle
Reflect upon and evaluate their own performance in order to set goals for future development

MYP 1-5
Physical and Health Education

Learners develop and apply a range of skills and techniques for effective performance, physical health, and well-being, by designing, explaining and justifying their own improvement plans.

Across the MYP, students engage in a wide variety of sports and physical activities, including:

Yoga, basketball, volleyball, football, handball, ultimate frisbee, badminton, gymnastics, aerobics, fitness training, obstacle races, dodgeball, athletics and more…

The topics related to health and wellbeing include:

Addictions, staying positive during lockdown, the importance of healthy eating and well-balanced diet, well-balanced life, puberty, sports psychology, motivation and more…

Design

Design lessons fuse creativity and imagination into a project planning mindset. Using the Design Cycle, MYP students learn how to plan both big and small projects from start to finish. In one 90-minute block a week, students learn to implement the four main areas of the design cycle: Inquiry & Analysis, Developing Ideas, Creating the Solution, and Evaluating.

MYP 1	Introducing the design cycle Learning how to plan a project Introduction to Digital Citizenship
MYP 2	Long term planning and short term planning Technical skills – introduction to software such as Sketchup and Scratch Developing Digital Citizenship Stop motion and simple editing
MYP 3	Planning complete projects with limited supervision Developing further technical skills Continued Digital Citizenship
MYP 4	Web-development Introduction to Coding software
MYP 5	Advanced project planning Photo editing

Discover

We work hard to harness the natural energy and enthusiasm of adolescent learners and provide encouragement, guidance, and expertise to help broaden and deepen their knowledge and skills.

Connect

By making cross-curricular connections, students have the chance to develop their unique voices, and to take charge of the choices they make.

Achieve

Students learn and reflect upon real-world contexts, and complete the Middle Years Programme with the Personal Project Exhibition – great preparation for the Diploma Programme.

What They Say

It is hard for me to believe sometimes how energetically my son is pursuing his school work. He is always asking questions at the dinner table, and relating what he learned that day.

— A TOIS Parent with a child

in MYP

I like the way the teachers talk to me like a real person.

— A TOIS Learner

in the MYP

Teaching adolescents can be a real challenge, sometimes. But the MYP lets me come to them at their level. There is so much respect built in to MYP teaching and learning. It makes me a better pedagogue and person.

— TOIS MYP Teacher

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