Primary Years Programme
Field Elementary was one of the first elementary schools in Missouri authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. IB PYP focuses on the development of the whole child by offering an international, inquiry-based curriculum of themes that go across all subjects in the school. All students receive weekly instruction in Spanish as an additional language, as well.
PYP is an approach to education which challenges each learner at their own level to become an internationally-minded person. There are no test requirements for admission. PYP is for students and families who believe that education is key to a successful life.
"The PYP aims to achieve a balance between the search for meaning and understanding and the acquisition of essential skills and knowledge."
- Kevin Bartlett, PYP Originator from The Vienna International School
Internationally-Minded
Learner Profile
An internationally-minded person is someone who demonstrates the attributes of the Learner Profile. These are qualities determined to be most important in creating positive and productive citizens of the world. It means our students are taught why they should know something and how it connects to other subjects and the real world. We believe real learning always involves taking action. Learners are given skills to use their own process of learning rather than trying to memorize all of the answers. All learners at Field Elementary focus on powerful questions as a characteristic of good students. Critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity (21st-century skills) have always been a part of our school’s approach to education. It means opportunities to learn about global issues while we take action locally.
Transdisciplinary Learning
Transdisciplinary is the word that IB uses to describe learning and skills that apply across all subjects - it is interconnected and can be applied to real life. A transdisciplinary principle stretches across math, science, language, social studies, and other specialty areas, and ties it all together; it is not isolated to one subject.
Six Transdisciplinary themes organize our program of inquiry into units of study. They form the backbone of our curriculum and are each expressed by a specific central idea and inquiry statements:
- Who We Are
- Where We Are in Place and Time
- How We Express Ourselves
- How the World Works
- How We Organize Ourselves
- How We Share the Planet
A Unit of Inquiry usually lasts for about six weeks and each grade connects to each of the six transdisciplinary themes throughout the school year. The units are where everything comes together.
Resources & Portfolios
Because the IB PYP philosophy believes that students learn best through authentic inquiry, textbooks become a resource rather than the curriculum. Each PYP school will use a wide range of resources that best meet students’ individual needs and learning styles. The IB PYP also recognizes that it is not knowledge alone that makes a learner successful, but the skills and attitudes they develop along the way.
Portfolios are a regular part of documenting student growth and reflections at Field Elementary. We utilize a digital platform called Toddle for student portfolios. Ask your learner's teacher for your family's access code and check out all of the wonderful things going on in our school community.
2026 PYP Learning Summit
