EARLY YEARS
2021-2022
The Early Years class of 2021-2022 is a small cohort in an inquiry and play based curriculum under the leadership of Ms Liz & Ms Amy.
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The Early Years team structure the learning through the year around the four units of inquiry below. As well as standalone lessons for the fundamentals in Math, Literacy and other subjects, most of these subjects will be taught through the lens of the central ideas below.
Who We Are
Understanding our uniqueness supports our personal growth.
How We Express Ourselves
Children express their understanding of the world around them through play.
Where We Are In Place & Time
Traditions reflect what is important to people.
Sharing The Planet
Living things have certain needs in order to grow and stay healthy.
PHILOSOPHY​
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“In the PYP, the lively, animated process of inquiry appears differently within different age ranges. The developmental range evident in a group of 5 year olds can be from 3-8 years.” (Making the PYP Happen, 2009)
Our comprehensive Early Years Programme focuses on developing the whole child. Students are provided with social and academic opportunities that allow them to extend their skills in independence, self-regulation, and reflective thinking, with an overarching goal of developing a growth mindset. Our Programme of Inquiry allows for the rich transdisciplinary exploration of developmentally-appropriate concepts and ideas. At The Booker School, multi-age classes allow educators to facilitate the individualized learning of children.
Children are natural inquirers. At The Booker School, educators provide learners with opportunities to foster their inquiry skills in order to develop understanding of the world around them. In the Early Years Programme we embrace the opportunity for open-ended inquiry, balanced with a more guided and structured direction when needed. Understanding that play is children’s work, our Early Years Programme incorporates play as a vehicle for students to further their social and academic learning. A strong foundation in math and language arts allows students to further their opportunities to build and communicate conceptual understanding.
Our community fosters a culture of respect, care, and open-mindedness. Our behaviour policy is structured around the IB Learner Profile as this provides a strong foundation for well being, social awareness and mindfulness. By encouraging a growth mindset, we believe students can learn from their mistakes through reflection and recognise areas for personal development.
Our community endeavours to create a safe environment where all members are free to take risks and reach their full potential.
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CURRICULUM
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At The Booker School, our Early Years Programme curriculum is transdisciplinary in nature. Inspired by the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, subjects are rarely taught in isolation. Rather, Units of Inquiry that frame science and social studies inquiries are also represented in math, language arts, and other subject areas, making the inquiry process robust, fluid, and authentic. Our goal is to help students develop conceptual understanding that allows them to utilize their ever-expanding skills and knowledge.
ASSESSMENT​
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Our Early Years Programme engages students in the assessment process by allowing them to document their own learning, so that they may reflect on their developed understandings and push their own learning further. Assessments are mostly formative and anecdotal in nature, allowing for the differentiation of each child’s learning experience. This is often captured in the moment, utilising the technology we have to assess and record efficiently. In some areas, summative tasks allow students to demonstrate benchmarks of growth at various points throughout the year.​
