Sneak Peek Into the 2022 IB PYP Exhibition

April 22, 2022

Academics

GNS

The Grade 5s have been busy over the last couple of weeks as they are in the middle of making their projects for the IB PYP Exhibition. Students are nearing the finish line of their making days, so we checked in to see the various projects, and how they’re doing.

Fynn used lego to create a car, and he tested out ways to make it more durable and faster. The car is meant to flip, so he wanted to find ways that it wouldn’t break. For his exhibition, he’s going to be making different modifications throughout to see how it affects durability.

“I’m coming up with ways so it doesn’t fall apart because it’s made of lego,” he said. “I came up with the idea because my brother has a radio-controlled car and it ran into a ditch. I was surprised it was so easy to crack, so I wanted to see how I could prevent that from happening.”

Maddie decided to create sea glass with a rock tumbler. She will then put the sea glass she created into a dish and compare it to another dish of sea glass found on the beach. Then she’s going to ask her peers to guess which one was made from the sea and rock tumbler.

“I wanted to make sea glass, and thought it would be fun,” she said. “So far it’s been really fun.”

For Roanan, he’s been making space-efficient tomato planters. He hopes that it will take up less space by building it vertically. Currently, he’s been sanding down the wood so it would be smooth as he builds the planter.

“Originally, I was just going to make it as a board going vertically and then pieces would be placed on an angle,” said Roanan. “Now I’ve made it so it can slide and push the plants out to get more sun, or give you more space for bigger pots. It’s now more of a shelf idea, so the pots can go on the shelf. Also, you can fold it up and take the shelves off so it’s easier to carry and move around.”

Kamilah has decided to make a dollhouse out of recycled materials. Recently, she has been making a bed frame out of scraps of wood, where she has been able to use the woodworking supplies, with supervision, at school.

“It’s been going pretty good,” she said. “I’ve been making prototypes for the furniture right now. I’ve currently made one bed, and I’m working on the framing. I like designing, and I thought this would give me the ability to design with a purpose.”

The exhibition is one of the most significant events in a PYP school, as it’s the culmination of a student’s experience in the Primary Years Programme and marks their transition to the Middle Years Programme.

This year the exhibition includes 10 central ideas:

Common materials can be revised to create something purposeful.
Problems can be solved through design modification.
The properties of light can be transformative.
How we live and our understanding of the environment influence design.
Scientific experimentation can lead to design innovation.
Design and function include choice and purpose of materials.
The operating systems of technological devices can be harnessed to achieve a purpose.
Features are interconnected and influence performance.
Perspective changes depending on the process, movement and speed.
Aerodynamics can be used to improve performance and speed.