Action - Students are encouraged to take action based on the learning they acquire. Action can be as simple as telling someone else what you’ve learned or continuing to inquire, and ultimately it might lead to service on a community or world-wide scale.

Authorized School – Being authorized means the school has met the standards and practices required by the IBO to provide the PYP programme.

Concepts - Learning to ask strong questions can lead a student to learn more about a topic. The Primary Years Programme encourages students to develop their understanding of the concepts of Form, Function, Causation, Change, Connection, Perspective, Responsibility, and Reflection.

Essential Elements - The five essential elements—concepts, knowledge, skills, attitudes, action are incorporated into a curriculum framework, so that students are given the opportunity to:

• gain knowledge that is relevant and of global significance

• develop an understanding of concepts, which allows them to make connections throughout their learning

• acquire thinking, research, communication, self-management and social skills

• develop attitudes that will lead to international-mindedness

• take action as a consequence of their learning

Formative Assessment – Ongoing assessments aimed at providing information to guide teaching and improve student performance.

IBO – The International Baccalaureate Organization is a non-profit educational foundation in Geneva, Switzerland that administers the IB program worldwide.

International Mindedness – IB defines international-mindedness as a person who demonstrates the attributes of the IB Learner Profile.

Inquiry - The Primary Years Programme is an educational philosophy which encourages inquiry based learning. This means that the children develop their knowledge by asking questions and investigating ideas. It includes the different subject areas; focuses on children learning in real contexts and has an international focus.

Language Policy – IB requires that all schools develop a comprehensive approach to meeting the language needs of all of its students. In addition, all IB programmes require the study of at least one world language in addition to the student’s mother tongue.

Learner Profile – Central to the PYP is the development of the international person. The Learner Profile outlines the ten most important attributes of an international person. Students learn to become inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk-takers, knowledgeable, principled, caring, open-minded, well-balanced and reflective.

My IB - This is the online resource center and discussion forums for IB teachers provided by the IBO. Here teachers can find valuable information concerning IB courses, discussion boards, and forms.

Portfolio of Student Work - The PYP Portfolio is a profile of student achievement and accomplishments. It is an important mechanism for documenting a students' educational progress through the curriculum. The student and teachers collaborate on selections for the portfolio, which may contain: assessment by the teacher; examples of the student's work; information about any extracurricular achievements or other activities undertaken by the student and self-assessment of the student.

PYP - Primary Years Programme

Programme Evaluation - A mandatory process for all authorized IB schools, whereby the IBO assists schools in their own elf-evaluation process as well as ensuring the quality of the programme. 

Programme of Inquiry - The Programme of Inquiry is the school's collection of all the grade level units of inquiry, organized by the six transdisciplinary themes. 

PYP Coordinator - The pedagogical leader of the PYP in the school who oversees the effective development of the programme. The PYP coordinator ensures effective communication about the programme within the school and between the school and the IBO.

PYP Exhibition - Students in the 5th grade of the Primary Years Programme, carry out a project or “exhibition.” The exhibition represents the culminating activity of the PYP.

Rubric - An IB rubric is a set of evaluation criteria that measures the growth of a student's knowledge and skills. Rubrics are used in all three IB programmes. 

Summative Assessment - The culminating assessment of a unit designed to provide a report on the student's level of achievement. 

Transdisciplinary Skills -  PYP has identified a set of skills students acquire and apply within their learning throughout the programme: thinking skills, social skills, communication skills, self-management skills and research skills. This set of skills is valuable for teaching and learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Transdisciplinary Themes - The PYP has identified six areas of knowledge, called transdisciplinary themes, which are considered to be of lasting significance for all students and for all cultures. These themes offer students the opportunity to explore the commonalities of human experience. 

Units of Inquiry - Students inquire and learn about the transdisciplinary themes in the context of units of inquiry. Each unit address a central idea relevant to the theme, and lines of inquiry are identified in order to explore the scope of the central idea.