At Northfields we offer both performing and visual arts for all students in years 7-9. Students study Drama, Music and Visual Arts in a range of contexts that build knowledge, skills and appreciation of arts and its role in society.

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Aristotle

Main aims of MYP Arts 

The aims of MYP arts are to encourage and enable students to:

• create and present art
• develop skills specific to the discipline
• engage in a process of creative exploration and (self-)discovery
• make purposeful connections between investigation and practice
• understand the relationship between art and its contexts
• respond to and reflect on art
• deepen their understanding of the world.

Main Objectives of MYP Arts 

The objectives of any MYP subject state the specific targets that are set for learning in the subject. They define what the student will be able to accomplish as a result of studying the subject. The objectives of MYP arts encompass the factual, conceptual, procedural and metacognitive dimensions of knowledge. They are:

• Knowing and Understanding
• Developing Skills
• Thinking Creatively
• Responding

What it looks like in practice

Students learn a wide variety of skills through exploring culturally diverse material. In Year 7 drama, students explore the nature of storytelling through the dramatization of folktales from around the world, before exploring what happened to Harry’s Potter’s children after the books finished. Year 8 Music students study the nature of beat and rhythm through drumming, while a year 9 visual arts class explore Pop Art and perceptions of beauty. All classes take the diversity of the student body in to account to provide relevant, challenging and engaging material.

Digital Design challenges students to apply practical and creative-thinking skills to solve design problems; encourages students to explore the role of design in historical and contemporary contexts; and raises students’ awareness of their responsibilities when making design decisions and taking action.

At Northfields we offer Digital Design for all students in grades 7-9.

Main aims of MYP Digital Design 

The aims of MYP design are to encourage and enable students to:

• Enjoy the design process, and develop an appreciation of its elegance and power.
• Develop knowledge, understanding and skills from different disciplines to design and create solutions to problems using the design cycle.
• Use and apply technology effectively as a means to access, process and communicate information, model and create solutions, and to solve problems.
• Develop an appreciation of the impact of design innovations for life, global society and environments.
• Appreciate past, present and emerging design within cultural, political, social, historical and environmental contexts.
• Develop respect for others’ viewpoints and appreciate alternative solutions to problems.
• Act with integrity and honesty, and take responsibility for their own actions developing effective working practices.

Main Objectives of MYP Digital Design 

The objectives of any MYP subject state the specific targets that are set for learning in the subject. They define what the student will be able to accomplish as a result of studying the subject.  The objectives of MYP Digital Design are:

• Inquiring and analysing
• Developing ideas
• Creating the solution
• Evaluating

What it looks like in practice

For a practical project on ‘Designing a Poster to raise Social Awareness’, Y8 students will use the design cycle, which is a way of thinking and organizing to help them realize a goal. The design cycle starts with an investigation of an issue or topic: what do they want to do or create? What problem do they want to solve? The next step is to plan what they think will give them the outcome that they are looking for. Then they begin to create the product (or to put the plan that they have come up with into action). Finally, they will evaluate both their end product as well as their process to determine whether or not it was a success, and reflect on what they could have done differently to obtain a better outcome.

MYP Individuals and Societies encourages learners to respect and understand the world around them and equips them with the necessary skills to inquire into historical, contemporary, geographical, political, social, economic, religious, technological and cultural factors that have an impact on individuals, societies and environments. It encourages learners, both students and teachers, to consider local and global contexts. MYP individuals and societies incorporates disciplines traditionally studied under the general term “the humanities” (such as history and other disciplines).

In this subject group, students can engage with exciting, stimulating and personally relevant topics and issues. Many sensitive and personally challenging topics require careful consideration in the context of a safe and responsible learning environment characterized by respect and open-mindedness. The study of individuals and societies helps students to appreciate critically the diversity of human culture, attitudes and beliefs. Courses in this subject group are important for helping students to recognize that content and methodology can be debatable and controversial, and for practising the tolerance of uncertainty. The IB’s approach to individuals and societies includes a strong focus on inquiry and investigation. Students collect, describe and analyse data used in studies of societies; test hypotheses; and learn how to interpret increasingly complex information, including original source material. This focus on real-world examples, research and analysis is an essential aspect of the subject group.

Aims of subject

The aims of MYP individuals and societies are to encourage and enable students to: 

• appreciate human and environmental commonalities and diversity 
• understand the interactions and interdependence of individuals, societies and the environment
• understand how both environmental and human systems operate and evolve 
• identify and develop concern for the well-being of human communities and the natural environment 
• act as responsible citizens of local and global communities
• develop inquiry skills that lead towards conceptual understandings of the relationships between individuals, societies and the environments in which they live.

Objectives of the subject

The objectives of any MYP subject state the specific targets that are set for learning in that subject. They define what the student will be able to accomplish as a result of studying the subject.

The objectives of MYP individuals and societies encompass the factual, conceptual, procedural and metacognitive dimensions of knowledge.

Each objective is elaborated by a number of strands; a strand is an aspect or indicator of the learning expectation. 

Subject groups must address all strands of all four objectives at least twice in each year of the MYP. These objectives relate directly to the assessment criteria found in the “Assessed curriculum” section of this guide. Together these objectives reflect the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students need in order to encourage the development of different domains of learning; they represent essential aspects of individuals and societies courses. The objectives are as follows:

1. Knowing and understanding
2. Investigating
3. Communicating
4. Thinking Critically

Courses in individuals and societies help students to develop key approaches to learning (ATL) that lead to success and enjoyment in MYP projects. In this subject group, students have important opportunities to practise ATL skills, especially communication, research, and thinking. Working collaboratively and personal planning are essential aspects of individuals and societies. 

HISTORY

Units taught in Year 7 (MYP1)

• Term 1:  Black Death
• Term 2: Egyptian Civilisation
• Term 3: Middle Ages

Units taught in Year 8 (MYP2)

• Term 1: Super Powers (Tudor England; From Henry VII to Henry VIII) and Slavery in Mauritius
• Term 2: French Revolution
• Term 3: Independence and National Identity (Sturdy beggars’ involvement in Tudor England)

Units taught in Year 9 (MYP 3)

• Term 1: 20th Century Conflict
• Term 2: Civil Rights Movement in America
• Term 3: Holocaust

GEOGRAPHY

Units taught in Year 7 (MYP1)

• Term 1:  The Language of Geography
• Term 2: Major Biomes
• Term 3: River Processes and management of the river environment

Units taught in Year 8 (MYP2)

• Term 1: Dynamic Earth
• Term 2: Dynamics of weather and climate
• Term 3: Demographics and human movements

Units taught in Year 9 (MYP 3)

• Term 1: Global Tourism
• Term 2: Under pressure resources
• Term 3: Settlements and future cities

The units in Individual and societies ( History/Geography)  will allow the students to:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of subject-specific content and concepts, using descriptions, explanations and examples.
• communicate information and ideas with clarity.
• organize information and ideas effectively for the task.
• list sources of information in a way that follows the task instructions.
• identify the main points of ideas, events, visual representation or arguments.
• Collect evidence to support arguments.
• Identify different perspectives before forming an opinion.
• identify and analyse a range of sources/data in terms of origin and purpose.
• identify different views and their implications.
• Evaluate the sources

As an IB school, we pride ourselves on being a subject which is full of variety; we study texts from different eras and cultures, providing our students with an international outlook. Teachers within the faculty employ a range of teaching styles, strategies and activities to ensure that our students thoroughly engage and interact with the teaching by adopting the different learner profiles. One day we may be exploring personal experience through writing a poem or composing a chapter of an autobiography. Another day we may be reading a challenging text where the rich and subtle language make it ripe for exploration. We could be debating a current issue, writing our own speeches, or we could be comparing and analysing the ways in which different sorts of newspapers cover the same story.  The Language and Literature Faculty at Northfields International School is there to help our students develop as successful readers and writers so as to provide them with an enjoyable time while learning. Our department is fully staffed with competent teachers who all bring forward something special in the teaching of our students and who all come from a range of teaching experiences and backgrounds.

Main aims of MYP Language and Literature 

The aims of MYP language and literature are to encourage and enable students to: 

• use language as a vehicle for thought, creativity, reflection, learning, self-expression, analysis and social interaction 
• develop the skills involved in listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and presenting in a variety of contexts 
• develop critical, creative and personal approaches to studying and analysing literary and non-literary texts 
• engage with text from different historical periods and a variety of cultures 
• explore and analyse aspects of personal, host and other cultures through literary and non-literary texts 
• explore language through a variety of media and modes 
• develop a lifelong interest in reading 
• apply linguistic and literary concepts and skills in a variety of authentic contexts.

Main Objectives of MYP Language and Literature 

The objectives of any MYP subject state the specific targets that are set for learning in the subject. They define what the student will be able to accomplish as a result of studying the subject. The main objectives for Language and Literature subjects are:

• Analysing
• Organising
• Producing text 
• Using Language 

We believe it is essential that we maintain a rigorous reading culture amongst our students. It is through reading that young people become world citizens, develop compassion and understanding of others.

Reading is essential, it will help with the tasks of essay writing, building vocabulary and expanding a solid repertoire of words.

We encourage personal reading in school by integrating reading in most of our lessons. We encourage students to discuss and share their opinions on what they have read by including periodic presentations through various initiatives such as Read Lead Succeed and DEAR time.

It is important for students to discover an unknown world, get lost in a book…

The Faculty prides itself in offering students a holistic learning experience. We like to integrate various activities and competitions as part of our curriculum in order to develop essential skills that are necessary to develop our students into confident young adults who can function successfully in the real world. We also like to do this…for fun! We love a bit of competition!

The Faculty organises cultural events at the end of each term:

• Term 1: Inter-House Public Speaking
• Term 2: Inter-House Spelling Bee
• Term 3: Inter-House Debate

We expect all of our students to participate in these events as much possible in order to develop their skills and in order to contribute to the points for their respective Houses.

The school also enters and participates in all English Speaking Union competitions.

We have prepared and successfully taken students to the finals of both Public Speaking and Spelling Bee competitions.

Our students have also been national winners for the Spelling Bee for a number of years and for Public Speaking for one year.

What it looks like in practice

A Year 7 French Language and Literature students studying the unit ‘Monstre, fais-moi peur’ will question the representation of monsters in literary and non-literary texts from different periods and regions. In this unit, students focus on improving their descriptive skills by analysing the stylistic choices made by the authors to create fear in their readers.

In Year 8, students are introduced to global issues such as identities and relationships. They study literary texts such as Stone Cold and War Horse, developing their critical thinking and creative skills by engaging in thought-provoking discussions about the plots, characterisation and context. This contributes to their understanding of how people have different cultural and life experiences in a different space and time. As they study the Language units, students discuss and reflect on scientific and technical innovation and the role that technological advancements play in their own lives. They consider a variety of perspectives in the conversation about technology and also talk about the price of progress. The overarching themes that are dealt with throughout the course help with the holistic development of students, making them critical and creative thinkers and linking their learning experiences to the real world.

The study of additional languages in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) provides students with the opportunity to develop insights into the features, processes and craft of language and the concept of culture, and to realize that there are diverse ways of living, viewing, and behaving in the world.

The ability to communicate in a variety of modes, in more than one language, is essential to the concept of an international education. The language acquisition course provides a linguistic and academic challenge for students to facilitate the best possible educational experience.

Students are given the opportunity to develop their language skills to their full potential, as well as the possibility of progressing through various phases over the course of the MYP.

MYP mathematics courses help specifically to prepare students for the study of group 5 courses in the IB Diploma Programme (DP). As students’ progress from the MYP to the DP or IBCC, the emphasis on understanding increases as students work towards developing a strong mathematical knowledge base that will allow them to study a wide range of topics. Through this process they also work on communicating their ideas in ways that allow others to understand their thinking. The MYP mathematics objectives and criteria have been developed with both the internal and external assessment requirements of the DP in mind. The use of technology, which is required in DP mathematics, is also emphasized in the MYP as a tool for learning, applying and communicating mathematics.

Main aims of MYP Mathematics 

• develop an understanding of the principles and nature of mathematics 
• enjoy mathematics, develop curiosity and begin to appreciate its elegance and power 
• communicate clearly and confidently in a variety of contexts 
• develop logical, critical and creative thinking 
• develop confidence, perseverance, and independence in mathematical thinking and problem-solving • develop powers of generalization and abstraction 
• apply and transfer skills to a wide range of real-life situations, other areas of knowledge and future developments 
• appreciate how developments in technology and mathematics have influenced each other 
• appreciate the moral, social and ethical implications arising from the work of mathematicians and the applications of mathematics 
• appreciate the international dimension in mathematics through an awareness of the universality of mathematics and its multicultural and historical perspectives 
• appreciate the contribution of mathematics to other areas of knowledge 
• develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to pursue further studies in mathematics
• develop the ability to reflect critically upon their own work and the work of others

Main Objectives of MYP Mathematics 

The following objectives reflect the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students need in order to use mathematics in a variety of contexts.

• Knowing and understanding 

Knowledge and understanding are fundamental to studying mathematics and form the base from which to explore concepts and develop skills. This objective assesses the extent to which students can select and apply mathematics to solve problems in both familiar and unfamiliar situations in a variety of contexts

• Investigating patterns 

Investigating patterns allows students to experience the excitement and satisfaction of mathematical discovery. Working through investigations encourages students to become risk-takers, inquirers and critical thinkers. The ability to inquire is invaluable in the MYP and contributes to lifelong learning.

• Communicating 

Mathematics provides a powerful and universal language. Students are expected to use appropriate mathematical language and different forms of representation when communicating mathematical ideas, reasoning and findings, both orally and in writing.

• Applying mathematics in real-life contexts 

MYP mathematics encourages students to see mathematics as a tool for solving problems in an authentic real-life context. Students are expected to transfer theoretical mathematical knowledge into real-world situations and apply appropriate problem-solving strategies, draw valid conclusions, and reflect upon their results

What it looks like in practice?

In Year 7, unit 1: Is fairness always equal? We will be discussing how fair judgements are easier if we understand a variety of numeric systems and forms.  The subtopics will be broken as follows:

• Adding and Subtracting Negative numbers
• Multiplying and Dividing Negative numbers
• BODMAS
• Equivalent fractions
• Simplifying fractions
• Comparing fractions
• Multiplying fractions
• Dividing fractions
• Adding and Subtracting decimals
• Multiplying decimals
• Dividing decimals
• Converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages

MYP physical and health education aims to empower students to understand and appreciate the value of being physically active and develop the motivation for making healthy life choices. To this end, physical and health education courses foster the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes that will contribute to a student’s balanced and healthy lifestyle. Through opportunities for active learning, courses in this subject group embody and promote the holistic nature of well-being. Students engaged in physical and health education will explore a variety of concepts that help foster an awareness of physical development and health perspectives, empowering them to make informed decisions and promoting positive social interaction. Physical and health education focuses on both learning about and learning through physical activity. Both dimensions help students to develop approaches to learning (ATL) skills across the curriculum. Physical and health education contributes a unique perspective to the development of the attributes of the IB learner profile, promoting the health of individuals and communities.

Main aims of MYP Physical Education

The aims of all MYP subjects state what a teacher may expect to teach and what a student may expect to experience and learn. These aims suggest how the student may be changed by the learning experience. The aims of MYP physical and health education are to encourage and enable students to:

• use inquiry to explore physical and health education concepts 
• participate effectively in a variety of contexts 
• understand the value of physical activity 
• achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle 
• collaborate and communicate effectively 
• build positive relationships and demonstrate social responsibility 
• reflect on their learning experiences

Main Objectives of MYP Physical Education

• Knowing and understanding

Students develop knowledge and understanding about health and physical activity in order to identify and solve problems.

• Planning for performance

Students through inquiry design, analyse, evaluate and perform a plan in order to improve performance in physical and health education.

• Applying and performing

Students develop and apply practical skills, techniques, strategies and movement concepts through their participation in a variety of physical activities.

• Reflecting and improving performance

Students enhance their personal and social development, set goals, take responsible action and reflect on their performance and the performance of others.

At Northfields we offer design technology for all students in years 7-9. Students study to develop a high level of design literacy by enabling students to develop critical-thinking and design skills, which they can apply in a practical context.

Main aims of MYP Design Technology 

The aims of MYP arts are to encourage and enable students to:

• enjoy the design process, develop an appreciation of its elegance and power.
• develop knowledge, understanding and skills from different disciplines to design and create solutions to problems using the design cycle.
• use and apply technology effectively as a means to access, process and communicate information, model and create solutions, and to solve problems.
• develop an appreciation of the impact of design innovations for life, global society and environments.
• appreciate past, present and emerging design within cultural, political, social, historical and environmental contexts.
• develop respect for others’ viewpoints and appreciate alternative solutions to problems.
• act with integrity and honesty, and take responsibility for their own actions developing effective working practices.

Main Objectives of MYP Design Technology 

The objectives of any MYP subject state the specific targets that are set for learning in the subject. They define what the student will be able to accomplish as a result of studying the subject. The objectives of MYP design encompass the factual, conceptual, procedural and metacognitive dimensions of knowledge. They are:

• Inquiring and analysing
• Developing ideas
• Creating the solution
• Evaluating

What it looks like in practice

Students learn a wide variety of skills and attitudes that students need in order to engage with and solve complex, real-life problems in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts; they represent essential aspects of design methodology. Product design use the design cycle to solve problems through the use of tools, materials and systems. The study of product design equips students to manipulate a variety of materials to create tangible products/solutions to solve a problem and meet a need. Three-dimensional (3D) tangible solutions made using computer-aided manufacturing techniques are typically the result of a product design course. Distinct product design courses include food product design, fashion design, electronic product design, engineering design, and so on. 

With inquiry at the core, the MYP sciences framework aims to guide students to independently and collaboratively investigate issues through research, observation and experimentation. The MYP sciences curriculum explores the connections between science and everyday life. As they investigate real examples of science applications, students will discover the tensions and dependencies between science and morality, ethics, culture, economics, politics, and the environment. Scientific inquiry also fosters critical and creative thinking about research and design, as well as the identification of assumptions and alternative explanations. Students learn to appreciate and respect the ideas of others, gain good ethical-reasoning skills and further develop their sense of responsibility as members of local and global communities.

MYP sciences helps to prepare students for overall success in both the IGCSE and IB Diploma Programme. The knowledge, skills and attitudes that students develop in sciences courses provide a meaningful foundation for further study and help to prepare students for careers in academic and corporate research, as laboratory assistants and managers, in scientific consultancy for a range of companies and NGOs, in teaching, in fieldwork and journalism.

Main aims of MYP Science 

The aims of MYP sciences are to encourage and enable students to:

• understand and appreciate science and its implications
• consider science as a human endeavour with benefits and limitations
• cultivate analytical, inquiring and flexible minds that pose questions, solve problems, construct explanations and judge arguments
• develop skills to design and perform investigations, evaluate evidence and reach conclusions
• build an awareness of the need to effectively collaborate and communicate
• apply language skills and knowledge in a variety of real-life contexts
• develop sensitivity towards the living and non-living environments
• reflect on learning experiences and make informed choices.

Main Objectives of MYP Science

The objectives of any MYP subject state the specific targets that are set for learning in the subject. They define what the student will be able to accomplish as a result of studying the subject. The main objectives for MYP Science are:

• Objective A: Knowledge and Understanding
• Objective B: Inquiring and Designing
• Objective C: Processing and Evaluating
• Objective D: Reflecting on the Impacts of Science

What it looks like in practice

A Year 8 Science student studying “How do we respond to our world” will engage with questions like: How do organisms perceive and respond to their environment? What is a conventional story structure? How does survival depend on organisms’ ability to perceive and respond to change in their surroundings? How do species become adapted, over the long term, to conditions in their environment? To what extent should we continue to develop products that impact the way people or other living things perceive and respond to their surroundings? To what extent is the use of sense-enhancing technology a responsible and ethical choice?

In this unit students will learn about: our senses, neurons, neural pathways, reflexes, and how we can both respond to and manipulate our environment through how we perceive it to be. Students will consider Science as a human endeavour with benefits and limitations, and apply theoretical content to real-life contexts.