Middle School

IB Subject Areas

There are eight subject areas that students study in the Middle Years Programme: language acquisition, language and literature, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical and health education, and design. Teachers organize the curriculum with a focus on teaching and learning in context, conceptual understanding, approaches to learning, community service, and language and identity. 

Community Project

The grade 8 Community Project encourages students to engage in service as action. Sometimes referred to as the Capstone Project, it represents a student’s entire middle-school experience. The Community Project requires eighth-graders to use the skills and knowledge they’ve gained and apply them to the real world.  This project helps students develop the attributes of the IB Learner Profile (see pg. 3), provides students with an essential opportunity to demonstrate Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills developed through the MYP, and fosters the development of independent, lifelong learners.

The Community Project has the following goals:

• Participate in a sustained, self-directed inquiry within a global context.
• Generate creative new insights and develop deeper understandings through in-depth investigation.
• Demonstrate the skills, attitudes, and knowledge required to complete a project over an extended period of time.
• Communicate effectively in a variety of situations.
• Demonstrate responsible action through, or as a result of, learning.
• Appreciate the process of learning and take pride in their accomplishments.

Arts in the MYP

Arts in the MYP stimulate imaginations, challenge perceptions, and develop creative and analytical skills. These courses encourage students to understand the context and cultural histories of artworks, supporting the development of an inquiring and empathetic world view. Arts challenge and enrich personal identity and build awareness of the aesthetic in a real-world context.

Students function as artists as well as learners of the arts. Artists have to be curious. By developing curiosity about themselves, others, and the world, students become effective learners, inquirers, and creative problem-solvers.

© International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Subject Brief: Arts, International Baccalaureate Organization 2015​

Assessment Criteria

Each arts objective corresponds to one of four equally-weighted assessment criteria. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels, divided into four bands with unique descriptors that teachers use to make judgments about students’ work.

Design in the MYP

MYP 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.

Inquiry and problem-solving are at the heart of design. MYP Design requires the use of the design cycle as a tool. This provides the methodology to structure the inquiry and analyze problems, the development of feasible solutions, the creation of solutions, and the testing and evaluation of the solution. In MYP Design, a solution can be a model, prototype, product, or system independently created and developed by students.

© International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Subject Brief: Design, International Baccalaureate Organization 2015​

Assessment Criteria

Each design objective corresponds to one of four equally-weighted assessment criteria. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels, divided into four bands with unique descriptors that teachers use to make judgments about students’ work

Individuals and Societies in the MYP

The MYP Individuals and Societies subject group incorporates disciplines traditionally studied under humanities and social sciences. This subject group encourages learners to respect and understand the world around them, and equips them with the necessary skills to inquire into historical, geographical, political, social, economic, and cultural factors that affect individuals, societies, and environments.

The study of individuals and societies helps students appreciate the diversity of human culture, attitudes, and beliefs. Courses in this subject group are important for helping students to recognize that both content and methodology can be debatable and controversial. They also learn tolerance and become comfortable with uncertainty.

© International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Subject Brief: Individuals & Societies, International Baccalaureate Organization 2015​

Assessment Criteria

Each Individuals and Societies objective corresponds to one of four equally-weighted assessment criteria. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels (1–8), divided into four bands with unique descriptors that teachers use to make judgments about students’ work.

Language Acquisition in the MYP

Acquiring an additional language and exploring and reflecting on the cultural perspectives of our own and other communities is central to developing critical thinking and international-mindedness. These courses provide an intellectual framework to support personal development, cultural identity, and conceptual understanding. Language acquisition greatly contributes to the holistic development of students and equips students with the necessary multi-literacy skills and attitudes to communicate successfully in various global contexts.

The study of additional languages in the 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, behaving, and viewing the world.

© International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Subject Brief: Language Acquisition, International Baccalaureate Organization 2015​

Assessment Criteria

Each language acquisition objective corresponds to one of four equally-weighted assessment criteria. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels, divided into four bands with unique descriptors that teachers use to make judgments about students’ work.

Language & Literature in the MYP

Language plays a central role in developing critical thinking, cultivating international-mindedness, exploring and sustaining personal development and cultural identity, and responsibly participating in local, national, and global communities.

MYP Language and Literature courses include a balanced study of genres and literary texts, including a world literature component. Students’ interactions with texts generate moral, social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental insights. Through their studies, students learn how to form opinions, make decisions, and engage in ethical reasoning.

© International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Subject Brief: Language & Literature, International Baccalaureate Organization 2015​

Assessment Criteria

Each language and literature objective corresponds to one of four equally-weighted assessment criteria. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels, divided into four bands with unique descriptors that teachers use to make judgments about students’ work.

Mathematics in the MYP

The study of mathematics is a fundamental part of a balanced education. It promotes a powerful universal language, analytical reasoning, and problem-solving skills that contribute to the development of logical, abstract, and critical thinking.

Mathematics in the MYP is tailored to the needs of students. It seeks to intrigue and motivate them to want to learn its principles. Students will experience authentic examples of how mathematics is useful and relevant to their lives and be encouraged to apply it to new situations.

© International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Subject Brief: Mathematics, International Baccalaureate Organization 2015​

Assessment Criteria

Each mathematics objective corresponds to one of four equally-weighted assessment criteria. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels, divided into four bands with unique descriptors that teachers use to make judgments about students’ work.

Physical & Health Education in the MYP

Students engaged in physical and health education will explore a variety of concepts that foster an awareness of physical development and health perspectives, as well as positive social interaction. Physical activity and health are of central importance to human identity and global communities, creating meaningful connections among people, nations, cultures, and the natural world.

Through physical and health education, students learn to appreciate and respect the ideas of others, and develop effective collaboration and communication skills. This subject area also offers opportunities to build positive interpersonal relationships that help students develop a sense of social responsibility and intercultural understanding.

© International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Subject Brief: Physical & Health Education, International Baccalaureate Organization 2015

Assessment Criteria

Each physical and health education objective corresponds to one of four equally-weighted assessment criteria. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels, divided into four bands with unique descriptors that teachers use to make judgments about students’ work.

Science in the MYP

The MYP science framework explores the connections between science and everyday life. As students investigate real examples of science applications, they discover the tensions and dependencies between science and morality, ethics, culture, economics, politics, and the environment.

Students learn to appreciate and respect the ideas of others, gain ethical reasoning skills, and further develop their sense of responsibility as members of local and global communities. The curriculum aims to guide students to independently and collaboratively investigate issues through research, observation, and experimentation.

© International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Subject Brief: Sciences, International Baccalaureate Organization 2015​

Assessment Criteria

Each science objective corresponds to one of four equally-weighted assessment criteria. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels, divided into four bands with unique descriptors that teachers use to make judgments about students’ work.