5th Grade – North Beach Elementary

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We would like to welcome you to another exciting year at North Beach Elementary!

This is an important year for your child. Fifth grade students must master many academic skills to succeed in the challenging year ahead. The FSA standardized test for Reading/Language Arts, Math and Science will continue to be administered this year. We will need your support and cooperation in helping to prepare your child to reach his/her maximum potential.

In addition, students will participate in the school wide science fair, the fifth grade PYP International Baccalaureate Exhibition, and a wonderful promotion ceremony.

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I.B. Programme of Inquiry

What is IB Education Video

5th Grade IB Programme of Inquiry

The program of inquiry is divided into 6 transdisciplinary themed units.

How We Organize Ourselves

Central Idea: Economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment

Where We Are in Place and Time

Central Idea: Human migration is a response to conflict, challenges, risks and opportunities

How the World Works

Central Idea: The evolution of technology within society develops an understanding of scientific principles

How We Express Ourselves

Central Idea: To live a balanced lifestyle, one should strive to be open-minded to beauty, nature and art

Who We Are

Central Idea: Beliefs, cultures, and relationships define us as individuals and our perspective to rights and responsibilities as human beings

Sharing the Planet - Exhibition

Central Idea: Exhibition

I.B. Exhibition

IB Exhibition 2025-2026

Transdisciplinary Theme: Sharing the Planet

An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other living things, communities, and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

Central Idea: Understanding the challenges of sharing the planet empowers us to find local and global solutions.

The following information is gathered from the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Exhibition Guidelines Handbook.

Purpose

The PYP exhibition has a number of key purposes:

for students to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry
to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning
to provide students with an opportunity to explore multiple perspectives
for students to synthesize and apply their learning of previous years and to reflect upon their journey through the PYP
to provide an authentic process for assessing student understanding
to demonstrate how students can take action as a result of their learning
to unite the students, teachers, parents, and other members of the school community in a collaborative experience that incorporates the essential elements of the PYP
to celebrate the transition of learners from primary to middle/secondary education.

Role of Student

Students will:

have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition from the outset of the process (guidelines and planning instructions should be provided by the teacher or mentor)
participate in selecting a real-life issue or problem for the exhibition
develop the inquiry by helping to decide on a central idea, lines of inquiry, and student questions
collaboratively plan learning and assessment experiences; these should involve independent and collaborative work and students should be involved in all stages of the planning and staging of the exhibition
Carry out an open-ended inquiry into a real-life issue or problem
demonstrate an understanding of the components of the PYP, in particular, the IB learner profile; the students involved in the exhibition should be given an opportunity to demonstrate their learning and the development of the attributes of the IB learner profile
demonstrate an understanding of the five essential elements—knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes, and action
select and utilize a variety of strategies and resources to meet the outcomes of the inquiry; wherever possible, students should use a variety of source materials, such as first-hand experiences, interviews, surveys, field visits, artifacts, science investigations, working models, not just book and/or Internet research
be academically honest when referring to their sources of information
communicate effectively with teachers, peers, and parents
reflect on the components of and processes involved in the exhibition; they should keep a journal or portfolio of their planning, draft pieces of work, sketches, and photographs of work in progress as well as the final product
Carry out self-assessment and peer assessment
celebrate their learning by presenting the exhibition to the school community.

Role of Parent/Guardian

Parents/guardians will:

have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition
support and encourage students and teachers throughout the process of inquiry
be informed by reading newsletters, attending meetings, checking school websites, talking with students
help students to access resources—people, places, media, and information
provide expert subject knowledge where applicable
act as mentors as required or appropriate
encourage independent inquiry and respect student ownership of the process
have an opportunity to reflect on and give feedback on the exhibition
celebrate with the students by attending the staging of the exhibition.

What is the PYP Exhibition?

Learning in the Primary Years Programme (PYP) provides many formal and informal opportunities for students to demonstrate how they have developed and applied their knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills, and learner profile attributes through the inquiries they undertake. The PYP exhibition is a notable example of these opportunities. In the PYP exhibition, fifth-grade students demonstrate their understanding of an issue or opportunity they have chosen to explore. They undertake their investigation both individually and with their peers, together with the guidance of mentors. Through the exhibition, fifth graders demonstrate their ability to take responsibility for their learning, and their capacity to take action.

The PYP exhibition has a number of key purposes:

-For students to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry.

-To provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate agency and responsibility for their learning.

-To synthesize and apply the learning of previous years and to reflect upon the journey through the PYP.

-For students to take action as a result of their learning.

- To unite the teachers, parents, and other members of the school community in a collaborative experience that incorporates the essential elements of the PYP.

-To support the well-being of students by celebrating their transition to the next stages of their education.

STEAM

STEAM EXHIBITION DAY

Through trial and error students demonstrated their knowledge of writing code to create movement and lights for Dot, Dash and Cue Robots.

Students analyzed mathematical relationships to draw conclusions, assisting in the creation of suspension bridges.

Students presented sway projects showcasing their art creations.

"STEAM represents a paradigm shift from traditional education philosophy, based on standardized test scores, to a modern ideal which focuses on valuing the learning process as much as the results. In essence, we dare our students to be wrong, to try multiple ideas, listen to alternate opinions and create a knowledge base that is applicable to real life as opposed to simply an exam."