Rooted in inquiry-based learning and transdisciplinary exploration, the PYP empowers and invites students to be active participants in their own educational journey. In our recent Perspectives feature, we introduced readers to the IB framework and its impact on student learning. Now, we invite you to take a deeper dive, pun intended, into one vivid example: the Third Grade Biome Project.

Exploring “How We Organize Ourselves” Through Oceans

This year’s third grade students embarked on a powerful exploration under the PYP transdisciplinary theme “How We Organize Ourselves,” centering on the central idea: “Interactions between the natural world and human societies impact biomes.”

Through an inquiry lens, students investigated:

• Relationships within a biome
• How biomes sustain themselves
• The impacts humans have on these systems

After exploring a variety of global biomes, the class unanimously chose to focus on oceans—a rich, complex ecosystem teeming with life and deeply influenced by human activity.

Integrating Art, Science, Language, and Movement

This ocean biome study was not confined to textbooks or single-subject classrooms. In true IB fashion, it became a multidisciplinary, immersive experience that spanned the entire campus:

Art 

Students studied the work of Courtney Mattison, a renowned artist and ocean advocate. Inspired by her sculptures and mission, students reflected on the role of advocacy. Their voices were poignant:

“She’s translating what the coral reef needs.” – Amélie

“An advocate is a politician for the ocean…not making laws, but encouraging people to care.” – Olive

From these reflections, students began to understand their own roles as stewards and communicators of environmental responsibility.

STEAM Lab

With creativity and engineering at the helm, students constructed a detailed, walk-through installation of the ocean zones. The lab transformed into an underwater world featuring:

• A 3-D coral reef and underwater volcano
• Giant squid and a cookiecutter shark
• Hanging jellies, plastic bottle trash, and pufferfish 
• A stop-motion film depicting the human impact on the ocean

These tactile experiences made abstract scientific concepts tangible and memorable.

Movement and Music

In dance class, students listened to ocean-inspired compositions and created interpretive dances to express their emotional responses. Music and French classes added another sensory layer, where students created original ocean soundscapes and stop-motion films narrated en français.

Bringing It All Together

The project culminated in a full-room installation, a fully immersive experience. Students guided visitors through and excitedly explained which parts they worked on, why they made the choices they did, and how it all came together for them. Through movement, sound, visuals, and conversation, guests were invited to “jump into the water” and reflect on their own relationship with the ocean.

The Ocean Biome Project exemplifies what the IB PYP does best: it fosters curious thinkers, creative problem solvers, compassionate communicators, and globally minded citizens. By combining academic depth with expressive freedom, the project helped students understand their world better, gather context on their role in what they were studying and organically present ways to improve it. 

As one student so wisely put it: “The ocean can’t talk, but it can wave!” – Caroline T.