PYP Explores Organizations

Last Thursday, Classes 3,1 and 3,2 spent the day in groups of six, exploring different activities and organizations at EE City. The students got to experience the roles of different organizations within a community.

The purpose of this field trip was to tune students in to our new unit: How We Organize Ourselves.

How We Organize Ourselves
Central Idea: Organizations exist to assist our community.

Lines of Inquiry:

The purpose and function of organizations

The features and structures of an organization

Evidence that shows how organizations assist a community

Throughout the field trip, students visited organizations within different industries: Food, Government, Public Service, Medicine, Recreation, and Business. They had a wonderful time taking on different roles and experiencing the varieties of organizations that can exist within a community. As they went from place to place, we encouraged students to think about the unit by asking questions, such as:

– What is the purpose of this organization?
– How does this organization help the community?

– Do you know of any organizations like this in your community?

After the field trip, the students all reflected that they had a great time. It was fun but it was also a great stimulus to get them thinking about the unit. In a follow-up lesson, the students got to share their experiences with those not in their original field trip group. The class discussed the roles, purpose, functions and structures of each organization and the students began to make connections to the Beijing community.

Now that we have a firm understanding of what an organization is within a community, we can begin to explore our lines of inquiry. Learning in the PYP is all about making relevant and meaningful connections from the classroom to real life – so next up, our students will be researching a specific organization within the Beijing community. We are very excited to see where this learning journey will take them!