Phase One | thepassionproject

Phase ONE

Getting Started!

Parent Information Slideshow

The following notes accompany the Parent Information Slideshow (above). As with the rest of The Passion Project, we wanted to be innovative so you will notice that there are no words on our slideshow! The pictures served as prompts to guide us in explaining about the PYP Exhibition and The Passion Project. We purposely did this to reinforce the idea that this was going to be different - and to lead by example through our presentation skills having shared this same presentation with our students.

Click on the slideshow title to view the presentation via SlideRocket.

At the heart of the PYP is the learner profile
The Exhibition is the culminating unit of inquiry for elementary school students and through The Passion Project, students will leave their legacy before departing for middle school.
The Passion Project is your child's opportunity to showcase their talent and express themselves whilst being a Thinker, Inquirer, Risk-taker, Communicator and a Knowledgeable, Caring, Open-Minded, Balanced, Principled and Reflective student.

Your child will be drawing on a wide range of skills as they work through The Passion Project.
They will be highlighting specific skills that they wish to showcase and work on, based on evidence from their Portfolio of work samples.
These skills will be shared with you during our Student Led Conferences.

The Passion Project provides an opportunity for your child to shine as an individual as they tap into their interests and passions as a vehicle for driving their learning forward.
They will be supported by a group of students working together under a common theme and they will also have the support of their entire peer group.

As we begin to think about The Passion Project, your child will have lots of ideas jumping around as to what they would like to focus their inquiry on.
By the end of the first week back after Spring Break, each student should be clear on where they are headed with their inquiry - and will be guided through this process via class, group and one-on-one discussions.
Some children will take longer to 'nail down' their passion - this is fine! We will be documenting our learning and this period of exploration will be part of the journey.

The Passion Project is a chance for your child to showcase their strengths and to focus their energy on a unit of work that they choose and plan for, themselves.
There will be a lot of responsibility on the part of each individual to set their own goals, develop a plan of action and follow through on their goals.
Your child will also have the autonomy to forge their own path and follow their own creative desires!

Because each child is responsible for their own project, they really have to love and be passionate about their topic!
We have seen what has happened through our Persuasive Writing unit when students are a little hasty in their decision making and are not fully invested in their topic.
We will be working extensively with the students to help them figure out what their passions are and how they can enhance their learning and creativity through exploring their passions in depth.

The scope of the inquiry should lead them beyond the walls of the classroom.
As they think about what they will focus their energy on, it should be something personally meaningful to them but also allows them to connect to the world around them.
Students all around the world participate in their own version of The Passion Project - the PYP Exhibition. We will be hoping to tap into this global resource to share our learning with students around the world.

The exhibition involves everyone and helps to bring us together as a community: all students, faculty, administrators, parents, and our greater Riverstone family.
For more information on the purpose and value of community, please take a look at the Community section of The Passion Project website.

The Passion Project will require your child to reflect throughout the process and in preparation of the process on who they are as a learner. As they work on their inquiry, they will be continually thinking about their learning, possibly changing directions in their work as their thinking changes.
Likewise, we will reflect on The Passion Project as teachers, throughout the unit of work and at the conclusion and will be using our reflections and the information we gather to further refine and improve on the delivery and execution of The Passion Project.

There are a few 'requirements' of the exhibition that are in place from the IBO. Students are expected to showcase a lot of their skills throughout the process and be prepared to tap into all areas of the curriculum over the course of their inquiry.
Single subject teachers will be working with students to identify ways for the students to express their learning through different subject areas.

We will be having our official launch of the exhibition on Monday, 12th of March. There will be a Passions Tour Field Trip on Tuesday, 13th of March and a day of pulling everything together and reflecting on Wednesday 14th March.
Student Led Conferences over the 15/16 of March will be a chance for your child to share their initial thoughts with you.
The unit begins in earnest after Spring Break
The final exhibition evening is planned for May 21st in the evening.

This project will need to be supported with homework.
During The Passion Project, homework may include things such as field trips to different places or primary-source research that may seem more like playing than working - it should, if your child is following their passion!
Please communicate with us if you feel your child is over or underwhelmed at any point during The Passion Project.
In the initial stages of The Passion Project we will provide weekly guidelines for success to help students with their planning/organization.

There will be some rubrics to guide the students as they work through this process.
Reflections will also form a big part of how we measure the success or growth of each child - and how they will measure their own success.
We will be monitoring and assessing different aspects of The Passion Project on an ongoing basis.

There are three key players in The Passion Project: Parents, Mentors and Children themselves.

Your kids are going to need your support!
They will love you and need you a lot!
We also need you to keep in touch with us if you notice things are not working out so well.
Equally, we would love to hear your success stories or anything else that you want to tell us from your perspective about how The Passion Project is working for your child.

Each student will have a mentor from our faculty who will support them through the inquiry through weekly meetings.
The role of the mentor is to support and encourage and be another layer of accountability and support for the student.
For more information about mentors, please check the Mentors page on The Passion Project website.

Your child has a large role in this!
When they are stuck or want to share their success or want help or are lost....please encourage them to speak up sooner rather than later!
This unit will be as good and as worthwhile as they want it to be.
Encouraging them to be as open-minded as possible and to really use this time to do something awesome are some of the best ways we can all support the kids through this inquiry.

Things will look a little different over the next couple of months. Classes may look different, who is in the class may change, what "work" looks like might be different too.
All we ask is that you trust us. Your kids are with us because you wanted something different. We want to help them have the best experience possible and that is going to look really different for every child.
Let The Passion Project, begin!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.