On Friday, May 6th, after six weeks of intense collaborative work, the 5th Graders shared their PYP Exhibition projects with their families and the school community. Full of excitement, this joyful celebration of learning unfolded through a myriad of posters, games, surveys, performances, and other interactive activities showcasing what the 5th Graders had learned about media. This year’s theme focused on the transdisciplinary theme “Who We Are”, and the central idea was that the way that we use the media shows and impacts who we are. The students divided into groups, and each investigated the different ways that media impacts issues surrounding gender, race, health, and relationships.
 
Some of the groups’ research questions included:

• How does media promote or dismantle gender stereotypes?
• How does the media help build communities?
• How has media evolved throughout time?
• How does media influence racial conflict?
• How does media change the way that people think about health?

Although the framework of the project is considered a staple of the expression of learning in the PYP, the 5th Grade Exhibition is special and unique every year. This year at ISB, the personality and interests of the class were displayed in various ways. The students used creative individual expression and their understanding of the central idea to generate personal projects such as:

• An in-depth study of a French TV show using the key concepts of form, perspective and impact (Relationships Group)
• A food stylist competition to demonstrate the persuasive power of advertising (Media Group)
• A poster on how cigarettes have been portrayed and advertised for through time in visual media (Health Group)
• An interview with PBS staff to find out whether or not their TV programs are gender stereotypical and how the network strives to balance gender in these programs (Gender Group)
• An investigation of how media in South America promotes racial discrimination and what is being done to promote equality and respect (Race Group)

For a second year, members of ISB’s Administration acted as mentors for our groups, helping students to move their Exhibition projects forward – and once again, the students loved getting to know them! This year’s PYP Exhibition also integrated more technology than ever to present the students’ findings and engage their audiences, including activities such as electronic surveys and audio translations using QR codes. Parent access to exhibition blog was also improved this year, with the creation of a website where community members could post encouragements and suggestions.

On Exhibition day, the Spanish and French classes captivated their audiences in the most awaited event in every PYP school in the world! They danced, sang, performed skits, and presented their personal projects in multiple languages with confidence and joy.

While parents enjoyed inquiring about media and engaging in discussions with students, it was the students who received the greatest benefits from the Exhibition project. The students not only experienced the pride of presenting their work, but they also used their strong collaborative and communicative skills to work through the research project they led from start to finish. Most importantly, the Exhibition gave students a sense of their own amazing potential. 

Scroll through below to see photos from this year’s Exhibition! 

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