Grade five Prairie Waters Elementary School students presented topics they were passionate about to their parents and the greater community on June 5 during the seventh annual Primary Years Program (PYP) Exhibition.
Throughout the evening, friends and family of the grade five students gathered to watch a documentary featuring how the students worked on their projects, before watching each student present what they learned about their topic.
“Students chose a topic of their own, they had a specific and dedicated amount of time to investigate, with the intent that they would convey an action to better the community or the world,” said Learning Tech Coordinator Jennifer Friske.
“It’s driven by the students. It’s whatever they are interested in,” Friske said.
To gather information about their topics, students were required to find mentors who would support them and guide them through the research steps, offer support, idea’s and ensure they stay focused.
Not only does the PYP Exhibition teach students about topics in the world today, including minimalism, smoking, blue light, food waste, and compost, but it also shows the students some paths to how to be leaders of the future.
“They are spreading the word and developing a sense of making the world a better place beyond what they are learning,” Friske said.
While researching for their projects, students learn who they are as people and how they will likely function in the real world.
“The PYP Exhibition is setting students up for independence, providing some of the tools that enable them to venture out in the world knowing they are capable of whatever they want to do,” Friske said.
Throughout the last seven years, Prairie Waters Elementary School has received extremely positive feedback from parents and have always had a full house during the PYP Exhibitions.
“It’s always great, and every year we are blown away by the number of people who come to support our grade five students,” Friske said.
Not only does the PYP Exhibition teach students about topics they are interested in while allowing students to be curious, but it enhances their love of learning.
“We want students to know it’s about the joy of exploring what they want to know, and we will find ways to make it work,” Friske said.
