对世界好奇：做好二三月的事，遇见六七月的花……
“你做好了二三月的事，自然会在六七月遇见花，在十月里收获果实。”
用这句话形容北皋和三里屯校区刚刚完成PYP毕业展示的5年级孩子们再合适不过了——
过去2周里，孩子们完成了PYP毕业展，为5年来的PYP课程学习画下圆满的句号，“做好了二三月的事，遇见了六七月的花”；也为接下来的中学课程学习开了个好头，只待“十月里收获果实了”！
“六七月的花”
孩子们用6、7周时间，围绕联合国17个可持续发展目标陆续完成项目，在PYP毕业展上一一展示出来，向前来参观的老师、同学和家长讲解。
北皋校区展示现场
“异彩纷呈”——可以用来形容毕业展缤纷的话题——它们是孩子们用努力学习和好奇探索培育出的“六七月的花”。
学生们有的关心怎样用海水制造清洁的淡水；有的探讨怎样帮助季刀苗寨的学生获得更好的教育；有的探索用漂浮垃圾桶收集海洋垃圾，保护海洋生物；有的关心阿尔兹海默症的预防和干预；有的考察怎样延缓珊瑚礁的白化；有的关心肥胖和健康的关系……
三里屯校区展示现场
孩子们用展板展示了项目的完整过程：研究主题的选择原因；查找和了解关注相同主题的专家、机构资源；收集、分析数据；提出解决方案，进而采取行动……这是一整套发现问题、解决问题和研究问题的过程和技能的训练。
北皋校区的江杉关心的是更有效地进行垃圾分类。为了搞清楚为什么垃圾分类推行这么久还不够理想，她直接给北京北京环境卫生工程集团总经理发去电邮，说明自己的想法。总经理收到她的来信很高兴，马上指派自己的助理接受江杉的采访。电邮来来回回，看到自己的疑问得到回应，江杉高兴地跳了起来！江杉反思说，这个项目的学习过程大大锻炼了自己的沟通能力和信心。
杨昀达的研究主题是雾霾。他花了大量时间联系专家，查找英文资料。反思收获时，他说：“我的英文能力提高了，资料研究能力也提高了！我也从一项研究里了解到，塑料制品分解后会间接影响空气质量，事物的联系真是广泛的！”
三里屯校区的霍映淇、程洛嘉、赵依荷、钟明希和江溪洋合作的题目是提高人们对珊瑚礁白化的认识。他们不但通过查找和分析资料，提升了自己对这个问题的认识，从展览观众的反馈也不难看出这个项目的成功：
一位来参观的家长听了他们的讲解感触特别深：“我从来不知道还有超级珊瑚——科学家先是把珊瑚放到热水里培养，然后就要白化时再给它们降温，这样培养出来的珊瑚礁能更好抵抗海水变暖，更好地保卫海岸线；另外，我也是听孩子们告诉我才知道，原来为地球供氧最大的功臣不是热带雨林，而是离我们很远的海洋生物！所以我们真的要关注全球变暖，好好地保护珊瑚礁！”
“二三月的事”
PYP课程有趣，但很有挑战，要想真正做好“二三月的事”可不容易，比如选题。
今年的展览主题和社会创新项目结合，要求学生从联合国17个可持续发展目标（SDG）中选择自己最感兴趣、并且可以采取实际行动的一个作为主题。
“怎么入手呢？”“我们只有5年级，我们能做什么呀……”
“一开始，这些宏大的主题的确让很多孩子无从下手。”北皋校区中文老师、同时也教授PYP中文课程的柳慧说，“我们就带着孩子从他们感兴趣的话题入手，从解决问题开始，倒推着引导他们思考。”
有个学生对SDG第8个目标‘体面工作和经济增长’相关的失业话题感兴趣。老师就引导他一点点“剥洋葱”：
“想想，人们要解决失业需要什么？”
孩子说：“需要技术。”
“那你能做点什么帮他们学习技术吗？”
“可以做个网站，当作他们学习技术的平台。这个平台是开放的，大家都可以上传介绍自己专业技能的内容，比如教弹琴、配音、做视频……”
看，洋葱一层层剥开，思路打开了！
“这个孩子规划了相关的计划，变得很自信。春假里，他还主动去读了经济学方面的书！”柳老师说。
还有挑战，比如资料的收集和整理。有些学生的选题是全球性的，比如海洋生物，在北京并不好收集一手的资料和信息。
“我们就为学生提供更多的信息和支持，引导他们查找更多的资料，也为他们推荐相关领域的专家去访问。”三里屯校区PYP课程协调员Yvonne Horst说。
孩子们的支持资源来自四面八方，有老师，有专家，还有来自启明星社区内的各种支持：政府关系部门、市场部、中学部教师，甚至启明星执行校董许尚杰的辅导。
北皋校区的张诗昀的项目是有关反对象牙贸易的，因为象牙贸易已经在中国禁止了，在北京能够直接联系到的专家和组织很难找。支持张诗昀项目的游佳老师自己就很关注环境保护，她很热心地支持小诗昀，不单帮助她联系到北京一家专门研究公平贸易的机构，还细心地把每一次和学生面谈的进度做了笔记！
上：游佳老师辅导孩子们。
下：在老师协调下，5年级学生和12年级做类似主题研究的学生交流。
“十月里的果实”
PYP毕业展是学生IB PYP学习技能的集中展示和锻炼，但这场经验的宝贵之处远不止于此。
孩子们在选题过程中得到充分的尊重，他们围绕自己的兴趣进行选择和研究，对世界产生了更大的好奇和更深刻的思考。
有个学生关注的是非洲妈妈生产过程的安全，研究了相关的资料，也设计了医疗包。她的妈妈告诉老师，这样的学习过程让孩子很受触动，对妈妈的辛苦也有了更多的体会、理解，还有深深的感恩！
这场活动的另一个重要意义便是采取行动。孩子们不但要研究问题，也要能围绕解决问题采取行动。
这些行动包括切实的研究、公开宣讲、制作展示品、义卖募款……可能带来影响的、各种各样的努力。孩子们发现，5年级的自己的行动并不缺乏大家的关注和回应和肯定，这也增强了他们的自信，用于探索和解决自己关注的问题，对于终生学习者、对于有心为世界做些积极事情的孩子们来说，这非常重要！
北皋校区学生在小区和农夫市集推广项目和筹集善款
三里屯校区的文娜有心在长大后做医生，当她看到有人40几岁就得了阿尔兹海默症的病例，就开始潜心研究这个问题。她在行动阶段，两次前往老人院，带去了延缓阿尔滋海默症的益智游戏，还陪老人们聊天。
“我们去老人院看他们，和他们聊天，老人们很开心！”文娜说，“我觉得对老人来说，家人的陪伴是很重要的，对延缓阿尔兹海默症的发展比药物更有用。”
今年，PYP毕业展已成为社会创新项目的一环，它的SDG选题范围直指社会创新项目的广泛领域，开启了孩子们对身边世界的思考和关注，我们相信他们在接下来的IB MYP项目学习中、在力求改变的项目学习中，乃至更远的大学学习和生活中，会继续围绕自己真心关注的现实问题开展研究和行动，收获“十月里的果实”！
If you plant seeds in February and March, you will naturally encounter blooms in June and July, and enjoy the harvest in October.
This metaphor is a great way to describe the experiences of the 5th graders at Beigao Campus and Sanlitun Campus who have just completed their presentations for the PYP graduation exhibition.
Over the past two weeks, the students completed their PYP graduation exhibition, marking the successful conclusion of their five years of PYP studies. They planted seeds in February and March, and naturally encountered blooms in June and July. Their secondary school studies are also off to a good start. Just wait until they are ready to enjoy the harvest in October!
“Blooms in June and July”
With the support of the entire community, the students completed their projects one after another within 6 to 7 weeks. They showcased their work at the PYP graduation exhibition and presented their projects to the teachers, classmates, and parents who visited their exhibition area.
PYP Exhibition at Beigao Campus
“Rich and colorful” is a great way to describe the graduation exhibition. These projects are the blooms that appear in June and July after the students have studied hard and explored with curiosity.
Some of the students were concerned about how to use seawater to generate clean fresh water. Some discussed how to help students in Jidao Miao Village receive a better education. Some explored using floating trash cans to collect marine debris and protect marine life. Some focused on ways to prevent and intervene in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Some investigated how to delay the bleaching of coral reefs. Some showed interest in the relationship between obesity and health…
PYP Exhibition at Sanlitun Campus
The students presented the complete process of the projects using display boards. They included the reasons for choosing the research topics, finding and understanding experts and institutional resources on related topics, collecting and analyzing data, proposing solutions, and taking further action. This type of project provides comprehensive training for identifying, studying, and solving problems.
Beigao student Jiang Shan’s concern was how to make the garbage classification system more effective. To figure out why the implementation of the garbage classification system hasn’t been ideal for so long, she sent an email to the General Manager of Beijing Environmental Sanitation Engineering Group Limited to explain her thoughts. The general manager was pleased to receive her message and immediately had his assistant set up an interview with Jiang Shan. As her questions were answered through email after email, Jiang Shan jumped with joy. As Jiang Shan reflected on the project, she thought the study process greatly honed her communication skills and boosted her confidence.
Yang Yunda's research topic was haze. He spent a lot of time contacting experts and digging into documents and material in English. When reflecting on what he gained, he said, “My English skills have improved and so have my data research skills! I also learned from a study that plastic products can indirectly affect air quality after decomposition. I realized how everything is connected!”
Sanlitun students Rosalind, Lucas, Rachel, Woody, and Isabel collaborated on how to improve people’s awareness of the bleaching of coral reefs. They enhanced their own understanding of this issue by searching for and analyzing information. The success of their project can be easily seen through the feedback from exhibition visitors.
A parent who visited the exhibition was deeply touched by their presentation and said, “I didn’t know anything about super corals. Scientists first culture corals in hot water, and then cool them down when they are about to bleach. The coral reefs cultivated using this method can better resist the warming of seawater and defend the coastline. Additionally, I just learned from the kids that the biggest contributor to Earth’s oxygen supply is not the tropical rainforest, but marine organisms that are far away from us! So, we really need to pay attention to global warming and protect coral reefs!”
“Planting Seeds in February and March”
PYP is an interesting, yet challenging program. Planting seeds in February and March, which could include things like selecting topics, is no easy task.
This year’s theme was combined with their social innovation projects, which meant students needed to choose their topics from the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They were encouraged to select the SDG that was most interesting to them and that they could take practical action on.
“How can we get started?” “We're only fifth graders. What can we do?”
Liu Hui, a Chinese teacher at Beigao Campus who also teaches the PYP Chinese curriculum, said, “At first, many of the children didn’t know what to do with these broad themes. We had the students start by thinking in reverse. First, they identified which topics interested them, then they considered how to solve the issues.”
One student showed interest in unemployment, which is related to the 8th SDG, Decent Work and Economic Growth. The teacher guided him in breaking down the topic piece by piece, just like peeling back the layers of an onion:
“Think about what people would need to solve unemployment.”
The student answered, “They need skills.”
“Can you do anything to help them acquire these skills?” “
“I can build an online platform that can help them learn new skills. The platform will be open to the public and everyone can upload content introducing their professional skills, such as how to play the piano, dub videos, create videos, etc.”
Just look! As each layer is peeled back, the ideas start to jump out.
“This student became very confident after making relevant plans. He also took the initiative to read books on economics during spring vacation!” Teacher Liu said.
Students also have to handle challenges such as collecting and sorting data. Some of the students selected global topics, such as marine life, making it hard for them to collect first-hand data and information in Beijing.
“We provided students with additional information and support. We guided them to search for more material and recommended experts in related fields for them to visit.” said Yvonne Horst, the Sanlitun Campus PYP coordinator.
The resource support comes from all directions, including teachers, experts, and a variety of support within the Daystar community, which involves government-related sectors, marketing departments, middle school teachers, and even guidance from Jack Hsu, the Executive Director of Daystar Academy.
Beigao student Rainbow Zhang’s project was related to opposing the ivory trade. As the trade in ivory has been banned in China, it is difficult to directly contact experts and organizations in Beijing. Teacher Yuki is concerned about environmental protection. She enthusiastically supported Rainbow by helping her contact an institution specializing in fair trade research in Beijing, as well as carefully taking notes on Rainbow’s progress each time they met to discuss the project.
Above: Teacher Yuki tutoring students.
Below: With assistance from teachers, 5th and 12th Grade students discuss their related research topics.
“Harvests in October”
The PYP graduation exhibition is a platform for students to showcase and exercise their PYP learning skills, but the value of the experience is far more than that.
The students were respected as they selected their topics. They made choices on what to research based on their own interests, generating greater curiosity and deeper thinking about the world.
One student focused on the safety of African mothers during childbirth. She studied relevant information and also designed a medical kit. Her mother told the teacher that this learning process deeply stirred her daughter’s feelings. Her daughter gained deep experience, understanding, and gratitude for the hard work that mothers do!
Another important aspect of the event is taking action. The students need to both research the problems and take action toward solving them.
These actions include practical research, public lectures, exhibitions, charity sales, and fundraising. All of which can have an impact. The students discovered that although they were only fifth graders, their actions drew people’s attention, response, and affirmation. This also enhanced their confidence to explore and solve issues they are concerned about. This is very valuable for children who develop into lifelong learners and want to make a positive difference in the world!
Beigao students promoting their projects in a compound and farmer market
Sanlitun student Wenna has the dream of becoming a doctor when she grows up. She began studying Alzheimer's disease when she saw people suffering from it in their forties. She took action to better understand this disease and went to a nursing home twice. She took puzzle games to try to slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease and chatted with the residents there.
“The people in the nursing home are very happy to have us visit and chat with them!” Wenna said. “I believe that family companionship means a lot to the elderly and is more effective than medication in delaying the progress of Alzheimer's disease.”
This year’s PYP graduation exhibition was integrated with their social innovation projects. The SDG focus is directly related to the wide range of social innovation projects, illuminating students' thoughts and moving their attention to the world around them. We believe that they will continue to conduct research and take action regarding the real-life issues they truly care about as they progress in their IB MYP studies and their pursuit of change. They may even continue this work into their university studies, leading them to enjoy “harvests in October”!
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