IB MYP- Sciences

Scientific inquiry fosters critical and creative thinking about research and design, as well as the identification of assumptions and alternative explanations. Through MYP sciences, students will learn to appreciate and respect the ideas of others, gain good ethical-reasoning skills and further develop their sense of responsibility as members of local and global communities.

With inquiry at the core, the MYP sciences framework aims to guide students to independently and collaboratively investigate issues through research, observation and experimentation. The MYP sciences curriculum explores the connections between science and everyday life. As they investigate real examples of science applications, students discover the tensions and dependencies between science and morality, ethics, culture, economics, politics, and the environment.

MYP sciences courses usually include biology, chemistry and physics, but schools may develop and offer other sciences courses that meet the subject group’s aims and objectives.

Additional courses could include-
Environmental sciences
Life sciences
Physical sciences
Sport sciences
Health sciences
Earth sciences.

MYP science courses can include interdisciplinary science units that explore concepts, skills and processes from two or more science disciplines.
Each approach allows students to meet all subject group objectives. Schools offering integrated science courses can register students to receive IB-validated grades through MYP eAssessment.

Aims of the Course

The MYP sciences group aims to, according to the official suject briefs, encourage and enable students to-
• Understand and appreciate science and its implications
• Consider science as a human endeavour with benefits and limitations
• Cultivate analytical, inquiring and flexible minds that pose questions, solve problems, construct explanations and judge arguments
• Develop skills to design and perform investigations, evaluate evidence and reach conclusions
• Build an awareness of the need to effectively collaborate and communicate
• Apply language skills and knowledge in a variety of real-life contexts
• Develop sensitivity towards the living and non-living environments
• Reflect on learning experiences and make informed choices.

Curriculum Overview

Although schools may vary the structure of the curriculum throughout the five years of the programme, they generally develop discrete, modular or integrated science courses. Discrete sciences courses typically encompass biology, chemistry and physics, but may include other science disciplines, such as environmental sciences, life sciences or physical sciences. Modular sciences courses include two or more discrete sciences taught in rotation.

The MYP promotes inquiry in sciences by developing conceptual understanding within global contexts. Key concepts such as change, relationships and systems broadly frame the MYP curriculum.

Related concepts promote deeper learning grounded in specific disciplines. Examples of related concepts in MYP sciences include energy, movement, transformation and models. Additional concepts may also be identified and developed to meet local circumstances and curriculum requirements.

Students explore key and related concepts through MYP global contexts.
• Identities and relationships
• Orientation in space and time
• Personal and cultural expression
• Scientific and technical innovation
• Globalization and sustainability
• Fairness and development

These same global contexts are discussed across the curriculum, supporting transfer and interdisciplinary learning. The MYP curriculum framework offers schools flexibility to determine engaging, relevant, challenging and significant content that meets local and national curriculum requirements. This inquiry-based curriculum explores factual, conceptual and debatable questions in the study of sciences.

The MYP requires at least 50 hours of teaching time for each subject area in each year of the programme. For students participating in MYP eAssessment, the IB recommends 70 hours of guided learning each year in MYP years 4 and 5.

Assessment Criteria

Each sciences objective corresponds to one of four equally weighted assessment criteria. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels (1–8), divided into four bands with unique descriptors that teachers use to make judgments about students’ work.

Criterion A: Knowing and understanding
Students develop scientific knowledge (facts, ideas, concepts, processes, laws, principles, models and theories) and apply it to solve problems and express scientifically supported judgments.

Criterion B: Inquiring and designing
Students develop intellectual and practical skills through designing, analysing and performing scientific investigations.

Criterion C: Processing and evaluating
Students collect, process and interpret qualitative and/or quantitative data, and explain conclusions that have been appropriately reached.

Criterion D: Reflecting on the impacts of science
Students evaluate the implications of scientific developments and their applications to a specific problem or issue. Varied scientific language is applied to demonstrate understanding. Students should become aware of the importance of documenting the work of others when communicating in science.

eAssessment

Students seeking IB MYP course results or the IB MYP certificate must demonstrate their achievement of the subject group’s objectives by completing an end-of-course on-screen examination. On-screen examinations are formal external examinations, and are available in biology, chemistry, physics and integrated sciences.

Topics explored in MYP sciences on-screen examinations include:
• Atomic structure and bonding
• Cells
• Cycles
• Electromagnetism
• Evolution
• Interactions between organisms
• Forces
• States and properties of matter
• Metabolism
• Organisms
• Waves.

Examination blueprints define the structure of tasks that simulate, replicate and sample formative internal assessments. In MYP science courses, on-screen examinations comprise three tasks.

These tasks are-

1. Knowing and understanding
Assesses knowledge and understanding of science
(criterion A).
Marks- 30

2. Investigation
Assesses the skills involved in inquiring, designing, processing and evaluating. May
involve a single investigation or a number of discrete scenarios. Students must formulate hypotheses, plan investigations and collect, present, interpret and evaluate data.
(criteria B and C)
Marks- 60

3. Applying science
Requires students to reflect on the impact of science, and explain how science addresses real-life issues.
(criterion D)
Marks- 30

MYP sciences on-screen examinations are aligned with understanding and skills that prepare students for high levels of achievement in IB Diploma Programme courses in sciences.

Want to improve your grades? Request for one to one online tutoring at Vidyalai.com with the best IB teachers. 100% money back guarantee. Request your first lesson now!