The Ocean Ave Program of Inquiry (POI) is the transdisciplinary core of the IB Primary Years Program (PYP) at Ocean Avenue School. Every year, each grade explores six rich Units of Inquiry, developed and updated by each grade-level team, under the themes:

WHO WE ARE 
WHERE WE ARE IN PLACE AND TIME 
HOW WE EXPRESS OURSELVES 
HOW THE WORLD WORKS 
HOW WE ORGANIZE OURSELVES
SHARING THE PLANET 

These transdisciplinary units span the school year and integrate the content and skills learned across social studies, science, literacy, and math, as well as social/emotional learning. Take a look at a summary version our IB PYP Program of Inquiry 2020-2021 across all grades and throughout the year! (NOTE that in our 2020-2021 hybrid learning time, the timing and/or order of inquiry units may change.) A deeper look at the POI for each grade can be found HERE.

Our specials teachers also engage with the transdisciplinary themes through their own content units or by connecting with the grade-level units. All teachers reflect on and improve their inquiry units collaboratively, working with English Language teachers and Special Ed teachers as well. Commitment to collaborative planning and reflection keeps the units relevant, engaging, challenging and significant.

Through the IB PYP model, we provide concept-based, inquiry-driven learning, where teachers guide and support students to ask questions, wonder, find and discuss answers, build knowledge and understanding from their learning work, organize their learning for presentation to others and reflect on their own learning. We encourage our students to take meaningful action in authentic ways--be it educating others, advocating for a cause, or acting in the community based on the knowledge and understanding that they gain.