Grade 10
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IB MYP) can be run as a five-year or a four-year course designed to meet the educational requirements as well as the students' individual needs in an international environment. The program is designed for students aged between 11-12 and 16 years (7th to 10th grade). The flexibility of the program encourages a healthy and invigorating atmosphere for students.
The educational aim of Westlake Academy is to awaken the intelligence of the students and teach them to relate the content of the classroom to the realities of the world outside. By emphasizing the dynamic combination of knowledge, skills, experience and critical thinking, we hope to promote academic achievement, coupled with active and responsible citizenship.
The students' subject matter will include English, a foreign language (this will be Spanish at Westlake Academy), Science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), Arts (Music, Art & Design, Drama & Communication), Mathematics, Technology (Information Technology at Westlake Academy), Social Studies (History and Geography) and Physical Education. The Middle Years Program will incorporate into these subjects what is known as Areas of Interaction:
Approaches to Learning is implemented into every subject. This area is concerned with the acquisition of study skills and the fostering of the learning process. This includes the organization of work, handing work in on time, presentation, ability to discuss, ability to prove results, ability to communicate in all forms (this could take the form of debates, presentations, interviews etc.) and the ability to work as a team as well as individually.
Community Service encourages the student to look at "we" instead of "I". Possible activities that are planned range from the running of lunch/after school clubs for PYP students at the Academy to the helping of the "Meals on Wheels" program. Students have already expressed an interest in working with the elderly and disabled and a range of charities. The work is on a voluntary basis and is normally completed outside of the classroom. Each student is expected to complete about 40 hours of community service every year.
Health and Social Education is concerned with mental and physical health. This is another area that is implemented into most subjects. Some topics that fall under this category include abuse of the body, racial issues, class differences, socialization, human rights and the media.
Environment is the area concerned with the interdependence of humans and nature and with sustainable development. The four main subjects focusing on this area are Technology, History, Science and Geography.
Homo Faber concerns the products of the creative and inventive genius of humans and their impact on society and the human mind. The objective is to analyze the impact of the individual, be it a positive or negative one.
The Areas of Interaction are not considered extra subjects. They are incorporated into the teaching of the various subjects, and students are encouraged to explore the relationships. Teachers incorporate these Areas into their subjects through a carefully devised planner that is compiled at the start of each school year. The MYP is specifically designed to break down strict subject barriers and develop strong cross-curricular links. This is something that the staff has been working together to develop.
Assessment in the MYP is continuous. Teachers set their own end of term and year exams and they determine how much weight is given to the student's grade (examples of this have been included for the core subjects). In the final year of the course (Grade 10) students are expected to complete their Personal Project. This is a large assignment and students are given about seven months to complete it. At the end of the 10th Grade students will be issued with a Certificate of Achievement, documenting their performance over the four-year program