MYP Curriculum

DIS Middle Years Program

An International Education leading to the IB Diploma: A Passport to the World  

The International Program at Dallas International School prepares middle years students to compete and thrive in today’s global community, beginning with preparatory work in 5th through 10th grade and culminating in a prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma at the end of 12th grade. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP) provides a world-class preparation for high school and beyond. IB students consistently demonstrate the critical thinking and research skills needed to excel in their studies, and they tend to enroll in the world’s best institutions. Students enrolled in the MYP are well prepared to handle the rigors of the IB Diploma Program (DP) courses in 11th and 12th grades. High-scoring results in IB courses are viewed positively by college admissions departments. Moreover, the IB Diploma Program is one of the most academically challenging high school programs in the world, as it encompasses both high-level coursework and extra projects such as community service.

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (MYP) begins in 6th grade and culminates in 10th grade. It provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical, and reflective thinkers. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world. It fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding, and global engagement—essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders. It prepares students to meet the academic challenges of the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and the IB Career-related Programme (CP) community project.

 

The MYP: a unique approach, relevant for a global society

The MYP aims to help students develop their personal understanding, their emerging sense of self, and responsibility in their community. MYP teachers organize the curriculum with appropriate attention to:

  • Teaching and learning in context. Students learn best when their learning experiences have context and are connected to their lives and the world that they have experienced. Using global contexts, MYP students explore human identity, global challenges, and what it means to be internationally-minded.
  • Conceptual understanding. Concepts are big ideas that have relevance within specific disciplines and across subject areas. MYP students use concepts as a vehicle to inquire into issues and ideas of personal, local, and global significance and examine knowledge holistically.
  • Approaches to learning (ATL). A unifying thread throughout all MYP subject groups, approaches to learning provide the foundation for independent learning and encourage the application of their knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Developing and applying these skills help students learn how to learn.
  • Service as action. Action (i.e., learning by doing and experiencing) and service have always been shared values of the IB community. Students take action when they apply what they are learning in the classroom and beyond. IB learners strive to be caring members of the community who demonstrate a commitment to service—making a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment. Service as action is an integral part of the programme, especially in the MYP
  • Language and identity. MYP students are required to learn at least two languages. Learning to communicate in a variety of ways is fundamental to their development of intercultural understanding and crucial to their identity affirmation. 

View MYP Brochure