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Your Go-to List of PYP

Related Concepts
By Maggie Hos-McGrane
 Maggie Hos-McGrane
Maggie has been an educator for over 30 years, 25
of these in international schools in Europe and Asia.
She has taught students from age 3 to 18 in the IB
PYP, MYP and DP programmes and is also an IB
consultant, school visitor and workshop leader,
facilitating both online, face-to-face regional
workshops and in-school workshops. Maggie has
presented at international conferences including
ISTE, Learning2, ECIS, AASSA and EARCOS, in Asia,
Europe, Africa, North and South America. She is
passionate about the power of coaching to
transform teaching and learning in schools.

Disclaimer - The ideas presented in this resource have been developed independently
from and are not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate (IB).
Where do

Related

Concepts

come from?
Related Concepts are often treated as a mystical element of the PYP. Most PYP

educators I've worked with wonder where Related Concepts come from and how

to use them.

The IB PYP documentation, From Principles to Practice states

"In the PYP, conceptual understandings are the aim of the unit of inquiry and form

the central idea. Related Concepts provide a lens for conceptual understandings

within a specific subject.

Clearly then, Related Concepts are drawn from subjects. There are currently 6

subject scope and sequence documents and these form a useful starting point

for identifying subject-specific Related Concepts.

How do the

Related Concepts

work with the six

Transdisciplinary

Themes?
Related Concepts and the Transdisciplinary Themes go hand-in-hand. To illustrate exactly

how, let us walk through my process of creating this list of subject-wise Related Concepts:

I started by dividing up the descriptors of the Transdisciplinary Themes. As teachers

1. develop a Unit of Inquiry they focus on a specific part of the descriptor - not the whole

thing. The idea is that all parts of the descriptor are addressed throughout the

Programme of Inquiry, but in each grade only a small part will form the focus of the

units. Therefore, I began creating this tool by first focusing on the descriptors of each

Transdisciplinary Theme. These descriptors make the guiding lens of this tool.

Figure 6. Learning and Teaching, From Principles to Practice

2. My next step was to look through each of the Scope and Sequence documents,
particularly at the strands. I matched these strands to the part of the Transdisciplinary
Theme that supported. This information helped create a bridge between the
Transdisciplinary Theme and Subjects. This makes up the central column in this tool.

Page 11, PSPE Scope and Sequence

 Finally, I looked deeper into the strands to determine what stood out. This is where

3. I discovered meaningful subject-specific Related Concepts!

Page 12, PSPE Scope and Sequence

What do you

do with

Related Concepts?
Now that the Related Concepts have been identified, the next question is how to use them!

Generally I would choose two of these, or perhaps three with the older students, in order to

develop a Central Idea for the unit.

For example, let’s take the Where We Are in Place and Time Transdisciplinary Theme, and let’s

imagine that a group of teachers have decided the focus will be on the relationship between

and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.

There are a number of strands from different Scope and Sequence documents that can help

build this unit further. Since we are developing a Transdisciplinary unit, I try to ensure that more

than one subject is represented, wherever possible.

From the Social Studies Scope and Sequence we could look at Continuity and Change

through Time, Resources, and the Environment

From the PSPE Scope and Sequence documents the Interactions strand might be useful.

Related Concepts that teachers might want to use when developing their Central Idea

could then be identified as History, Artifacts, Civilizations, Interdependence,

Community and so on.

It’s time to now look at the table!

Descriptor Subject and Strand Related Concepts

What I tend to do at that point is to narrow down these Related Concepts and write them on

sticky notes so we can move them around easily to wordsmith the Central Idea. In collaborative

planning meetings I like to have teachers divide up into pairs, and then using some of the

identified Related Concepts, they can have a go at building a number of Central Ideas. These can

then be discussed and teachers can decide which Central Idea they want to move forward with.
What if you

follow State

or National

Standards?
I often get asked
during workshops and
consultancies about
identifying Related
Concepts when a
school has to follow
a specific curriculum
mandated by the state
or country. To answer
this question, let's look
at the NGSS Science
Curriculum used by
many schools around
the world.

NGSS Standards Grade 2

Step 1: While planning for Grade 2, one of the topics we see is Earth’s Systems:
Processes that Shape the Earth.

Step 2: Now looking at the six Transdisciplinary Themes, this will fit best with How the
World Works, and on looking further, we can conclude that it will fall under
the part of the descriptor, 'An inquiry into the natural world and it's laws'.

Step 3: Turning back to the NGSS curriculum, we can identify the core ideas for
Grade 2 students:

The history of planet Earth

Earth materials and systems

Plate tectonics and large scale system interactions

The role of water in Earth’s surface processes

Optimizing the design solution.

Step 4:
Looking at these core ideas it is
already possible to identify the
Related Concepts: Systems, Plate
Tectonics, Processes and so on.

These concepts can be used to

develop a Central Idea using the
same collaborative process
outlined in the previous section.
In fact the NGSS even suggests
a statement that could be the
starting point for teachers to
develop a Central Idea:
'Patterns in the natural world can
be observed'.
NGSS Standards Grade 2
The use of the concept pattern here can broaden the unit from just being a science unit, and,
for example, it could allow authentic connections with maths.

To build a deeper Central Idea we might need to ask questions like:

What patterns and cycles can be observed in the natural world and how do they work?
These questions would then call upon an understanding of the Key Concepts, Form and
Function, which in turn can be used to write the Lines of Inquiry.

Why is it important for humans to understand these patterns and cycles (the “so what”
question - what would happen if we did not take account of these natural patterns -
which may lead students into a design thinking challenge).

As you can see, we have used Related Concepts to highlight what is essential for students to
understand within a discipline. Not only do they deepen disciplinary understanding, the
Related Concepts also allow us to build understanding across and between the disciplines,
ensuring that our units are truly transdisciplinary.
A Quick Guide

to Using

Related Concepts
Decide which part of the descriptor of the Transdisciplinary Theme you are
focusing on in a unit.

Refer to the Scope and Sequence or other curriculum documents and

identify the Related Concepts that can be used to support that focus.

Narrow down the Related Concepts until you have 2 or 3 that are most
relevant to your inquiry.

Use strong verbs to link the Related Concepts into a statement that will form
the Central Idea.
Your Go-to List
of PYP Related
Concepts
 Who We Are

Descriptor (An inquiry into) Subject and Strand Related Concepts

The nature of self PSPE: Identity Character, Diversity, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality

PSPE: Identity
Spirituality
Beliefs and values
Social studies: Social organisation & culture Beliefs, Values

Wellness, Health, Needs, Nutrition, Exercise,

PSPE: Active living Safety, Growth, Change, Relationships, Energy,

Personal, physical, mental, Growth, Leisure, Rest
social and spiritual health
PSPE: Identity Spirituality

Science: Living things Body systems

Social studies: Social

Relationships including Behaviour, Teamwork, Connection,
organisation and culture
families, friends, Interaction, Roles, Relationships, Family,

communities and cultures PSPE: Interactions Community, Culture, Interdependence

Rights and Social studies: Social organisation

Human rights
responsibilities and culture

Behaviour, Development, Roles,

What it means Belonging, Stereotype, Discrimination,
PSPE: Interactions
to be human Citizenship, Decisions, Freedom
 Where We Are in Place and Time
Descriptor (An inquiry into) Subject and Strand Related Concepts

Social Studies: Continuity and Chronology, History

change through time
Orientation in place
and time Geography, Borders (natural, social & political), Landscape,
Social Studies: Human and
natural environments Locality, Regions, Settlements, Population, Resources

Social Studies: Social organisation Family, Identity, Diversity, Prejudice, Religion, Roles,
Personal histories and culture Traditions, Religion, Conflict

PSPE: Identity Heritage

Social Studies: Human and

Amenities, Settlement
natural environments

Homes and journeys Social Studies: Social organisation

Communication, Networks
and culture
Social Studies: Continuity and change Migration
through time

The discoveries, Social Studies: Continuity and Discovery, Exploration, Migration, Progress,
explorations and change through time Conflict
migrations of humankind

Social Studies: Continuity and Civilizations, Innovation, Progress, Revolution,

The relationship between change through time

Artifacts, Interdependence
and the interconnectedness
of individuals and
Social Studies: Resources and the
civilizations, from local and
environment Community, Culture, Justice, Leadership
global perspectives
PSPE: Interactions
 How We Organise Ourselves
Descriptor (An inquiry into) Subject and Strand Related Concepts

The interconnectedness of Social studies: Human

systems and economic Cooperation, Employment,
human-made systems and
activities Product, Transportation
communities

The structure and function Social studies: Social

organization and culture Education, Employment
of organizations

Social studies: Social Government, Authority,

Societal decision-making organization and culture Legislation, Justice

Production, Consumption,
Social studies: Human systems Transportation, Employment, Process,
and economic activities Supply and demand
Economic activities and their
impact on humankind and the
environment
Social studies: Resources and
Resources, Distribution, Poverty, Wealth
the environment
 How We Express Ourselves
Descriptor (An inquiry into) Subject and Strand Related Concepts

Arts Interpretation, Imagination,

Ways in which we discover Technique, Communication,
and express ideas, Expression, Experience,
feelings, nature, culture, Language, Culture, Media,
beliefs and values Influence, Meaning, Symbols,
Language Imagery, Structure

The ways in which we Performance, Creation,

reflect on, extend and Arts
Perspective, Purpose
enjoy our creativity

Our appreciation of the Audience, Appreciation,

aesthetic Arts Elements, Viewing, Genre,
Response, Subjectivity, Opinion
 How The World Works
Descriptor (An inquiry into)
The natural world and its laws
The interaction between
the natural world (physical
and biological) and human
societies
How humans use their
understanding of scientific
principles
The impact of scientific and
technological advances on
society and on the environment
Subject and Strand
Science: Earth and space
Science: Materials and matter
Science: Living things
Science: Earth and space
Science: Materials and matter
Science: Materials and matter
Science: Forces and energy
Science: Forces and energy
Related Concepts
Climate, Seasons, Patterns, Systems (Solar,
Water cycle, Weather, Body systems),
Tectonic plate movement, Renewable and
Non-Renewable resources, Energy, Erosion,
Geology, Gravity, Materials
Animals, Adaptation, Biodiversity,
Conservation, Ecosystems, Habitat,
Plants, Sustainability
Chemical and physical changes
Classification, Materials,
Structures, Conservation,
Discovery
Conservation, Efficiency, Forms of
energy, Pollution, Power, Technological
advances, Transformation
 Sharing the Planet

Descriptor (An inquiry into) Subject and Strand Related Concepts

Animals, Plants, Biodiversity, Conservation,

Science: Living things
Rights and responsibilities in
Ecosystems, Habitat, Ecology

the struggle to share finite

resources with other people
Resources, Renewable and Non-Renewable
and other living things
Science: Earth resources, Sustainability, Atmosphere, Climate,
and space Water, Erosion, Pollution

Communities and the

Social studies: Resources Poverty, Wealth, Consumption,
relationship within and
and the environment Interdependence, Sustainability
between them

Social studies: Resources Equity, Rights, Diversity, Progress,

Access to equal opportunities
and the environment Technology, Balance, Consequences

Peace, Conflict, Perception, Cooperation,

Peace and conflict resolution PSPE: Interactions
Discrimination, Safety
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