Spicewood Elementary School The theme, How We Organize Ourselves, is one of the six transdisciplinary themes of Spicewood’s PYP Curriculum Framework. The transdisciplinary themes allow students to explore them in all subject areas, have global significance for all and cultures, and ultimately relate to what they learn in life. Each grade level spends six weeks exploring this theme, investigating organizations in communities, human-made systems, and the economic activities and their impact on people and the environment.
Our second grade focus more specifically on how “people work to meet personal, financial, and societal needs.” [central idea]. One of their culminating learning experiences is Market Day. In the weeks leading up to this event, students explore the differences between wants and needs in relation to our communities and economies, persuasive texts in media and print, in addition to the creative process in order to transform an idea into an actual product.
On Market Day, students set up their booths with their persuasive advertisements and products, ready to sell to their peers. Student products include pencil holders, homemade dog treats, jewelry, pet rocks, and art work. The event gives students an opportunity to engage in the buying and selling process in a community, reflecting on the experience as a whole and how it organizes a group of people. They used their communication skills to help sell their products and negotiate prices.
Take a look at some of the student products below!
