At CIS, we study, plan and teach with the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) educational philosophy and Teaching for Artistic Behaviour (TAB) model where students take the lead in directing their own learning through an inquiry-based approach. We believe that voice and choice, student-led, inquiry and process-based learning ignites curiosity and we preach it every step of the way.

As a school with ‘the child is the product’ and ‘it’s all about the process’ beliefs, you must be wondering how we put on a scripted musical with almost 200 kindergarteners. Through PYP, TAB and collaboration is how; a cross-grade level and curriculum super unit was introduced to authentically integrate students’ Units of Inquiry (UOI) into every aspect of the production process. Read on to explore how we pulled it off!

To create the TAP PYP super unit, first, we started planning by looking at what is happening in our community, students’ lives, and our Programme of Inquiry (POI).

Our grade 1 students are inquiring about “How we organise ourselves”, particularly how communities rely on various roles for effective functioning and growth. Drawing parallels, we established our own backstage crew, including costume, set, lighting, and prop designers. We taught students that just like a musical theatre, their production relies on the coordination and the collaboration of various roles to make it a success.

On the other hand, our senior kindergarteners (SK) are deep into inquiry of “How the world works”, exploring light using their observation skills to learn about the world around them. Just like that, we have set and costume designers who can create from various materials that react differently to black light and white light. We turned this into an investigation with different materials, and students applied their scientific understanding to craft sets, costumes, and props that glow!

Next, we have our junior kindergarteners (JK) and pre-kindergarteners (PK) who are inquiring into “Who we are” by exploring self-regulation and wellness. We incorporated their UOI into our musical by designing the main character to grapple with strong emotions through diverse self-regulation strategies. This narrative journey revolves around the character discovering the strategies that work best for them, allowing their inner light to shine brightly upon the world.

At this point you might be wondering, "What musical are you working on?" Well, the answer is, we're actually writing it (with a bit of assistance from our creative pals). In the process of planning our units of inquiry, we make sure to place our students' interests at the core and build outward. What do they care about? What is happening in their world? That is what guides our creative process.

The Wonder Woods

The story and characters of the musical were inspired from our very own students. Thanks to four-year-old Vincent, we have a name and main character—a millipede named Rosie. And thanks to six-year-old Emmy, we have the beginning of our story.

In Emmy’s imagination, Rosie creates a silky cocoon with her friends (bugs), all excited to see the magical transformation she’ll undergo once she emerges from her cocoon. Yes, Rosie then evolved from a millipede to a fairy. This idea came from Emmy as she twisted A3 white papers to make a millipede and a cocoon and shared her story as the artist’s reflection at the end of class.

We have a team of talented educators working together to bring this musical production to life. Our Music teacher has skillfully composed original songs, each corresponding to the self-regulation strategies within the story. Collaborating with our energetic PE teacher, students have contributed to choreographing dances for these songs. The creative touch of our magical Integrated Arts teacher is evident in the script, crafted with simplicity and rhyme.

We provided open-ended creative opportunities for all students from PK to G1 to contribute to the production by designing dances, sets, props, and costumes. Together, we are embarking on an inquiry-driven, concept-focused, and process-based musical production in SK. This unique journey is inspired and shaped by our most important product—the children, who are exploring ways to be an artist and artistic behaviours as they create.

So let’s practise what we preach, and make a point to do it each and every day!